An
existing deck or portable gazebo is a great springboard for a DIY
outdoor kitchen.
Sometimes it pays to start small and add on
to a kitchen as a budget allows. A premium standalone grill and a
well constructed, well landscapped patio are great places to
start.
Working in stages, you
can add
outdoor
kitchen equipment,
lighting, a seating area, or perhaps a firepit or water feature all
without creating a budgeting
nightmare.
Outdoor Kitchen Grill
(or other outdoor kitchen equipment used to cook.)
Charcoal and propane
grills (freestanding or surrounded by brick or masonry) were around
long before warming drawers, pizza ovens, and alfresco beverage zones became
popular.
Some of these outdoor
kitchen designs were just metal cooking
grates over brick-lined fireboxs -- some had stone slabs that doubled
as counter space.
You can add any number of other
amenities to an outdoor kitchen design, but it's the grill with a
landing zone that forms the core of all outdoor
kitchens.
Avoid comparing grills based on the amount of
the heat they produce (BTU's). BTU's don't tell you how evenly the heat is distributed
or whether the lid does a good job of keeping the temperature
even.
Consider these other tips when choosing an
outdoor kitchen grill:
Outdoor Kitchen Island
The grill island is a lot like your indoor kitchen counters
with a two important differences.
Outdoor kitchen islands have a more
powerful heat source and they must be able to
withstand the elements.
Given these differences,
a standard indoor wood cabinet will not do well in an exposed
outdoor kitchen design.
The
grill island has three primary functions:
- powerful heat
source
- prep surface
- storage for outdoor
kitchen accessories
To
make it as convenient as possible, plan for at least 3
feet of island space positioned next to the
grill.
For added
convenience, include an outdoor
kitchen sink
or an outdoor kitchen
refrigerator. But the convenience of these is
no tradeoff for a sufficient amount of counter space.
Easy
Outdoor Decor
