There's nothing quite like cooking in the fresh open air. A gentle breeze drifting through your back garden while you turn that piece of meat one more time or leisurely throw the salad together. For many people an outdoor kitchen is a dream that seems far out of reach, but nothing could be further from the truth. It has never been as affordable or as simple as it is today to create your very own outdoor kitchen.
If there's a real DIY enthusiast in your household, or you're one yourself, you might even be able to build your own outdoor kitchen! How do you do it? Read on below!
Why an outdoor kitchen in your garden?
An outdoor kitchen offers a world of possibilities. As soon as the sun breaks through, even for a moment, you can head straight out into the garden and get going on your meal with plenty of space and peace and quiet. It makes the whole cooking experience completely different. It's calming, it gives you a sense of freedom and you get to stand out in the sunshine.
When does an outdoor kitchen come in handy?
To be honest, an outdoor kitchen is useful pretty much all the time. In spring and the summer months in particular it's a fantastic addition to your household, and you'll no doubt get loads of enjoyment out of it hosting garden parties and barbecues for friends and family.
In the winter months, too, it can be lovely to put a heater near the outdoor kitchen so you can keep enjoying it even when it's cold.
What can I do with an outdoor kitchen?
Some people think an outdoor kitchen is a lot more limited than what they have indoors. Nothing could be further from the truth. You can build an outdoor kitchen exactly the way you want and make it as extensive or as compact as you like. A handful of popular options to install in an outdoor kitchen include:
- A kamado
- A sink
- A fridge
- A wine cooler
- Gas burners
- A barbecue
And you can even buy extras for the kamado, such as a pizza stone, a spare rib rack or a cast-iron pan. You can see where this is going: the possibilities are endless and you can go as wild as you like. The best thing about an outdoor kitchen is that you can let your creativity run free!
Which options will I put in my outdoor kitchen?
Think about what you like to use in a kitchen. If you're a barbecue fanatic, you'll definitely want an outdoor kitchen with a kamado, an outdoor kitchen with a BBQ or an outdoor kitchen with a Green Egg! You can also buy cast-iron pans for these, so you can serve a few dishes straight from the pan as well.
If you'd rather serve cold snacks from the fridge, chill your wine or keep everything close at hand to toss into the pan, you could opt for an outdoor kitchen with a fridge and sink!
This is also perfect if you want an outdoor kitchen with gas. You'll have everything right to hand to throw into the pan, and you can do your prep in no time and then keep it ready in the fridge.
What does your ideal outdoor kitchen look like?
It's important to have a clear plan of exactly what you want to make. Without a clear idea it quickly becomes a very muddled process in which mistakes are very likely to be made. So make sure you know what you want, and try to work it out on paper as precisely as possible. Think in particular about:
- How big should the outdoor kitchen be?
- Where will I put it and what shape should it be?
- What accessories and add-ons do I want in it?
- What material am I going to use?
- Do I have all the tools I'll need?
If you work through these questions properly, you'll already have a fairly clear plan of attack . That's something we can work with. To sharpen the picture even further, let's dive a little deeper.
Tip: don't fancy drawing and planning it all yourself? You can often find ready-made construction drawings with a list of everything you need online!
How do you start building your outdoor kitchen?
As mentioned earlier, it's important that you've already made a sketch or drawing noting down all the dimensions and materials. In this case we'll assume that you'll be building most of the kitchen from wood.
Find a type of wood that best suits your wishes. A few good examples are impregnated spruce, Douglas fir and scaffolding wood. Want to know all the pros and cons of these types of wood? You can read about them here!
The handiest approach is to make a list of all the materials you think you'll need and stock up. If you have the right tools at home, you can save money by cutting everything to size yourself; but if you want to keep things simple, have the shop do it for you. Most of them offer this service.
Exactly which materials do you need to build an outdoor kitchen?
Naturally you'll want to know exactly what to pick up at the DIY store. That's why you need to think carefully about everything you want to install in your kitchen and how you're going to achieve it. A few things you'll need for the construction in any case are:
- The right, sturdy construction screws
- Hinges (we recommend stainless steel)
- The right wood (to your own taste, of course)
Of course, your kitchen is only as good as the materials you use for it; so we recommend not skimping too much on any of this, so you can enjoy your outdoor kitchen for even longer!
Building your own outdoor kitchen
Once we've planned and bought everything, it's time to work out how we're going to put the whole project together. The materials are ready, you know what you're going to do and how you'll go about it, so let's get started!
The foundation of your outdoor kitchen
Like just about everything in life, it all starts with a good foundation. Depending on how big, elaborate and heavy you want your outdoor kitchen to be, it's wise to make sure the ground underneath is solid so your kitchen doesn't sink.
It would be a terrible shame if your outdoor kitchen suddenly got damaged, or damaged your garden, after you've put so much effort into it.
The skeleton of the outdoor kitchen
Start by building the 'frame' of the outdoor kitchen; the skeleton, as it were. Make sure it's solidly put together, because you can't do much with a weak frame. Eventually it will have to bear the full weight of all the extra materials, so make sure you reinforce it sufficiently.
Filling in the outdoor kitchen
Once the frame is up, we can add the extras. The worktop can be mounted on top, you can put the fridge in if you want, the barbecue can go in or next to it and all the cabinets and doors can be fitted.
Make sure you make holes at the back so you can connect any gas or water pipes and perhaps run electrical cables through. This all depends, of course, on which appliances and gadgets you want to fit in your kitchen.
The finishing touches to your outdoor kitchen
As this outdoor kitchen will be outside in good weather and bad, it's advisable to prepare your materials for these conditions as well as you can.
Make sure the wood is properly treated so it doesn't rot quickly, that the hinges and screws are stainless steel and, if you like, you can always put a cover over the kitchen to keep it fully protected. The better you prepare and protect it, the longer you'll be able to enjoy it!
Enjoying your home-made outdoor kitchen
Now that it's finally finished, it's time to put it to the test. Invite some friends and/or family round for a good long session of cooking in the open air! That's the only way to find out whether everything works exactly as it should, and afterwards you'll know precisely what you might still want to change.
With a bit of luck you'll have hit the nail on the head first time and can immediately enjoy the blood, sweat and tears that are now paying off so wonderfully! If you're looking for some more inspiration on how and what you can do with an outdoor kitchen, you're always welcome to have a browse on our website.
Of course, not everyone loves spending whole days doing DIY in the back garden, and this whole project will still end up costing a few quid. That's why we're always on hand with our outdoor kitchens! We can deliver them quickly from stock or build a made-to-measure outdoor kitchen. Get in touch with one of our specialists to find out about all the options!