Having an outdoor kitchen that you can use during the warmer months is an appealing prospect for many, and if you love cooking and hosting dinner parties, an outdoor kitchen could be just the thing to give you everything you need.
When planning for an outdoor kitchen, there are a few things you must be sure to consider, such as where you’re going to prepare food, plug in appliances, and whether you’ll have a grill, pizza oven, or both.
Here are a few considerations that could be the difference between an outdoor kitchen that works and helps to enhance your life, and one that fails miserably:
Plenty of prep space
If your outside space isn’t big enough for a fully functioning kitchen with plenty of space to prepare food, then it might not work. You always need ample countertop space for chopping and slicing, and don’t want to be having to go inside to your regular kitchen to prepare food and carry it outside each time you want to cook.
Work with an experienced renovation company and they’ll have plenty of great ideas for countertop designs, and you can choose from natural stone, tile or concrete for excellent, durable food prep areas. Neglect this aspect of an outdoor kitchen at your peril!
Leave space for appliances
Leaving enough room for any appliances you might need, such as a refrigerator, freezer, or even mixers and juicers, is important if you want to be able to use your outdoor kitchen as a standalone space, without relying on your kitchen inside the home, when entertaining or enjoying a family meal.
Don’t forget that having somewhere to plug your appliances into is just as important, and your chosen general contractor should be able to take care of this.
Have somewhere that you can access water
A sink is pretty much essential for any outdoor kitchen, otherwise you’ll be forced to go inside your home every time you want to wash your ingredients or even your hands.
Think carefully about your cooking space
Having an integrated grill works wonderfully well for outdoor kitchens, and prevents the need for ugly and dangerous propane tanks to be left out in the open; instead, they can be stored conveniently under the grill. If pizzas and flatbreads are your thing, why not have a pizza oven constructed, too?
Cooking is at the heart of any outdoor kitchen, so talk to your chosen general contractor or renovation company about making the space into one in which cooking isn’t just a pleasure, but is a breeze, too.
There are many ways to design an outdoor kitchen that you’ll love using, and it could really transform the way you entertain or even enjoy time with your family during fine weather and long, hot summers. When done right, it can even add value to your home.