Have you considered adding an outdoor kitchen to your property? Kitchens are one of the hottest trends in outdoor living for homeowners today. But what good is an outdoor kitchen if you don’t build it the right way? To make the most of your outdoor living space, you need to build a kitchen that functions well for cooking. That’s why we’re giving you 5 awesome tips to help give you the perfect, functional outdoor kitchen.
1. Make Room for Food Prep in Your Outdoor Kitchen
If you’ve ever spent time in the kitchen, you know that cooking takes some prep work. Cooking outside is no different. You should consider this when planning your outdoor cooking space. If you want a space that is functional and efficient, you need to consider all stages of cooking. Add in some countertop space so you can prep your food right where you cook it.
Countertops don’t just give you the space you need to prep the food, they can also be cleaned and used to serve your food and eat as well. If you don’t have space or the budget to add prep space, consider adding a rolling cart. This can easily be moved when you’re not using it.
2. Don’t Forget to Make People Space
Room to prep isn’t the only thing you need to consider when it comes to space. You’ll also need room for people. For some reason, guests love to congregate in the kitchen. Whether it’s the wonderful aroma of what you’re cooking or just the feeling that they need to be involved, you’ll probably notice a lot of people are creeping into your cooking space when you have guests. Chances are high that that’ll happen outside as well. And it might even be worse, especially if you have pool parties that bring in higher numbers than you originally planned.
Don’t panic! Plan your outdoor kitchen to have multiple cooking surfaces. This will create more space and give others the chance to lend a hand when it comes to whipping up a delicious meal. Add a built-in outdoor grill, an oven, a stove with gas burners, and even a griddle to make additional cooking space available.
3. Add Some Shade
Obviously, the point of using an outdoor kitchen is to enjoy cooking, gathering, and eating outside. But that doesn’t mean you need to be standing in the direct sun. Unless you live in an area that rarely gets rain, you should consider putting some sort of shelter cover over your kitchen. In addition to shelter from the rain, you should make sure you get some shade. It’ll be difficult enough to handle the heat of the grill or stove.
One of the biggest misconception when it comes to shade is that shaded coverings take away from the look of your outdoor space. Actually, the opposite is true! Today’s options give you the chance to keep your area shaded while adding some class and style. Add a beautiful pergola, create a themed pavilion, or use a colorful canopy. You can even add flowers and climbing plants or throw up some string lights to make things festive.
4. Splurge with a Brick Oven
If you want to be the talk of the neighborhood, you should definitely add a brick oven. They are so worth the investment. In addition to the better dispersion of temperature, brick ovens give your food a lot of extra flavors. Believe it or not, brick ovens today aren’t just the traditional stone-clad masterpieces of years ago. You can add a mobile or countertop brick oven to your outdoor kitchen. Adding a brick oven to your outdoor living space won’t just leave you with the hottest spot to hang in the neighborhood, it will open the door to a variety of new cooking opportunities.
5. Finish It with Some Seating
To finish off your outdoor kitchen project, add in the outdoor seating. Outdoor seating allows you and your guests to enjoy the delicious meals you cook. It’ll also ensure that you’re never working alone. Prep and cook your meals and even do the dishes while your guests sit comfortably nearby. When it comes to seating, you have options. Bar seating or built-in seating are two popular options used by cooking stations. If you make your seating permanent, all you’ll need to worry about is a few decorative pieces and some throw pillows to complete your outdoor living space.
We hope you learned a lot from our best tips for building the perfect outdoor kitchen. As always, if you have any questions or need help planning your outdoor project, give us a call or stop by the supply yard to talk to a member of our team!