Since we discovered fire, we’ve been cooking our food in the great outdoors. Whether we’re barbequing a burger on a deck or fixing a feast in a fully-loaded backyard kitchen, here are six reasons you need an outdoor kitchen, now!
1. Make the Great Outdoors, Greater.
From long, lazy picnics on the lawn to happy hour with appetizers on a patio, Canadians wring out as much outdoor living (and eating) as possible during warm weather. Thank goodness the marketplace has caught on, outdoor living is the fastest-growing category in the home improvement industry. Outdoor kitchens, as a category is growing exponentially every year.
2. Extend Your Living Space, and Outdoor Enjoyment
You can see how quickly the industry has evolved. In fact, everything you need to stay outside longer is now readily available. Outdoor furnishings are more comfortable, affordable and stylish. Why use simple folding chairs when you can reproduce your living room, right down to the (indoor/outdoor) carpet? If you have space, there’s no question that maximizing that outdoor square footage adds to our enjoyment of an all-too-brief season. An outdoor kitchen can provide year-round use and pleasure.
3. Customize Your Outdoor Kitchen Through Design Planning
Are you a chef who loves an audience or do you like to work alone? Customization helps you select the outdoor kitchen components to suit your cooking and entertaining needs. Today’s outdoor appliances, counter material, and cabinetry are designed to be weatherproof and long-lasting. Whether it’s on a deck or patio, you can also choose to install a roof over your outdoor kitchen workspace. Companies like Outdoor Kitchens and Cabinetry by Garage Living carries beautiful and functional outdoor appliances and cabinetry to complement your style. It’s an extension of your indoor style so a designer can help you choose the right layout, look and plan for you.
4. You Can Have it All. Bells, Whistles, Smokers…Get the Works!
Your backyard kitchens can be outfitted with running water, gas and electrical lines. Multiple stovetop elements and grill levels can help facilitate cooking different food items at once. Cabinetry, like it’s indoor counterpart is stylish, functional and weather-resistant. Water-proof, UV and heat resistant counters can be custom made to make way for specialty appliances, like smokers, outdoor ovens, flat-top grills, warming drawers and more. Refrigerator drawers and separate, temperature-controlled bar fridges also help eliminate the need to run back and forth into the house.
5. Transform Your Outdoor Space and Achieve the Art of Al Fresco
Along with the kitchen, the dining room is also moving outdoors. Think of Tuscany and long wooden tables laden with fresh food. Chairs crunching into the pea gravel and grapevines offering shade overhead. Speaking of Italy, cooking pizza outdoors is one of life’s extreme pleasures. An outdoor brick oven, complete with chimney and roof elevates the experience, becoming another centre for entertaining.
6. One S’more Reasons You Need an Outdoor Kitchen, Now!
Today, the humble backyard firepit has evolved to become a great extension of the outdoor kitchen. No matter how it’s fueled, it’s the fire that brings us together for conversation, relaxation and maybe a little marshmallow toasting. Surrounded by comfy seats, nothing beats the hypnotic dance of firelight on a cool summer’s eve.
Like a summer rite, we embrace the warm weather and move our lives outside. So, why not bring the comforts of home outside with us? The living room, dining room, and kitchen belong outside and don’t forget the kitchen sink.
Outdoor kitchen photos courtesy of Outdoor Kitchens and Cabinetry.
