The outdoor room concept is nothing new; in fact, the Romans were masters at doing this, incorporating their gardens into their living space and blurring the line between what’s inside and what’s outside. Today, many families enjoy outdoor kitchens as they take their fun under the sun, and along with it, the cooking, the eating and of course, the drinking.
There’s nothing quite like being able to take your food to the fire and eating it as soon as it is ready. This feat is incredibly difficult to accomplish at home, particularly if your indoor kitchen lacks an industrial strength ventilation system. Having a successful outdoor kitchen, complete with all the outdoor appliances such as the grill and of course outdoor refrigerators, takes a good bit of planning upfront. Success truly depends on having a properly designed outdoor kitchen plan.
Placement is crucial when planning an outdoor kitchen. It has to be situated with consideration to the other backyard elements you may have, such as the patio, the pool or the garden. Just because the kitchen is outdoor doesn’t mean that you throw away every known design principle related to traffic flow. It wouldn’t make sense if the outdoor refrigerators were out of reach of the wet bar or cooking range, for instance. Also, it may not be ideal for an outdoor kitchen to be situated far from the entry to the house, for though outdoor kitchens tend to be stand alone, there may be some things you need from the indoor refrigerator or freezer, given that outdoor refrigerators tend to be rather smallish and made for convenience, not storage.
Just like the indoors benefit from an open floor plan, so too will your outdoor kitchen if laid out properly. Consider the various elements as though they were rooms in your home. There should be an ease of movement from one outdoor room, if you will, to the other outdoor rooms. The outdoor kitchen will be most efficient if the traffic from the kitchen to the seating area is unimpeded. For instance, you wouldn’t want a pool to get in between your guest who just picked up a burger from your grill to his seating area. Keep places that tend to get the most traffic between them closer together if at all possible.
As previously noted, keeping the indoor and outdoor kitchens close to each other is a prudent design consideration, even if, say, a patio gets in between. The need to transfer foodstuff from the inside to the outside cannot be underestimated. Also, at the end of the night, you may need to move excess food and preparation materials from the outdoor kitchen to your indoor kitchen, so the less impediment in the way, the better. There is nothing more frustrating that cleaning up after the party and dropping a utensil and a pot or pan here and there right into the pool because you have to cross the pool to transport kitchen implements from your outdoor kitchen back to the indoor kitchen, where the dishwasher is located.
Finally, let us also show our cook some love, especially if that happens to be you. Though you don’t need to be front and center like a Benihana chef, you do need to be close to the action so that you are able to interact with your guests naturally, rather than being limited to brief chats when the guest wanders over for another grilled chicken, hotdog or burger. Hey, contemporary outdoor grills are equipped with smart venting and specialized exhaust systems today, so you may be able to bring the grill even closer to your guests. Perhaps the grill can be situated next to a counter seating arrangement?
Let’s talk about appliances. No outdoor kitchen would be complete if it is devoid of outdoor refrigerators. Incorporating a refrigerator into your outdoor kitchen plans is not only cool, but also a smart idea. Look, a party can’t be all that entertaining even if you have the greatest meal on earth if your guests are unable to wash down the grub. Outdoor refrigerators and outdoor kitchens should go like hand in glove. The outdoor refrigerators can keep the drinks cold and accessible; in a pinch, it can also store food prep.
Outdoor refrigerators can lend a feeling that you’re operating a backyard bar. Envision this: a party in your backyard where the drinks are being pulled from a cooler stuffed with store bought ice is just that: a backyard party. But, when you have counter seating in the backyard, and you’re able to serve up cold drinks that aren’t soaking wet because they’ve been submerged in a tub full of ice, then you’ve got the makings of a backyard bar. And why not? Your outdoor refrigerator can serve up the best of drinks, no different than you could were the party to be held indoors. Build up on the concept by giving your outdoor refrigerator some friends: add beer dispensers, wine chillers, and an ice maker to your outdoor bar and your friends may never leave!
The trend among people building outdoor kitchens is to go way beyond the simple grill. People have been seeking to recreate the feel of a traditional indoor kitchen for their outdoor kitchen. Central to this approach is the outdoor refrigerators. Weather permitting, many view outdoor kitchens as more practical than an indoor kitchen. It is both convenient and less taxing on your existing indoor living space. With outdoor appliances mirroring what’s available indoors, in particular with the increased popularity of the outdoor refrigerators, families are opting to live out in the open. And if it’s sunny outside, why not?
In the olden days, some people used to have basement summer kitchens. I can’t even imagine what that’s like. I suspect that unless it was built to exacting kitchen standards, there’s very little one could do in those basements. Fortunately for us, today’s summer kitchens are replete with amenities galore! Gazebo, patio, yard, pool, little tikes playground, you name it and it can be incorporated into the design of outdoor kitchens. Outdoor kitchen appliances are serious products today, and manufacturers have geared up to meet the exacting demands of today’s backyard kitchen developers. Where once a simple, compact refrigerator would suffice, today’s outdoor kitchens are being equipped with outdoor refrigerator stainless steel and all. Manufacturers are lining up their products, such as the viking outdoor refrigerator and the GE outdoor refrigerator. There is no such thing as a portable indoor outdoor refrigerator now. There is only the indoor and the outdoor refrigerators. And they’re not interchangeable. No mini refrigerator, no dorm refrigerator for the outdoor kitchen. It has to have its own outdoor refrigerators, and they have their designated space just under the counter. Everything from the value based Jenn Air outdoor refrigerator to industrial brands such as those from Haier, Vinotemp and Kalamazoo may be found in today’s outdoor kitchens.
Yes, the outdoor kitchen of today has everything from outdoor refrigerators to the proverbial kitchen sink. Wine aficionados can also have a wine cooler installed, juxtaposed to the outdoor refrigerators. Beer fans can usually fit their bottles and cans in the outdoor refrigerators. All those outdoor kitchen appliances are pretty much housed in kitchen islands which not only protect, but also maintains the aesthetic properties of modern stainless steel and glass appliances.
So, what are the things you should be looking for in your outdoor refrigerators? What factors matter? Well, here are some of the critical factors you need to consider:
Variable speed compressors, insulation and forced air cooling. Those add up to determine not only performance, but also energy efficiency in outdoor refrigerators. Check out and compare BTUs (a measurement of cooling power) and energy consumption among the most popular brands.
You may also be interested in outdoor rated freezers and freezer drawers to go along with your outdoor refrigerators. If so, seek a manufacturer that can supply both, and look out for full-extension vinyl-coated shelves that extend beyond the cabinet; variable speed compressors; rigid insulation surrounding every cabinet, and if you’re stylistically inclined to go with the glass on stainless steel look, seek out manufacturers whose products have glass doors with argon-charged “warm edge intercept” technology, or other measures to ensure insulating efficiency.
Finally, for placement, check to see if the outdoor refrigerators you have in mind offer design flexibility; that is, are they available in varying widths, and can they be installed undercounter or freestanding.
A good quality design and construction will ensure that your outdoor refrigerators will keep your foods and drinks at the optimum temperature by ensuring temperature uniformity. It will also mean that you will be presented with form that follows function; in other words, a sense of style to go with the performance. Outdoor refrigerators, when chosen properly will not only be the toast of your backyard kitchen, but they will also provide your with years of efficient and precise cooling. Outdoor refrigerators deliver, and they do so with style and grace. What more can one ask for?