For people who love to entertain, an outdoor kitchen just makes sense. Why spend any more time in the house than necessary on beautiful summer days. Let’s face it, part of entertaining is spending time in the kitchen. Kitchen islands make sense as entertainment seating during food preparation during the winter. For the summer months do the cooking outside near your guests.
Size
To many people, an outdoor kitchen means many different things. To some it is simply a barbeque with a sink and some counter space nearby. To others it means an elaborate setup with grills, burners, oven, storage space, butchers block and more. There is no right or wrong, simply what design works for your needs. It’s wrong to think everyone would need a huge setup; some people would rather have space in their yard than have it taken up by a huge kitchen.
Your Needs
Deciding on what you need takes a bit of work. Weigh out the benefits of each potential item against the cons. Factor in things like cost of the appliance, cost of installation, regular maintenance and space.
A basic outdoor setup includes a barbeque, some heating elements (either on the bbq or separate), some counter space to work at, and a sink. This scenario includes pretty much everything you’d need to prepare a meal.
Permanence
Next you need to decide how permanent you want to make the structures. If you keep everything fairly moveable, you have the flexibility to rearrange the kitchen when desired. Some outdoor kitchen setups have concrete counters and built in cabinets on the patio. You must be very sure of what you want before committing to such permanent structures.
If this is the first outdoor cooking area you are putting together, chances are you’ll want to stick with flexibility. Once you work in the area for an extended period of time, you’ll realize what works and what doesn’t.