With an outdoor kitchen you can cook outside. On summer evenings you're no longer stuck cooking indoors while the rest of the family enjoys the lovely weather. You prepare the dishes in the open air and no longer have to put up with hot cooking fumes in the house or miss out on the fun. Many people find cooking in the garden more sociable and relaxing than cooking indoors.
Complete outdoor kitchens
The outdoor kitchen comes in all shapes and sizes. As soon as there's a surface for chopping, you're talking about an outdoor kitchen. Some large barbecues already meet this requirement. However, there are also outdoor kitchens complete with a sink, fridge and pizza oven. With all these options, you can easily tailor the outdoor kitchen to your personal wishes.
For example, choose a large scaffolding wood outdoor kitchen with a dedicated space for the Green Egg or another Kamado BBQ, or go for a more compact outdoor kitchen fitted with a gas BBQ. To help you on your way, we've listed 5 must-haves for every outdoor kitchen.
A barbecue in your outdoor kitchen
The barbecue is the heart of your outdoor kitchen. A Kamado BBQ, of which the Green Egg is one of the most popular brands, is ideal for anyone who wants to do more than just grill. You can heat up the kamado and keep it at a low temperature. This lets you make pulled chicken, for example, or another slow-cooked dish.
The kamado uses less charcoal than an ordinary charcoal barbecue, yet still gives a distinctive flavour. Would you like to be able to cook a piece of meat or fish quickly in your outdoor kitchen? Then a gas outdoor kitchen is ideal. In terms of flavour, this barbecue is every bit as good as a charcoal barbecue.
A Kamado integrates beautifully into an outdoor kitchen.
Outdoor kitchen with a sink
A sink with a tap in your outdoor kitchen is very handy if it's a practical option. It saves you a lot of walking back and forth, and you can easily keep the outdoor kitchen neat and clean.
Built-in fridge in the outdoor kitchen
Eating outdoors is usually something you really savour. It doesn't have to be quick, quick, quick; there can be some time between courses. With a built-in fridge you make sure the meat, fish and other food stay chilled. The drinks stay cold too, and you don't have to keep walking indoors when you want something to drink.
Pizza oven in the outdoor kitchen
A pizza oven hugely expands the possibilities of your outdoor kitchen. You make the tastiest pizzas yourself in the fresh air. Children also love topping their own pizza, which you then bake in no time at all. A pizza oven is also handy for birthdays and other meals with lots of people.
Whereas barbecuing takes up a lot of time, baking pizzas is much less time-consuming. Plus you can vary them endlessly. Do bear in mind that the oven needs some time to preheat before you can use it.
Outdoor oven with a multifunctional plancha
On the plancha you can fry, grill, cook, stir-fry or poach meat and vegetables in foil all at the same time. That means you can prepare a complete meal in your outdoor oven on a single surface. You can easily control the temperature with the thermostat. You can make healthy meals on the plancha, as it's possible to grill directly with a minimal amount of oil.
Buying an outdoor kitchen: yes or no?
You'll get a lot of enjoyment out of an outdoor kitchen if you love eating outside and want to prepare more challenging dishes than you can make on a barbecue. Do you often get annoyed by the lack of work space around the barbecue? Or would you like to barbecue more often, including for weekday meals? Do friends and family members often join you for meals? Then an outdoor kitchen is probably a good investment for you!