Prepare Your Outdoor Kitchen for Summer

Summer is almost here, which means enjoying long daylight hours and relaxing in the backyard with family and friends. If you have an outdoor kitchen, now is the time to get it ready, and here are a few tips to help.

Clean the Yard

Since your backyard will be your dining room for the next few months, treat it like your interior dining room and clean it up. Rake up loose leaves, tree branches, loose mulch, and trash. Wipe off the patio furniture, outdoor fireplace, and appliances, so everything looks fresh and clean.

Additionally, even if you don’t think your deck and patio are dirty, you’ll be surprised how much better it looks with thorough power washing.

Landscaping

Once the yard is clean, consider upgrading or rearranging your landscaping to make the yard look neater and maybe get a compliment or two from your guests. You can find many great outdoor landscaping ideas online, or hire an expert to design the perfect backyard space.

Add or Upgrade Appliances

If you plan a lot of outdoor entertaining or eat most of your meals there, it’s worth considering adding appliances to make your outdoor kitchen life easier and more efficient. Here are a few things we recommend.

Mini Fridge

When eating or entertaining outside, you don’t want people going in and out of the house to grab a cold drink. Sure, you could use a cooler, but there are more elegant ways to keep drinks cold.

A built-in mini fridge made from glass and stainless steel gives everyone easy access to cold beverages and adds style to your outdoor kitchen.

Warming Drawers

Warming drawers are a must-have for the outdoor chef, especially if you’re cooking for a large group. Warming drawers help keep food warm when preparing multiple courses. For example, a warming drawer can warm your main course while guests finish their entrées. Another way to use a warming drawer is to keep dishes warm, so the guests’ food stays warm throughout the meal.

Grill & Range Hood

Just like your indoor kitchen, a grill, and range hood combo is a must-have for outside, too, to keep smoke out of the area.

Make the Guest Area Comfortable

Your guest area should be comfortable and inviting, so everyone can relax and enjoy the atmosphere.

Outdoor Furniture

How good is your outdoor furniture? Has it seen better days? Is it comfortable? Investing in new, comfortable outdoor furniture is an excellent way to start the summer on the right foot. You don’t need much, either; a few chairs, a table, and a couch are enough. If you’re on a budget and don’t mind a little work, you can repurpose and refurbish old furniture to make it look new and more comfortable.

Throw Pillows

Now that you have the perfect furniture set, add a touch of color and style with some throw pillows. What’s great about throw pillows is that you can find them in thrift shops and dollar stores in cute patterns and complementary colors for little money.

TV & Sound

After eating, you might want to kick back, enjoy a few drinks, and watch a game or a movie. So, you’ll need to invest in a television and sound system to keep people entertained.

Like anything else, you can spend as much or as little as you want to create the perfect outdoor kitchen and backyard area. Obviously, if money is no object, it’s easy. However, if you’re on a budget, you can still get outstanding results if you’re creative and handy.

Call Fire N Stone

Fire N Stone is a full-service custom stove shop, custom stone, and chimney service business. If you want to take your outdoor kitchen and entertaining to the next level, we’re the local pros who can help.

Our experts can handle it all, whether it’s an outdoor kitchen installation, fire pit, grill, outdoor fireplace, or custom stonework. Plus, we don’t subcontract any of our work, meaning you work with the same team from start to finish. We work with the highest quality products on the market to ensure reliability, efficiency, and a long lifespan. Contact us today at 603–293–4040.