Article by steve
The idea of having your very own outdoor kitchen may have once seemed like a fantasy, or ‘outdoor kitchen’ seemed like just a fancy term for a BBQ that was slightly more sophisticated than the norm. But in truth, the design and technology of today’s outdoor kitchens has advanced to such an extent that the decisions you make for your own outdoor kitchen may barely differ from those you would make for an indoor one.
So what’s possible with an outdoor kitchen?
You certainly don’t have to limit yourself to one type of cooking. Yes, it may have been the case in the past that people simply invested in outdoor kitchens for the occasional barbecue. But now, seemingly everything is possible, ranging from the stone-baking of pizza and bread to slow roasts.
There are, though, a lot of things that you will need to think about to make your outdoor kitchen dream a reality. Do you want your kitchen to incorporate the likes of wine fridges and in-built storage, for example? What exactly your outdoor kitchen will need to include will likely also depend heavily on its location, including its proximity to your indoor kitchen.
Wind turbulence can be an issue if your outdoor kitchen ends up being located quite close to your home, which is why it is advisable to position the cooking area at a distance from the home equal to the property’s height. This should ensure a good standard of ventilation, which is a crucial factor to consider given the flammable materials, hot gases and smoke that owners of outdoor kitchens will inevitably have to deal with on a frequent basis.
There’s an outdoor kitchen for every possible requirement
Naturally, the type of food that you would like to cook, as well as the number of people for whom you will be cooking, will have a great influence on the features that you specify for your outdoor kitchen. Grills with three or more burners are ideal for larger roasts, for instance, while if you want to pump out as many pizzas as possible, a Le Panyol wood-fired oven could be perfect for the task.
The style that you choose is crucial as well, for practical and not just aesthetic reasons. It’s certainly a good idea to try to coordinate the appearance of your outdoor kitchen with its surroundings, but this shouldn’t be done to such a great extent that it compromises your preferred cooking style. A professional designer could help you to make the right choices with regard to your kitchen location and the layout of its various components.
There are not only stainless steel, but also timber and composite designs now available. However, whatever materials you choose need to be suitable for the outdoor environment, resisting UV, flames, frost and other potential causes of damage. Also bear in mind that incorporating such ‘bells and whistles’ as weatherproof TVs and sound systems into your outdoor kitchen may not be a great move if it means scrimping with your choice of grill, and therefore needing to constantly replace it.
Don’t forget the dining area, too…
It should go without saying – we would hope! – that you will want you and your fellow diners to be able to enjoy any food in much the same spirit as that in which it was cooked… in the open air. Thankfully, that is very much possible when you invest in the most suitable outdoor dining furniture like the pieces we can provide here at Skyline Design.
We’re living in a world in which the traditional boundaries between indoors and outdoors, kitchen and dining areas are becoming ever-more blurred – so why wouldn’t you wish to embrace such fluidity by assembling the complete outdoor kitchen and dining area with our help?
Our extensive selection of rattan dining sets helps you to meet all of the practical and visual requirements that you could conceivably have of outdoor dining furniture when building an outdoor kitchen area – and the Skyline Design team is always on hand to provide advice as to which could be the right choice for you.
