Outdoor Cooking Equipment secrets: Setting up an outdoor kitchen

By Stephen Kember

A warm balmy evening, the patio, friends & family; the outdoor grill; the wonderful flavors and aromas of a meal cooked outdoors, they all come together in absolute perfection in the summer time; what could be better?

Now hold on a minute. This is absolutely true, but if you want a really successful and enjoyable outdoor cooking experience then you need a well thought through outdoor kitchen.

The scale of your outdoor kitchen will be down to available funds but ideally you should aim to have the big seven in your outdoor kitchen: a grill and a stove; a cabinet for storage; a work top, a sink; a refrigerator and a well positioned seating with table area.

Your outdoor kitchen will bring in its wake many benefits. you'll be free of walking in and out of the house so many times you're going dizzy, you'll have everything to hand when you need it; your family will be seriously impressed and enjoy your entertaining and you'll be far more relaxed.... that is of course, assuming you've planned it all well in advance of starting the project.

Finding your way through the myriad of grills and stoves available in the marketplace today is not easy. My advice before you start is to think this one through from the perspective of your families needs and what you'll be cooking. Don't skimp, this is a long term investment and will determine the quality of your cooking experience.

To help you ask yourself some of the right questions the following points are important:

1. Before making any detailed decisions ask yourself: What is the best location for our outdoor kitchen? How will the kitchen work in terms of the house and the garden and the family? How important is our privacy when eating? What permissions will we need? Where is the sun going to be when we're dining? What protection from the elements are we going to need? And, if we're going to use it, will the decking take the weight of the kitchen?

2. Should I buy a grill or a stove or do i need both? If you can afford it go for both as they are so useful working in tandem.

3. If we go for a stove, as well as a grill, what type is going to be best? A 1, 2 or 3 burner unit? Or should I go all in and buy a ceramic grill? I've heard that they are really good and produce exceptionally flavorsome and juicy food because of the special way a ceramic grill cooks. I suggest that you look online at the many bargains and think about exactly what you're going to be cooking and buy accordingly.

4. What cooking will I be doing? What size of grill or stove will suit us best? How many and what type of stockpots, Dutch ovens and Jambalaya pots will we need? How many will we be cooking for? And which do i like best aluminum, stainless steel or cast iron?

5. Should I chose a grill with gas or charcoal? Ask yourself, will the family prefer food beautifully flavored with charcoal smoke and enjoy the fun of cooking with charcoal or do I prefer the simplicity and cleanliness of gas? Or maybe I could be really sophisticated and go for a wood smoker? But then again maybe the ceramic grill will cover this option for me?

6. Are we going to go for stainless steel throughout making everything a long term, easy to clean, great looking investment?

Designing the ideal outdoor kitchen is fairly straightforward providing you think things through and take some simple precautions. Here are some important suggestions. Mundane yes! But oh so important:

1. Should the outdoor kitchen go on the patio or on your decking; each may be the natural choice but both may not be the right decision for you? Think broadly and in the long term and if you're in any doubt don't start until you are sure;

2. Ensure you have some cover over the cooking area given the likely prospect of a shower or two;

3. If you're thinking of having a stove and deep frying avoid placing this on a wooden floor or decking in case the oil spills and you have a fire!

4. Money spent on outdoor lighting is usually a good investment. Nice lighting creates ambiance enhancing everyones sense of occasion; it also allows your evening to go on well into the night as you so wish;

6. Having an outdoor refrigerator is a real bonus, just make sure you buy one that is for use outdoors and comes with a a lock

7. Go for a sink if you possibly can. You are going to need water and a waste outlet so plan for this from the outset. Sinks with water are really handy be it for washing your hands, for food preparation, providing water for drinks as well as for washing up;

7. Its important that your outdoor kitchen is waterproof and all-round weather tight; particularly storage areas; always invest in dedicated outdoor kit; and

8. Don't have any combustible materials around the grill

Happy outdoor cooking.

Stephen Kember

Stephen R. Kember is a acknowledged expert on outdoor living. He now runs an online Cooking Equipment Store. Here you can take a look at the ultimate outdoor grill the Ceramic grill, which is the perfect all-round outdoor grill for use in an outdoor kitchen. To see the full range of equipment go to the http://tinyurl.com/dd6qlf where, for a limited period, prices have been significantly reduced right across the store's full range of cooking equipment.

Article Source: http://www.artipot.com