How do you choose an outdoor kitchen?
Choose an outdoor kitchen
To choose the best outdoor kitchen for you, it's important to ask yourself a couple of questions:
- Do you want a freestanding or built-in outdoor kitchen?
- What size outdoor kitchen do you need?
- Do you need a side burner?
- Do you want extra functions?
- Do you need accessories?
Do you want a freestanding or built-in outdoor kitchen?
Freestanding outdoor kitchen
An outdoor kitchen is a large gas barbecue on wheels, so you can easily move it to another part of the garden. Outdoor kitchens have side tables on which you can prepare dishes or leave your herbs or sauces. In the storage space of the underframe, you can keep a gas bottle or barbecue tools, for example.
Built-in barbecue
Are you going to build an outdoor kitchen yourself? A built-in outdoor kitchen is a good choice. These barbecues work on gas and you can place them on a special table or a countertop. Even if you want to fit the barbecue in your outdoor kitchen, a built-in barbecue is a good choice. Keep the dimension of the barbecue in mind when you choose one. That way, you're sure it fits in your design.
What size outdoor kitchen do you need?
Outdoor kitchen with 2 burners
Do you have a small garden or do you want to grill for a small group? An outdoor kitchen with 2 burners is a suitable choice. On these small outdoor kitchens, you can prepare a delicious meal for about 8 to 13 people. Are you eating alone with your partner or family? You can easily prepare multiple dishes at the same time. A nice hotdog and stuffed pumpkin, for example.
Outdoor kitchen with 3 burners
Barbecues with 3 burners are categorized as medium-sized barbecues. These barbecues are slightly wider than a small outdoor kitchen, but you can easily fit them into a small garden. You can grill for about 11 to 15 people or prepare various dishes at the same time. Outdoor kitchens with 3 burners heat up faster than a barbecue with 2 burners.
Outdoor kitchen with 4 burners or more
Large outdoor kitchens have 4 or more burners and heat up faster than barbecues with fewer burners. On the large grilling surface, you can prepare a delicious meal for about 14 to 20 people. Thanks to the large size, you can also grill multiple dishes at the same time, for example. There's also room for a large dish, like an entire chicken or turkey.
Do you need a side burner?
No side burner
Even though all outdoor kitchens have side tables, they don't all have a side burner. With an outdoor kitchen without side burner, you use the side tables to prepare dishes on or to put sauces or barbecue tools on. Do you want to safely store the barbecue in the shed? Check if the side tables are collapsible. That way, the barbecue takes up less space.
Infrared side burner
An infrared burner reaches a high temperature in no time. With an infrared burner, you can sear your meat or fish, prepare juicy meat with a crispy crust, or prepare sauces in a pan. It takes practice to learn how to grill on an infrared burner. Due to the high temperature, your dish can go from perfect to burned in a matter of seconds.
Side burner with cooktop
Do you want to prepare sauces and side dishes on the barbecue? A side burner with cooking area is a suitable choice. These outdoor kitchens have a burner that looks like the burner from a gas stove. So you can easily prepare dishes in pans from the kitchen. Only do this with pans you use to cook on gas burners.
Do you want extra functions?
Some outdoor kitchens have extra functions to take your grilling experience to the next level. Buttons with lighting, for example, so you can see which burners are on. Do you want to add a smokey flavor to your dishes? An outdoor kitchen with a special tray for wood chips and smoking sawdust is a suitable choice for you. Choose a barbecue with a smart thermometer, so you can keep an eye on your dishes from a distance.
Which accessories do you need?
Barbecue covers
Does your outdoor kitchen stay outside? We recommend a barbecue cover. With a cover, you protect the barbecue from weather conditions. That way, you can leave it outside in the rain without worries. With a cover, your barbecue stays nice for longer.
Gas pressure regulators
Some outdoor kitchens don't include a gas pressure regulator. You need this to connect the barbecue to a gas bottle. Which gas pressure regulator you needs depends on the gas bottle you use. So before you choose, check if the gas pressure regulator fits on the type of gas bottle you want to use.
Barbecue accessory
You can get even more out of your outdoor kitchen with barbecue accessories. For example, you can prepare meat on a skewer with a rotisserie or keep an eye on the core temperature of your meat with a meat thermometer. Do you want to prepare a pizza, for example? Choose a pizza stone, so the pizza doesn't fall between the rack.