How to Build and Design the Perfect Outdoor Barbecue Kitchen | Food and Drink

By KCKudra
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An outdoor kitchen is the perfect complement to any house. Not only are you able to cook delicious meals outside in the warm summer evenings but also you will not have to be stuck in the main kitchen, missing all the fun outside.

Americans spent almost $150 billion remodeling their houses in 2005 and a third of this amount was spent on exterior areas. You can see already that outdoor kitchens are a hot trend! You might need to spend a few thousand dollars getting your outdoor kitchen up to scratch but it is an investment and will push the property of your home upwards if you ever decide to move. Before you hit the shops, here are some guidelines about outdoor kitchen design and putting your outdoor kitchen together.

Which Outdoor Kitchen Design is Best?

Outdoor kitchens come in three basic designs. These designs are an L shaped island, a U shaped center, and a basic island. An L shape island gives you cooking space and preparation space. A U shaped center features a grill in the middle and both preparation and serving areas. This is a good design to pick if you are going to be using your outdoor kitchen a lot. You can also serve food straight from the grill without leaving it. Basic islands are economical but they are too small to cook for a lot of guests.

Outdoor Kitchen Cabinets

Remember that outdoor kitchens will be exposed to sunlight, water, and cold temperatures, so you need to use durable materials for the countertops and cabinets. Marble, granite, brick, and various manmade materials are good to use. Wood rots easily, especially if left untreated. It is also highly flammable. Outdoor kitchens are supposed to last for many years, so you should invest in the best quality cabinets and countertops you can afford.

Outdoor Kitchen Appliances

The grill is perhaps the most important item in your outdoor kitchen plans. You could get a charcoal grill or a gas grill. Charcoal grills flavor the food well but gas grills give superior temperature control. If your grill is going to be exposed to the elements, you will need a waterproof grill cover.

You will also need a kitchen island. These can be bought in one piece or designed yourself. Suitable materials include stone, stainless steel, and stucco. It is handy to have an outdoor sink, which draws from a potable water hose or the house's water supply. An outdoor refrigerator is another possibility but a refrigerator kept outdoors will have a maximum life span of five years because of the fluctuating outdoor temperatures.

How to Build an Outdoor Kitchen

When building outdoor kitchens, it is important to take your time and plan exactly what you want the finished outdoor kitchen to look like. What kind of cookery will you do? How often will you cook there? How much can you spend? How many people will you feed at once? Do you want your outdoor kitchen stationary or movable? These are some of the important questions to ask yourself before designing your outdoor kitchen plans or thinking about outdoor kitchen appliances.

When you have a firm idea of what is required, you can either build your own outdoor kitchen or hire a contractor to help. Outdoor kitchens should be near the house so you can bring food in and out but not in an area where smoke will blow into the house or into the faces of your guests. Other safety precautions include making sure the grill is a comfortable thirty-six inches high and not using any flammable materials in your outdoor kitchen construction.

When you are ready to go, you can enjoy building your outdoor kitchen and be assured that family and friends will delight in your cookery for years to come!

About the Author

Tired of vegetable recipes that leave you asking where's the flavor? Then try ours fresh off the grill along with grilling corn on the cob.

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