Alfresco Kitchen Essentials 101: Cook Outside in Style
An outdoor kitchen will give you a welcome break from cooking your meals inside. Just imagine how convenient it would be to have every culinary tool imaginable available for any favourite dishes you want to prepare outside!
Therefore, a broad range of outdoor kitchen appliances is available to match the cooking functionality of your indoor kitchen, save time and help you eat better. Additionally, you can use them to customize your outdoor kitchen to better fit your culinary abilities and expand your options for cooking.
Gas Barbecue
If you’re a fan of savoury meat and grilled vegetables an innovative barbecue on gas will take all your delicious grill recipes to the next level. Some of the reasons people choose this kind of bbq for their alfresco dining areas are less time to set up for cooking and less time to clear up afterwards.
But that’s not the only thing that makes this new flame so alluring. Due to their popularity, gas barbeques are available in a wide range of sizes and models, and features that were previously only found on more high-end models are now included as standard on models that won’t break the bank!
The gas bbqs start up instantly and achieve the ideal cooking temperature in 10 to 15 minutes. Additionally, they have cutting-edge features that let you cook food across the entire BBQ cooking area very evenly.
You can easily control your BBQ’s heat and set up various cooking zones for searing, cooking, or warming foods on the grill with temperature control dials and a hood-mounted thermometer. Cleaning up can also be quicker and simpler than with a charcoal grill because there aren’t any hot coals or ash to deal with. However, you will still need to clean the gas occasionally.
Nowadays, propane also referred to as “patio gas,” butane, and natural gas are the three fuels most frequently used in a gas barbeque. Some manufacturers offer natural gas converters for their BBQs, though not all makers advise the latter.
To make the outdoor cooking experience unique, the models of barbecue on gas come with features such as burners and grates. They can make a great difference in terms of functionality as they offer better heat retention, sear foods beautifully and produce excellent grill marks.
Smoker
Smokers are a great method to give meats a delicious smoky flavour as well as improve it. They are perfect for meat, brisket, and ribs. These appliances cook food at a lower temperature for an extended period, similar to a slow cooker.
This results into more flavourful and juicy meats and vegetables than those that are cooked slowly in a conventional oven. Foods cooked in smokers often have a unique flavour that comes from wood chips with flavours like hickory, mesquite, and maple.
Additionally, smokers can be powered by several sources of fuel such as natural gas, propane, charcoal or electricity. But, if you want to eat healthier, then you should forget about getting a smoker and turn on your barbecue on gas as it will retain all the nutrients in your food which is not the case when smoking it.
Fridge
A fridge is yet another hardworking device that should be on the list of your outdoor cooking necessities. Smaller than indoor designs, refrigerators for outdoor kitchens are specifically made with thicker insulation, weatherproof exteriors, and electronics. They can be used as a standalone device or as a space-saving built-in that can be placed beneath a grill or countertop.
Meats, vegetables, condiments, cold beverages, and anything else on the menu are all conveniently nearby when there is a refrigerator located in your outdoor cooking area. You don’t have to go inside repeatedly to get the items you’re serving up. Moreover, outdoor fridges can be very versatile as they can come with built-in freezers and ice makers, or function as kegerators and offer chilled draft beer.
Warming Drawers
Good time management is essential when cooking for a large crowd or a variety of dishes. Unfortunately, when newly prepared food is put off it becomes stale and soggy because you were preoccupied with taking care of other cooking or entertaining responsibilities.
Additionally, outdoor kitchens and amusement areas typically have a more relaxed vibe, so it is much simpler to become side-tracked by chit-chatting with your visitors and forget to warm the food.
However, all these fresh food problems are easily manageable with pull-out warming drawers. They are ideal for maintaining the ideal temperature of prepared food until it is time to serve it.
Warming compartments are also perfect for warming up food when guests or family start to arrive after your outdoor feast has already begun. Being such a considerate host, you’ll make a lasting impact on those who always arrive late!
Dish Washer
A kitchen sink with loads of dirty dishes, cookware, and kitchen tools will become a thing of the past as an outdoor dishwasher not only does most of the work with one of our least favourite household chores, but it’s a great time-saver as well.
Dirty pots, bowls, grilling tools, plates, utensils, and glasses can all be cleaned immediately. This will keep your outdoor kitchen countertops and dining areas tidy and free to be used for cooking chores or the menu’s next delectable course.
Just like all the other outdoor kitchen appliances, the dishwasher also needs to be a model that is designed especially for outdoor use. After going through several maintenance procedures these models can be kept outside when not in use during winter and still look and function well when the backyard cooking season is open.
