Do you have a beautiful yard, love entertaining guests, hosting parties, and lead an active social life? And you still don’t have an outdoor kitchen? What are you waiting for?
Outdoor kitchens encourage spending time outside with family and friends while having the luxury of preparing your meals in a controlled environment. They also raise the resale value of your property considerably when done right.
Let’s get you up to date with how owning an outdoor kitchen can transform your life and create endless memories with family and friends.
Outside cookouts just hit different
Is there a greater gift to bestow on a fellow human than a home cooked meal prepared with love? Everybody is in a good mood when they know some good food is coming their way, and when they get a chance to see it being made, their appetite goes through the roof. Especially when there’s no roof above their heads.
Barbecues, roasts, and all types of delicacies get a whole new dimension when prepared outdoors. It brings up some old, primal memories of ancient humans preparing food underneath the open sky. The smells, the sights, the sounds, everything gets amplified, and harmony between friends becomes even greater and stronger.
Your parties and social gatherings will be taken to the next level, and the cookouts you organize will become the talk of the town.
The chef will also enjoy a great benefit – they will have company during the cooking process. An indoor kitchen gets crowded easily, so people tend to steer clear from the chef in order to let them do their job. This way, the cook gets to hang out too and not miss the party while tending to the means.
The cooking smells dissipate much more easily
No matter how good your kitchen ventilation is, scents linger, smoke gathers, and grease lodges and hardens in hard to reach places.
When preparing fish, deep frying, or barbecuing, this problem can really ruin your after-party experience.
An outdoor kitchen circumvents this issue completely. The smells have a place to escape, and you will have a much easier time resetting your home to normal once the party is over.
An outdoor kitchen increases the value of your real estate
You can view your outdoor kitchen as an investment, one with a high return at that.
When you don’t skimp on the materials and really make a high quality facility, an outdoor kitchen increases your resale value considerably. It’s considered a luxury feature. It can take your home from an average property to a high echelon investment.
While other types of yard and landscaping investments tend to pose a higher risk, almost no one complains if the property they want to buy already has a kitchen installed. That saves a lot of time and effort, and you will see your investment returned almost certainly.
Grilling is healthy
Let’s be honest – most of your outdoor cooking will boil down to grilling. Barbecuing is a traditional way of cooking around the world, and all cultures have at least a few recipes that involve it.
You can grill almost anything. From vegetables to the fattiest meats, every food type endures and even loves grilling. You’re guaranteed a tasty meal every time you fire up the barbecue.
But that’s not even the best part. Grilling drastically reduces, if not completely removes, oil use. There’s no breading, no deep frying. Your arteries will definitely be grateful for that.
Other health hazards may apply – people tend to undercook meats. Make sure your hygiene is up to snuff when cooking outdoors, and if you insist on grilling rare stakes, make sure you get your meat from a trustworthy vendor.
An outdoor kitchen reduces the electrical bill
Consider this – an indoor kitchen needs ventilation. You can’t just let the smells fester in your living space. You need to get the cooking aromas out somehow.
The great outdoors regulate that – the smoke just floats away, and you’re left with a cleaner house, as well as a decrease in your monthly bills.
A cookout encourages exercise in the fresh air
Now, there are no guarantees for this, but your kids will maybe, just maybe, lift their faces up from their phones and actually run in the fresh air while waiting for their burgers.
An outdoor kitchen next to a lawn is the perfect place to encourage the young ones to use their bodies and run around, play catch, or tag. And you’ll have a perfect vantage point to make sure everything is in order and there’s not too much horseplay.
In any case, the sun will bestow its gifts to everyone who partakes in your cookout, which can’t really be said for a dinner party thrown indoors.
What does an outdoor kitchen include?
An exterior kitchen can come in all shapes and sizes.
If you’re just looking for a barbecue station, an outdoor grill, a sink, and some counter space will be plenty. Add some patio furniture, and you’re all set for inviting people over for stakes and being the best host in your neighborhood.
That doesn’t mean you have to stop there. You can go the whole nine yards and install high end appliances, like pizza ovens, refrigerators, beer taps, and smokers. Install kitchen cabinets for a full alfresco cooking area.
As far as design goes, you can go the traditional route and build a kitchen out of mortared bricks. This style is always en vogue. Contemporary outdoor kitchens have a more streamlined look with granite or stainless steel elements. Making an outdoor kitchen like this will show your taste and class. A rustic outdoor kitchen has irregular surfaces, rough edges, and an overall rugged look. This can be tacky if not blended properly with its surroundings. If you’re chasing that archaic, primordial look for your property, however, a rustic outdoor kitchen is the best choice.
The size and scope of your outdoor kitchen should be kept within your budget and needs. A professional, who has already finished many similar projects, can open your eyes to possibilities you have never dreamed of. Include your contractor in your project from the get go, and you will surely get more than you bargained for.
Conclusion
To reiterate, outdoor kitchens help you keep an active social life, run down your electrical bills, inspire you to make healthier food choices, keep your indoor kitchen cleaner and increase your real estate value.
Sometimes an outdoor kitchen just means installing a grill and some counter space. But you definitely don’t have to stop there. You can build an entire functional kitchen that Michelin starred restaurant chefs would be envious of.
There are many avenues you can go down when it comes to style, and a professional contractor can help you make choices that fit in with the overall aesthetic of your property.
An outdoor kitchen is a must for any aspiring socialite looking to make their mark on the local scene. Cookouts combine two things people love most – food and companionship. If you’re looking for a way to create lasting memories with families and friends and have the budget to afford it, an outdoor kitchen is the best investment you can make.
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