Having an outdoor kitchen is a fantastic way to expand your living space for your home. It offers a great way to append more time outdoors and cooking over a fire is a much healthier way to cook. You can make it as elaborate as you want, or keep it simple and minimalistic.
The beauty of having an outdoor kitchen is that you are able to spend more time outdoors which is a much better way to use your yard then you just have a perfectly manicured lawn.
The problem that many people have when building an outdoor kitchen is that they often don’t use it enough to justify the time and expense. Since it is outdoors it can often be overlooked as it is out of sight and out of mind. Or, it simply isn’t set up as comfortably as you like.
In this article, we will go over how to get the most out of your outdoor kitchen so it provides years of enjoyment.
Make it work year round
Another problem with an outdoor kitchen is that when the weather is rough, it doesn’t get used. In the summer when weekends are at a premium, a few rainy ones can really wreck your use of one.
Then, you have a long and boring winter that doesn’t allow for use of the kitchen. This can be remedied very easily by making your kitchen a year round one even being outdoors.
The first thing is to make sure that you have some kind of cover to keep out of the rain and snow. You can make a pergola that covers the kitchen while keeping the sides open so it is truly an outdoors kitchen. If you are facing some rain that can get in the sides, then you have the option to put tent or canvas slides for temporary walls.
Next, keep it warm in the cool weather. You will be warm enough when you are doing the cooking since you will be right next to the grill or stove. But others out there with you will need to sit by a fire pit if that is an option. They can be dangerous if the space is enclosed so if that is the case, you can opt for a Kingsman fireplace that has options for outdoor use.
Set it up for entertaining
One of the biggest reasons to even have an outdoor kitchen is to have people over to enjoy the weather and some great home cooked food. But, it has to be set up to entertain to make sure that your guests are comfortable and that you are able to take good care of them.
Space to eat is important so have a big table where everybody can gather and eat comfortably from a plate. Standing and trying to eat from a plate with one hand is not an enjoyable experience. Give them an area where they can avoid that. It can be a long table, or several small ones scattered around.
Having a bar is also a great way to entertain. Keeping the drinks cool without having to go in the house to serve people is the best way to go. Also, it frees up space indoors to keep a liquor cabinet outside. You can also have a nice bar top where guests can sit and enjoy a cocktail while they watch you cook.
Have it set up for efficiency
One thing that keeps people from using their kitchen as much as they would like is that they often have to set things up every time they want to cook. It involves bringing a surface outside where they can prep the food. Then bringing all the utensils needed to actually do the cooking as well as the plates and cutlery.
If you have an outdoor kitchen it should have everything that you need to be able to prep, cook and then eat all at within reach. Avoiding the set up will give you more motivation to go fire up the grill at a moment’s notice.
You can really have it set up exactly as you would an indoor kitchen complete with refrigerator, cabinets for storage and a countertop where you can cut vegetables and other prep work. You can also avoid running around for things like containers and plates when you have cabinets there with the essentials. Having it set up this way is also a good way to cut down on the clean up. If you have a sink outside then you can even do your dishes there.
