The most used room in the house is the kitchen, why not create an “OUTDOOR” kitchen.

Last Updated on November 18, 2011

If your childhood was anything like mine you remember all those great smells coming from the kitchen every day. My mom would make a great dinner every night and all my sisters, my brother and I would have to be home and cleaned up for dinner by 6: oo pm.

This was the time that we all got to sit around the table in the kitchen and discuss our day, my mother would tell us all what she expected of us in the coming hours and we would rebut with our disappointment. No matter what our day was like we all could not wait to sit down to dinner.

Now we can take our kitchens outside…

Outdoor kitchens are becoming huge these days, more and more people want to spend more time outdoors but do not want to give up on the modern conveniences of the indoor kitchens, like the fridge, and the stovetop. You can design and build an outdoor kitchen whatever shape and size you desire, it can be made from stone or brick. You can have a granite top surface, slate, tile or just about anything you want. Once you have the basic design of the kitchen then it is time to decide on what components you would like to have in it.

Let’s discuss some of the options available:

• Outdoor Refrigerator– these come in various sizes and styles. You can get the regular upright 36” fridge or the Door and draw style. (Make sure it is rated for outdoor use)
• Steam table- Having a party and need to keep the food warm? Then you better get one of these.
• Fryer- Make those French fries quick and easy.
• Blender Station– Love to mix those drinks or have a Frozen Margarita? Then this option is for you.
• Bar Tender with sink– similar to the Blender station but includes a sink and bottle rack.

Now we need to discuss the main components. “The grill and the side burner”. These are the mainstay of any outdoor kitchen. You want to get a grill that is large enough to accommodate the get together that you often have, but not so large that you need a tanker truck to supply the fuel for the day. A nice size is a 42”.

You can get these with a sear station built in which is an infrared station that will put out an intense heat in a Sear station area so you can lock in the juices. These are a nice feature but you cannot cook with a sear station only sear the meat then remove and use the grill area for completion of the cooking, so this accessory will take up precious real estate of your kitchen.

A rotisserie is a beautiful feature of any outdoor kitchen for that slow roasting and with the rotisserie you get the infrared burner set in the back of the hood for the browning of the meat as well as a warming rack. You might also enjoy a smoke box, this is great for adding the wood chips to give your food a smoky flavor of choice like Mesquite, or Apple wood.

When it comes to the Side Burner they are fairly simple in design, you just need to decide where to put it and if you want a single burner or double burner. They have some great ones out there that can handle a lobster pot.

You can check out www.alfrescogrills.com to see some of the items that are available.

I would pick the options of what you would like in your outdoor kitchen then get the dimensions of the items to present to your builder so he can design and build the island structure with the proper cutouts for the stainless steel items. Decide on your surface material and what the island structure is to be made out of and before you know it you will have your very own OUTDOOR KITCHEN.

Until Next Time…

This article was written by Rick the Spa Guy from www.fixmypoolandspa.blogspot.com