Are you thinking about adding an outdoor kitchen to your backyard?
Not only can this add immense enjoyment and mental health benefits to your life, but it can also increase the value of your home! In fact, a 2021 trend report found that outdoor living spaces, including outdoor kitchens, are more valuable than ever before.
We are extremely passionate about outdoor living, so we put this guide together to help you design the perfect outdoor kitchen for your home. Let’s get started!
Ask Yourself These Questions Before Designing Your Outdoor Kitchen
Before designing your outdoor kitchen, take time to think about how the space will be used. Keep both functionality and FUN in mind! Here are a few key questions to consider:
How many people will be cooking outside? Will the area be used only for cooking or also for dining and entertaining? These questions will help you determine the best layout. For example, if a lot of people will be socializing and cooking outside together, you may want to consider adding a bar that can double as additional prep space.
What kind of food do you plan to cook outside? This will help you decide what appliances to include outdoors and how much counter space you may need for food prep.
What kind of climate do you live in? This will help you decide whether or not to include a pergola or covered patio. It’s also important to keep the weather in mind when choosing materials for your outdoor kitchen.
Small Outdoor Kitchen Ideas
If you’re designing a small outdoor kitchen, you will definitely need to prioritize. Think about what appliances you will use most often, and consider whether you can use your indoor kitchen to store and/or prep food. Fortunately, you can cook almost anything on a nice BBQ grill with the right skills and techniques.
More good news: When designing a smaller space, you may be able to splurge on more high-end materials and appliances. Stick to the basics, but make them spectacular!
Outdoor Kitchen Pergola or Covered Patio Tips
Some form of coverage over your outdoor kitchen can help protect you from the elements, whether that be pouring rain or the scorching sun. Partially open patio covers, like pergolas, can be great for hot climates where a little shade goes a long way. Patio covers also make it easier to hang lighting and/or ceiling fans.
For safety reasons, make sure you have at least a 9-foot ceiling or taller if you are placing a grill in a covered patio. It’s also important to place the grill somewhere with plenty of ventilation or cross-breeze.
The Best Outdoor Kitchen Appliances & Grills
Popular appliances for outdoor kitchens include BBQ grills, pellet BBQs, smokers, pizza ovens, and more. Green mountain grills make some of the best grills and appliances for outdoor kitchens.
These high-end grills come in a wide range of models and price points, but all of them feature a venturi-style firebox that creates a cyclone flame, ensuring maximum combustion. They also have a thermal sensor that constantly monitors the ambient temperature, so that if the weather gets cold, the sensor kicks the grill into Turbo Mode to heat up more quickly.
In addition to the features listed above, green mountain wood pellet grills also have wi-fi capabilities. This allows users to monitor cooking temperatures and make adjustments conveniently from their phones!
Not only are green mountain grills implementing incredible new technology, but they are also tried and tested and very well known in the industry for having some of the best customer service around. Our team at Aqua Clear Hot Tubs spends a considerable amount of time outside grilling, and we can’t recommend green mountain grills enough!
For those who think big, want to bring their outdoor kitchen on the road, or just have a lot of friends to feed – check out the incredible Big Pig Trailer Rig from Green Mountain Grills. An absolute show stopper!
Designing Outdoor Kitchen Cabinets
Outdoor kitchen cabinets are great for storage and protection against the elements. Popular materials for outdoor kitchen cabinets include metals like stainless steel or stamped tin, certain types of wood that hold up better to the elements, such as teak, bamboo, and cypress, and waterproof polymer materials for even more protection.
According to HGTV, stainless steel is the most popular material used in outdoor kitchen cabinetry and accessories.
Choosing Outdoor Kitchen Countertops
Below are a few of the most popular countertop materials for outdoor kitchens and some of their pros and cons:
- Granite: Very durable, stain-resistant (when sealed properly), and fade-resistant, but can be more expensive than other options.
- Tile: More affordable than other options, comes in a wide variety of styles, easy to replace individual tiles, but the grout is prone to staining and can crack in freezing temperatures.
- Natural Stone: Beautiful and very durable, but needs regular maintenance and can stain more easily than other materials because it’s more porous.
- Concrete: Easy to shape and comes in many colors and styles, but more prone to scratches and damage from the sun over time.
Outdoor Kitchen Accessories to Consider
When it comes to accessorizing, don’t forget about lighting and fans, as these are both functional and important for safety reasons.
Once you have the basics figured out, you can focus on the fun details that make your outdoor kitchen the perfect place to socialize and entertain. With some add-ons like great patio furniture, an outdoor fireplace or fire pit, and maybe even a hot tub or sauna, your outdoor living area will be the place to be!
We’ll Help Make Your Outdoor Kitchen a Backyard Oasis!
If you’re ready to transform your backyard into an oasis, Aqua Clear Hot Tubs has the best BBQ grills, hot tubs, saunas, swim spas, and other high-end accessories to bring your vision to life!
Explore the outdoor kitchen appliances on our website and then come by our showroom in Sisters, Oregon or reach out to us to learn more.