Don’t you just love summer days when you can get out onto the patio, set up the grill and invite some friends around and chill. Those smells, the flavors, the fun, that gorgeous food; surely it can’t be beat. Its little wonder that in most outdoor cooking equipment surveys its grilling that most people enjoy the most.

Now hold on a minute. This is absolutely true, but if you want a really successful and enjoyable outdoor cooking experience then you need a well thought through outdoor kitchen.

The scale of your outdoor kitchen will be down to available funds but ideally you should aim to have the big seven in your outdoor kitchen: a grill and a stove; a cabinet for storage; a work top, a sink; a refrigerator and a well positioned seating with table area.

Your outdoor kitchen will bring in its wake many benefits. you’ll be free of walking in and out of the house so many times you’re going dizzy, you’ll have everything to hand when you need it; your family will be seriously impressed and enjoy your entertaining and you’ll be far more relaxed…. that is of course, assuming you’ve planned it all well in advance of starting the project.

Choosing your grill and your stove is a real big question and one you must get right. My advice is, don’t go ‘cheap’; it will neither pay off in the short or the long term! Getting this right can make or break your outdoor cooking experience!

Here are some suggestions to support you in asking of yourself ask the right questions:

1. Before doing anything, first ask yourself some really basic questions. Where will it be best to site our outdoor kitchen? How is the outdoor kitchen going to work in terms of the family, the house and the garden in the wider context? What about our privacy when we’re eating? What permissions are going to be needed? Where is the sun in the afternoon and evening? What protection from the sun, wind and rain are we in need of? And, if you’re going to use your decking, will it take the weight?

2. What will I be cooking? Do I need a stove or a grill or both? Usually people say that they regretted not thinking this one through first off; most families need both.

3. If we buy a stove and a grill what sort of stove should I buy? A one, two or three burner? Or should I go for a ceramic grill. They have such excellent reviews due to the way they cook that seals in both moisture and flavor so the food is tasty and juicy. My advice is go online and do a search; there are some superb offers available at the moment.

4. What cooking will I be doing? What size of grill or stove will suit us best? How many and what type of stockpots, Dutch ovens and Jambalaya pots will we need? How many will we be cooking for? And which do i like best aluminum, stainless steel or cast iron?

5. Should I chose a grill with gas or charcoal? Ask yourself, will the family prefer food beautifully flavored with charcoal smoke and enjoy the fun of cooking with charcoal or do I prefer the simplicity and cleanliness of gas? Or maybe I could be really sophisticated and go for a wood smoker? But then again maybe the ceramic grill will cover this option for me?

6. Do we go for stainless steel throughout our outdoor kitchen? This seems to make good sense from a number of perspectives, not the least of which is that its easy to clean, looks great and is a long term investment?

Designing the ideal outdoor kitchen is fairly straightforward providing you think things through and take some simple precautions. Here are some important suggestions. Mundane yes! But oh so important:

1. Establishing an outdoor kitchen on your decking or on the patio is perhaps the natural choice but is it right? Before deciding consider matters in the longer term and in view of points already considered in this article;

2. Make sure there is some cover for the cooking area in the event of a shower or two;

3. If you’re thinking of having a stove and deep frying avoid placing this on a wooden floor or decking in case the oil spills and you have a fire!

4. Invest in some outdoor lighting. With tasteful lighting the whole ambiance is so much nicer and your outdoor soire can continue into the small hours on those beautiful balmy evenings;

6. Having an outdoor refrigerator is a real bonus, just make sure you buy one that is for use outdoors and comes with a a lock

7. If you want a fully functioning outdoor kitchen then a sink is a must but must be planned for from the outset as you need a water supply and a waste outlet Sinks are so useful for washing, food preparation, supplying water for drinks and for washing up saving you having to run in and out of the house, time & time and again;

7. Its important everything in your kitchen is waterproof and weather tight; especially storage areas;to avoid problems try to invest in dedicated outdoor equipment; and

8. Don’t have any combustible materials around the grill

All the best for a great outdoor kitchen this summer

Stephen Kember