 ARE YOU IN
or Are you Out?
Outdoor kitchens are in again.
by Mary Anne Cole
photography by Vernon Wentz
We’ve come full circle. From Neanderthals cooking “rockosaurus” over the campfire, man moved the kitchen into the cave, cabin, colonial, co-op and condo. After a couple of millennia of indoor cooking, though, we’re ready to move back outdoors, where we can linger through the long summer evenings with family and friends without having to dash in and out for drinks, snacks and dinner. The outdoor kitchen is back.
It never went away entirely, of course, as anyone with an outdoor grill can tell you. Outdoor grilling has always been a great way to keep the indoors cool and a great way to get the man of the house to pick up a spatula. Still, a grill by itself means coming back in to eat, and who wants to do that when the cicadas are chirping and the stars are twinkling through the live oaks?
Some of today’s pricier homes are being built with full outdoor kitchens, but many homeowners are adding them. If you’re thinking of adding one, you can go the whole $20,000 route to bring the indoors out, but you don’t have to. There are only a few basic elements to an outdoor kitchen, so you can go as thrifty or as wild on each as your budget will let you. As long as you have a few of each, you can let your inner chef out — outdoors.
Flooring
From stained concrete to imported Italian stone, something to keep the grass from tickling your ankles will make your outdoor kitchen that much more enjoyable. Brick, natural stone, concrete and ceramic tile all stand up to heat if you should drop a coal and are less slippery if you should drop a cola. Even if you’re on a budget, consider a more creative shape, rather than just the old rectangle. Some people opt for an area for the kitchen connected by a pathway to another area for dining.
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