For any home, an outdoor kitchen can be a wonderful addition, and if you would like to provide your house with a new look, then it is definitely something you should consider. An outdoor kitchen can provide your home with added sophistication and is far superior to a regular BBQ in the backyard. It can also serve as a sort of garden that is much more appealing for entertaining friends or guests. After all, everyone loves leading the alfresco life.
It isn’t necessary for your guests to be stuck inside your house while you are in your regular kitchen preparing food when you could instead be outdoors grilling hamburgers, as you are serving cocktails and chatting with your guests or friends. An outdoor kitchen also can provide your home with a significant boost in value for many years into the future whenever you eventually decide to sell it.
Therefore, it isn’t surprising that outdoor living areas are becoming increasingly popular – particularly in the UK as well as other countries in Europe where the average temperature is over 20°C.
What does an outdoor kitchen need so that it serves its purpose well? The most obvious and first thing that an outdoor kitchen needs to have is a sufficient amount of space. However, don’t think that you absolutely have to a large garden area available in order for it to work.
There needs to be enough counter space in your outdoor kitchen to prepare and cook food. There also needs to be enough room to put things on both sides of the appliances. Let’s cover that in a bit more detail now.
Tips for Creating an Outdoor Kitchen to Enjoy Alfresco Living
Outdoor Kitchen Grill
For any outdoor enthusiast, a grill is an absolute must-have for outdoor entertainment and living. If that important appliance were to be missing then your outdoor kitchen would definitely be substandard.
A grill can be directly built into your outdoor cooking area’s counter. Make sure it is a professional-grade appliance. There are many different models to choose from, including gas, pellet-fuelled, or charcoal grills. There are some innovative grills that are able to self-ignite. Usually, those come with burners that are built-in and help to keep food warm.
Refrigerator
An artificially cooled storage area is needed for keeping all of your fresh items cold so you can relax with your friends or guests and enjoy them later on. A refrigerator can also make sure your meat stays cold while you are waiting for your grill to warm up.
Outdoor Oven
Pizzas go in ovens and steaks go on grills. Not many people like to eat cold pizza. It is best eaten when it is practically red-hot. The warming drawer is a great variant that helps to keep your food warm until it is time for you to serve your guests.
Tap and Sink
It is a kitchen still, so the menial tasks still need to be done, like washing the dishes. More importantly, you need a sink for washing fresh foods. When you have running water you won’t have to keep topping up your ice bucket or running back inside the house. Most taps and sinks are well-suited for outdoor use. Just make sure that isn’t stated otherwise by the manufacturer.
A Cover
Although it is an outdoor kitchen, live electricity is still being used to run your appliances. That is why it is so important for them to be protected against bad weather. If water gets into any of your appliances, then most likely they will rust or they could even be set on fire in the worst case scenario.
Electrical Outlets
Usually, most people forget about having electrical outlets installed in their outdoor kitchen until something comes up where they need one and there aren’t any around. Since you will be using a refrigerator and potentially other electrical appliances, you need to have enough outlets installed so that they are available to use whenever you need them. This is the kind of thing that Lewis Visual, the Farnham architects, could help with.
Optional Extras
A wine cooler is one of the more common appliances that is installed in today’s outdoor kitchen. They go with that industrial look that modern outdoor appliances have and are ideal for keeping your beverages cool on a hot summer’s day.