5 outdoor kitchen ideas that actually get used
Half the outdoor kitchens we visit for maintenance are barely used. Here are the five things that separate the ones that get loved from the ones that become a very expensive side table.
1. A proper roof
Louvred or glass. If it rains and you have to run indoors with a burning steak, you'll stop cooking out here. A pergola is not enough — cover the cook properly.
2. A plumbed sink
The difference between a kitchen you use and a barbecue with a counter is running water. Cold mains, a waste that's not a bucket, and you'll actually prep out here instead of ferrying everything from the house.
3. Two cooking methods
An Egg alone is slow. A plancha alone is one-note. Together they cover everything from breakfast to a Sunday roast.
4. Under-counter fridge
Keeps drinks and meat out of the trips-to-the-house loop. Ours run all summer and get turned off for winter.
5. Lighting that's warm
Dimmable 2700K, zoned, under the eaves and over the counter. Cool-white LEDs kill the mood faster than a power cut.
