What are the Key Points in Outdoor Kitchen Design?
There’s no denying the utility of an outdoor kitchen, which allows you to stay social when cooking for family, friends, or large parties during the summer months when everyone wants to be outdoors. While there’s certainly some expense inherent to installing an outdoor kitchen, you’ll also add tons of value to your property in the process, ensuring return on investment when you choose to sell your home.
In the meantime, you’ll enjoy plenty of benefits, including convenience during summer cookouts, the option to get out of your hot and lonely kitchen and participate in social fun while entertaining, and the opportunity to enjoy your beautiful landscape design. The only caveat is that you really have to spend some time thinking about how to make your outdoor kitchen a functional and attractive addition to your Rock Valley, Iowa backyard.
Functional Essentials
While your outdoor kitchen may not require all the same bells and whistles you enjoy with your interior kitchen (leave the double ovens inside), there are certain functional elements that every kitchen space needs, indoors or out. This starts with basic appliances.
If you’re upgrading from your standard backyard grill, you’ll obviously need a cooking surface, including a grill and burners. While you don’t necessarily need an oven, since you can do your baking in the house, it’s not a bad idea to include a warming drawer for items like buns or to keep cooked foods toasty until you’re ready to serve.
You’ll also want a fridge, although a mini model will do since it’s probably not a good idea to let cold items like veggies and condiments sit out in the hot sun while you’re cooking. At the very least, you should consider a small drink fridge that adds a convenient means of grabbing a cold one without trekking all the way into the house.
You’ll also want to include ample work surface for food prep and staging, as well as a sink for washing food, hands, and dishes. Storage space is another must for dishware, utensils, and linens you don’t want to be exposed to the elements, and don’t forget to update your outdoor lighting for functional and aesthetic appeal.
Location and Layout
When determining where your outdoor kitchen will go, it’s wise to place it near the house, and ideally, near an entrance to the interior kitchen. This will facilitate moving needed items like food, dishes, and utensils from one kitchen to the other, and back.
As for the layout of your outdoor kitchen, your best bet is to follow the golden triangle rule, whereby the sink, fridge, and cooktop are arranged as the three points of a triangle. This has been deemed the most functional, efficient, and aesthetically pleasing layout for any kitchen space.
Protection from the Elements
When you plan events outdoors, you never know what kind of weather you might end up dealing with, from glaring sunshine to howling winds, to pouring rain. You needn’t let it ruin your fun. When you build a pavilion or other protective structure to keep the elements at bay, you could use your outdoor kitchen through spring, summer, and fall, and perhaps even into the winter season.
It’s time to turn your Sioux Center, Iowa backyard into the functional and high-value entertaining space you’ve always dreamed of by adding an outdoor kitchen. Contact the experts at Outdoor Elements today at 712-476-5299 or online to get started.