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If you're serious about planning an outdoor kitchen for next year, you need to start now. Our seemingly interminable fall-spring season makes the arrival of summer all the sweeter. When the weather is just so, we relish spending the entire day outdoors, and that includes cooking and dining. For many of us, entertaining family and friends is a summer highlight. There’s just something about sharing an icy beverage and freshly grilled food on the patio with our loved ones. It’s unfortunate for the cook, however, that much of this cherished time is spent indoors, preparing food and cooking (even with grilling) away from the sun and fun and conversation. What is the solution to this dilemma? It’s the outdoor kitchen!
Common to regions where summer-like weather prevails most of the year, outdoor kitchens have recently made their way to the Northland – thanks, in part, to the manufacturers of weather resistant cabinetry and specialty outdoor appliances. An outdoor kitchen resembles an indoor kitchen in many ways, except that it is, well… outdoors! A compact and more durable version utilizing materials that withstand the elements, it may be oriented just outside your indoor kitchen, for ease of going back and forth. Or, its placement might maximize a landscape feature on your property such as a great view or a pool. Either way, its design should integrate with your property and embrace the same good principals of an indoor kitchen: adequate prep areas, good work flow, appropriately chosen materials, good lighting and comfortable seating for guests.
Here are a few things to consider when planning an outdoor kitchen:
Will it be a simple grill area with built in storage, counter space and seating for your guests?
Do you require water and electrical power?
Is propane or charcoal preferred, or perhaps you’d like natural gas piped to your grill?
Some outdoor kitchens are self-sufficient with all the amenities of an indoor kitchen, complete with a pizza oven, refrigerator, warming drawer, clean-up sink and piped in music. All of these amenities are now available, adapted for outdoor use, including cabinetry made of stainless steel and featuring doors and drawers that seal against the elements.
What about shelter from the rain? Do you want a roof over your outdoor kitchen? If so, make sure it’s fire safe.
The lay of your property and, of course, your budget, will dictate many of these variables. Most important is that you spend time planning all the details of your outdoor kitchen upfront to assure that you maximize its design and the amenities you desire. The joint expertise of both a competent kitchen designer and a landscape specialist will help you address the many variables required for a successful outcome.
And last but not least… the best thing about an outdoor kitchen is that it allows you to enjoy the sun and fun and conversation with your guests, all while you complete your necessary (and much appreciated) work… preparing good food that sustains the soul, on a perfect summer day.
Would you rather have someone else do the cooking? Check out Duluth restaurants here.
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