The Top 5 Outdoor Kitchen Design Mistakes.
by Silas Davis
The outdoor kitchen is a popular trend for today's homes. A well-designed outdoor kitchen can easily be one of the most functional spaces in your home, but an inefficient design can make your outdoor kitchen feel clumsy the first time-and every time-you use it to cook for your family or entertain guests. Here are the top five outdoor kitchen design mistakes and how to avoid them.

1. Trap the cook.
Imagine spending thousands of dollars on your new outdoor kitchen. But you miss the conversation, fun, and camaraderie at your outdoor parties because you are tending to the grill and stuck facing a wall–rather than your guests.

For more sociable outdoor chefs, consider a mobile cooking station. A cart grill, or the latest innovation in outdoor entertaining the mobile island, both allow you to roll your cooking unit around your backyard to get closer to the action.

Leave a “parking space” for your mobile island next to the built-in outdoor cabinetry. The cabinetry, which can be built against a wall, may include a sink, cutting board, storage, or perhaps a kegerator. The possiblities are endless. Your grill will always be fashionable and ready to use in its parking space, making it easy to cook in your designated location. When the party shuffles further away, simply roll out your mobile island and keep on cooking. Guests and family will appreciate no longer having to shout out to their favorite chef.

2. Honey, I shrunk the counter space.
Ample counter space is essential for a functional indoor kitchen; You will need plenty in your outdoor kitchen as well. Let’s assume you have room for an 8' counter. You want a 36” grill, a side burner, and a cutting board with a trash chute. Of course, you must have an ice chest for cold beverages. Top it off with a sink, and oops no more counter space left. You invested thousands of dollars in an outdoor kitchen only to ask your spouse, “Can you get me the folding table from the garage? I need somewhere to put the food!”

No more setting your raw meat on the hot tub cover or running back inside to do some food preparation. The solution is in the design from the beginning. When you have any size limitations, you can't get carried away with over-accessorizing. Decide on the crucial components you need for your outdoor kitchen, and then see how much counter space can be devoted towards other appliances.

Take advantage of Outdoor Kitchen World's IDEA System. We made it convenient for you to interact with life-size models of your outdoor kitchen before its even built. You can actually experience the ergonomics, functionality, and appearance of your outdoor kitchen before the design is finalized. Discover what designs fits you and your family best, before its too late to change it! Just take some measurements of your deck or patio before you come in and we'll take care of the rest.

3. The "No Thrill" grill.
Never buy a grill based on price, BTU's, style, or even quality alone. Educate yourself on the type of appliance that best suits your cooking style and delivers the food your family enjoys most. If you like searing large chops, the latest infrared grill may be just right. If you love the smelling of Mesquite flavor for 10 hours, consider a slow cooking wood pellet grill. For roasting, a convection grill is the best choice. There are many other ways to cook outdoors. Do your homework so you don't end up buying the wrong appliance.

Outdoor Kitchen World prides itself in educating customers about outdoor cooking methods through our seasoned staff, who have personally cooked on and tasted food from the products we provice.

4. Storage Shortage!
A basic accessory for any island is the cabinet door under the grill, which accesses the on/off controls of the fuel source. Many people stop here. But, if you add a double access door, a paper towel holder hidden behind a tilt-out door, and a slide out trash receptacle, you have created a practical and highly efficient outdoor kitchen. You can store things that ordinarily sit on the countertop, freeing valuable counter space.

Come see successful storage solutions built into our own Outdoor Kitchen World Design Center.

5. The Good, the Bad, the Ugly.
People pay handsomely for tile and granite counter tops and a great looking grill, but then they add a patchwork of different sizes and styles of access doors, drawers, and accessories. Worse yet, the doors and drawers don’t line up. This design mess is common because few vendors have a broad enough range of sizes and themed lines of accessories. Shop around, a clean, well-designed look is easy to achieve when you select from a single design theme.

An outdoor kitchen serves as the family magnet. A place to enjoy intimate dinners, or a wonderful place for a party when you avoid the common mistakes.

By Silas Davis
Sales & Marketing Coordinator / Outdoor Kitchen World
sdavis@outdoorkitchenworld.com
503-783-5823