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Home | Grilling | Outdoor Kitchens | Tips & Techniques | Recipes & Menus | Safety
Designing your outdoor kitchen or barbecue area
You can cook great food outdoors whether your equipment consists of a humble “kettle” style grill or an entire outdoor kitchen including sink, refrigerator, stove and grill. Particularly in temperate climates, many people build their lifestyle around being outdoors and enjoying their pool, patio, lawn or deck. Having a fairly elaborate outdoor cooking set-up enhances their enjoyment of the outdoors, and they are willing to invest significant dollars to create the most functional outdoor kitchen. Whether simple or elaborate, the goals are the same. You need to answer these questions:
Can I easily access everything I need for outdoor cooking: utensils, charcoal, food? Do I have storage areas nearby and tables of other surfaces where I can set plates or containers down? Do I have the right equipment for the meals I typically prepare? Think of how many people you will be cooking for, and how large a grill surface you need to accommodate all the food you will be preparing. Is a charcoal or gas grill best for me? A gas grill allows you to control the heat more easily, for more even cooking, but charcoal is more versatile. You can cook with different types of wood and give your food a more intense flavor. Gas grills involve less clean-up and there is no need to dispose of ashes. Where should I locate my grilling area? Safety is one major concern. You don’t want your grill in an area where a flare-up could start a nearby tree on fire, or even worse, the porch roof. You don’t want your grill located in an area where children or pets will be running by. That’s a recipe for someone getting hurt. But convenience is another consideration. How easily can you transport the plates of food you will be cooking? What’s my budget for all this? If you’ve ever been to a Home and Garden Show, you know that the high-end grills can cost a lot of money. And having a built-in outdoor kitchen put in can cost nearly as much as your indoor kitchen did, the only difference being you don’t need expensive cabinets outside. Before you become one of those “Grillers Gone Wild” who spends $10,000 on his outdoor cooking set-up, think about what you really need to accomplish your basic cooking goal of preparing flavorful food for your family and friends. The food’s the thing.
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