Modern outdoor kitchen designs are amazingly sophisticated and beautiful. Companies like Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet produce weatherproof cabinets, warming boxes, refrigerators, in a wide variety of finishes, even wood. Furniture manufacturers produce chairs and tables as beautiful and comfortable as anything indoors. Here is a list of some things you might want to consider when designing your outdoor kitchen.
I am not a fan of built-in grills
An outdoor kitchen with a built-in grill and smoker looks really spiffy, but think carefully before you commit to a drop-in grill head without wheels.
Let’s say you buy a built-in gas grill that is, 28″ wide by 20″ deep. Then, after a few years it gets rusty and you need to replace it. Or you don’t like the sear burner and you want one more powerful. Or you decide you want a charcoal grill. Or a new grill comes out that has thermostat control that talks to your iPhone and lets you monitor the cook from in front of the TV. Or you want a bigger grill so you can host the office party and cook a suckling pig.
But you are stuck with a 28 x 20″ hole in you counter so whatever you buy must fit the hole. You probably won’t find something that fits precisely. These things aren’t standard sizes like indoor ovens. And if you pull the old built-in unit out, your newlywed nephew can’t take it and use it on the balcony of his condo because it has no wheels.
And if you love it and you get transferred to the next state, you can’t easily take it with you. Or if you need to do some repair work and you have to get around the back side, disconnecting it and removing it can be a pain.
So think carefully. A standalone grill on wheels may not look as cool, but it may give you more flexibility.
Cookers
- Gas grills
- Charcoal grills
- Pellet grills
- Ceramic grills
- Electric grills
- Teppanyaki grills (flat plate cookers)
- Griddle units
- Sear zone grills
- Infrared grills
- Indirect flame grills (crossray)
- Smokers
- Pizza ovens
- Insulated jackets (required when cabinet is flammable)
- Side burners
- Single built-in
- Double built-in
- Single drop-in
- Double drop-in
- Power burners
- Sear zones
Sinks & ice chests
- Small sinks
- Large sinks
- Bar sinks
- Ice chest & sink combo
- Beverage centers
- Built-in vs. Drop-in
- Under mount vs. Over mount
- Freestanding
- Wash basins
- Farmhouse sinks
- Drop-in ice chests
- Built-in ice chests
- Tilt-out ice chests
- Pull out ice drawer
- Pull out cooler drawer
- Insulated ice drawers
- Cocktail centers
- Condiment centers
- Blender stations
- Drop-in blenders
Sink faucets
- Standard single use faucet
- Dual use faucet
- Pull out faucet
- Pot filler tower
- Pot filler wall mount
- Spray faucet
- Bar faucet
Doors, drawers & combos
- Single doors (left and right hand)
- Double doors
- Horizontal doors
- Vertical doors
- Door drawer combos
- Utility cabinets
- Pantries
- Spice racks
- Pot racks
- Single drawers
- Double drawers
- Triple drawers
- Combo drawers with paper towel holders
- Paper towel holders
- Cutting boards (pull-out and drop-in)
- Knife drawer
- Warming drawers
- Warming drawer combo units
- Trash drawer
- Trash tilt out
- Trash chutes
- Propane tank drawer
- Large storage drawers
- Access cabinets
- Upper storage cabinets
- Enclosed cabinets
- Dual trash center
- Recycle center
- Insulated drawers
Refrigeration
- Refrigerators
- Refreshment centers
- Freezers
- Ice makers
- Fridge & ice maker combos
- Beer dispensers
- Wine coolers
- Refrigerators with glass doors
- Dual zone refrigerators
- Drawer refrigerators (single, double, triple)
- Under grill refrigerators
- Countertop refrigerators
Ventilation
- Fans
- Vent hoods
- Roof mounted blowers vs. In-hood vs. Inline motors
- Duct covers
- Vent panels
- Food warmers & storage
- Stainless steel servers
- Stainless steel food trays
- Stainless steel catering trays
- Sterno units
- Built-in food warmers
- Cold storage
- Bar caddy warmer
- Deep fat fryer
- Steamer/cooker
- Hot dog cooker
- Warming drawer
- Pizza Ovens & Gas Ovens
- Gas ovens
- Tabletop gas ovens
- Wood fired pizza ovens
- Gas fired pizza ovens
- Electric pizza ovens
- Brick pizza ovens
- Pizza oven kits
- Commercial pizza ovens
- BBQ islands
- Prefab BBQ islands
- Custom BBQ islands
- Modular BBQ islands
- Stainless steel BBQ islands
- BBQ island kits
Misc.
- BBQ tools
- Bottle openers & catch
- Fire features
- Fire glass
- Fountains
- Low voltage lighting
- Misters
- Outdoor rugs
- Outdoor TVs
- Patio furniture
- Patio heaters (hanging, standing)
- Saunas
- Hot tubs
- Umbrellas
