Outdoor kitchens are unique spaces for party purposes. If you are a party freak and love inviting friends to your beautiful paradise, you must enhance your outdoor kitchen’s appearance and functionality.
Since an outdoor kitchen is an open space, it leaves enough room for your guests to gravitate from one station to another, eating, talking, and enjoying without snarling up the place with foot traffic.
Well, most outdoor kitchens have a sink and food preparation area. Yes, these things are enough to prepare meals occasionally. Still, if you frequently use your outdoor kitchen to host parties or mini-family gatherings, you would want to be part of the tittle-tattle rather than being inside the home and cooking the main course for the guests. So, without needing to rush into your indoor kitchen, here are some of the outdoor kitchen essentials you must invest in.
1) Barbecue-Barbecuing is the most common thing in outdoor parties, so don’t make your friends question you about the barbecue. Install a barbecue in your outdoor kitchen for your friends and family to roast and grill chicken, fish, and whatever they like. Barbecues make fantastic places for friends to gather, prepare food, and chitchat.
2) Cabinetry-Your outdoor kitchen requires storage space for storing food items, cutlery, spices, and anything you want to keep. Therefore, go for installing cabinets. The cabinet material depends on your kitchen type and the area in which it’s located. If it lies under the hood, consider your cabinets to be saved from environmental factors; otherwise, install those least affected by the changing weather, such as aluminum or vinyl.
3) Icemaker- Who would purchase the ice bags whenever they host a party? No party is complete without cocktails, mocktails, and chilled beers. So, don’t make your guests wait for the ice to freeze; instead, install an icemaker.
4) Oven—An oven is a must-have for baking, roasting, and heating, saving time.
5) Patio bar—A patio bar could be created near the outdoor kitchen with box stools on one side of the island. The island would contain a counter space for storing and preparing food, a sink with cold and hot water, a beer tap, coffee and tea space, an icemaker, and an oven installed in it. A patio bar can make your outer kitchen look modular, easing the usage of things.
6) Ample lighting—Remember to include lighting in your outdoor kitchen since most parties will be hosted during dusk hour. You can deploy task lights near workstations to make lighting easier. Besides, lighting will set the mood and change the vibe of your outdoor kitchen.
7) Music and greenery- With modern lighting fixtures, why not add sweet music to enhance the vibe and make cooking even more fun? Music and lights can uplift the mood; adding accessories and greenery will further improve its appearance.
8) Trash bins- Don’t forget the leftovers and the party trash. You wouldn’t want to litter your garden or your outdoor kitchen to look messy with junk. Therefore, install trash bins to throw kitchen waste and party leftovers, keeping the place organized.
