Backyard Kitchens

The contentment provided by the simple addition of a backyard kitchen is beyond comparison. The splendor of enjoying a lovely meal with your loved ones under the sky sparks an indomitable desire to add a backyard kitchen to our patio. Backyard kitchens provide a platform to enjoy WHILE cooking. Gone are the days when you would have to be slugging it out in the kitchen while your friends and family have a great time in your backyard. Be it a temporary fixture or an elaborate permanent one, backyard kitchens are a must for every household. They solve the innate practical problem of running back and forth between the kitchen and the backyard during parties and other social gatherings. Who wouldn’t love to maximize the amount of quality time spent with loved ones and what better way to do it than treating them to delightful evening under the sky with a meal prepared by you, right in your own backyard.

Since the idea of a backyard kitchen is fast emerging as the most sought-after alternative to traditional indoor kitchens, many new manufacturers have provided consumers with innumerable number of options to choose from. The basic idea behind a backyard kitchen is to enhance your overall dining experience and because everyone has their own preferences, manufacturers have provided countless number of accessories, appliances and add-ons. Because of a large number of options to choose from, people tend to get perplexed during purchase.

The first question that springs to our mind is – How much is it going to cost me? Will I be able to afford my own backyard kitchen? The answer is YES. It is impossible for an idea as good as a backyard kitchen not to transcend through the barriers of budgets. The fact is that backyard kitchens have become increasingly affordable in the recent past and keeping in mind the growing demands, the trend is likely to continue. Next up, is the pertinent question of what design, brand, color, function, accessories to choose. Well, in accordance to your budget, you can opt for one of the following type of backyard kitchens – the ultra-simplistic “Freestanding grill” which provides complete functionality in terms of grilling apparatus, the more sophisticated “Prefabricated Island” or the most advanced “Permanent Island”. In increasing order of cost, you can choose what suits you the best.

The price range of a stand-alone grill starts from $300 and goes up till around $5000 for the most sophisticated model. The total cost of setting up a basic-functionality based backyard kitchen can be a mere $500-$600 but can go up to a whopping $70000-$80000. The best option is to plan in advance, keeping in mind frequency of usage, your geographical location, ideal catering size (The number of people your backyard kitchen should ideally serve) and of course, your budget. Cleanliness and hygiene are also important.

Frequency of usage is yet another factor in determining your choice. For occasional use, a freestanding grill would suffice. However, if you want a quality outdoor dining experience, you can opt for the prefabricated island which comes with a horde of features such as stainless steel surfaces, wine chillers, various types of counters and cabinets, elaborate trays and oven, customizable flooring and lighting. With so much to choose from, you can virtually design your own backyard kitchen. Those who strive for perfection and seek to purchase the best appliances that money has to offer, can opt for the “Permanent Island”. This kind of a backyard kitchen is usually a permanent structure centered around an elaborate grilling and cooking unit. Mass storage cabinets are usually a key feature of these structures. Again, highly customizable, these backyard kitchens offer such a large number options that it’s virtually impossible to purchase one without comprehensive planning and research. Keeping in mind the overall ambience, you should choose the designs and shades of the counters, cabinets, grills and flooring. A number of build-it-yourself backyard kitchen kits are also available in the market.
A backyard kitchen will not only serve the immediate needs of outdoor catering, but can also prove to be a pleasant alternative to the drudgery and monotony of cooking in a confined environment.