The Outdoor Kitchen Guide You'll Ever Need

An outdoor kitchen is a natural gathering spot in the landscape. After all, everyone ends up in the kitchen indoors, so the odds are great that the same thing will happen when there’s a outdoor kitchen. An outdoor kitchen encourages you to enjoy dining al fresco whenever the weather is good, whether you have guests or not. When it’s time to entertain on a larger scale, the outdoor kitchen allows you to be part of the party.

An outdoor kitchen’s layout means how the appliances, amenities and work surfaces are arranged. Options include:

•  Single Island. A stand-alone outdoor kitchen island incorporates a grill, burners, countertop and sometimes a refrigerator into a single unit. Single islands are excellent choices for smaller spaces, but are usually only large enough to accommodate one cook, with limited guest seating. However, they do offer the possibility for expansion and add-ons.

• L-shaped. These layouts feature two sides situated at a 45 degree angle. One area usually has the cooking space (oven, burners, countertops, etc.). The other is often for seating and dining, and may have a sink, fridge and/or storage cabinets.

•  U-shaped. These have three sides with a cooking area in the center and two larger work and/or seating spaces on the other sides. This layout allows for the most storage, appliances, guest seating and amenities.