How do you know if you're taking care of your barbecue properly?

Investing in a good quality barbecue is one of the most important things for your Outdoor Kitchen. For a lot of people it's the focus point of the whole space. However, while there is a million articles out there on what you should do. There isn't a lot that explain what you shouldn't.

Any Outdoor Kitchen Barbecues worth having will be an investment. It's something you're going to be using regularly and the center of days outdoors with people you love. Proper care and maintenance will ensure your barbecue not only lasts for years to come but continues to produce beautifully cooked meals consistently throughout that time.

The basic requirements of any outdoor kitchens are pretty well known to most people. Especially in Australia, its commonplace to have some kind of barbecuing area out the back of most peoples homes.

However, we've seen a lot of people forget that your outdoor kitchen holds much more possibility than just a good barbecue and maybe a fridge.

When designing a custom outdoor kitchen, all the alternatives available can be lost or forgotten in the process with some easily overwhelmed with too many choices, to others simply not knowing about an option all together. 

So we're beginning a series of things both common and extravagant to bring light to some of the things available you can have in your own alfresco if you decide to go the custom route. 

When you're at the beginning stages of designing an outdoor kitchen, it can be difficult to create a clear picture of what best fits your home and your lifestyle. When you're working with an outdoor kitchen specialist, they  will be able to work with you and create a 3D rendering of your outdoor kitchen to give you a much better understanding. 

We get asked quite frequently for some design tips, some inspiration of what we have seen before and knows works well together, not just in function but also in appearance. 

This post is only a few of the projects we have done. Listed are the materials used and we have included links to the appliances within each kitchen if you would like to know more or include it into your own design. 

Keep in mind this is just a few of many. If you'd like to see more, we regularly update our Facebook follows with recent projects and plenty of design and outdoor inspiration to take your outdoor entertainment to the next level. If you want to be in the know first, make sure to go over there and like our page. 

The overall maintenance of your outdoor kitchen is something to think about before committing to certain materials and appliances.

What you're willing to commit to and the amount of effort you're able to fit into your lifestyle can affect your choices. 

Bench tops, barbecues, fridges, and more are covered here, along with some of our recommendations. From general cleaning to the warranties and qualities of the appliance/material that will affect what will be required in order to maintain it's performance and overall look. 

Are wood fire pizza ovens worth it?  The answer to this is yes and no.

There's an undeniable quality in having a wood fire oven, that much is undisputed. 

The sight, sound and warmth of a wood fire oven is an experience in and of itself. A unique cooking experience that offers mouth watering results for many years to come. Of all the wood fired ovens available in the market, how will you know which model will meet not only your requirements but also your expectations?

This post will be an ultimate guide.

A breakdown of what exactly goes into owning a wood fire oven, from start to finish and everything in between. Its our hope that in all this information you'll have what you'll need to answer your questions and find out if a pizza oven is right for you and your outdoor kitchen.

In last week's blog we broke down some materials we recommend for your outdoor kitchen's cabinet doors, this week we're keeping to the theme and unveiling some solutions for inside your cabinets.

Organizing any kitchen can be difficult,  however when planning for a kitchen outdoors you're having to make allowances for much bigger tools than just simple kitchen tongs. Items such as pans and barbecue tools, but as well as that you can also be wanting to have much smaller spaces to hold a variety of spices and sauces, along with cutlery you plan to use for your gatherings.

This flexibility can be seemingly hard to come by, what's perfect for your kitchen might be completely different for your neighbours. How you cook and how you entertain is unique to you, which means you need to have an organized system that works for how you need it. 

Your home should be comfortable and functional, inside and outside.  

Cabinets can be a pretty time consuming part of designing an outdoor kitchen.

Especially colours, colours can end up being the thing that causes the most delays to your entire kitchen. And for good reason.

The overall aesthetic is heavily influenced by what your most prominent colour is. Beside your bench top, your cabinets are the biggest source of colour. 

In this post we’re going to talk about the different options available for your cabinet doors, for some inspiration and information.

A quick tip when reading this post: in the industry when you hear someone talking about an insert in regards to a cabinet, they’re referring to the material you see on the door. The material that makes up the door (minus the frame) is called an insert. 

From a humble start, local icon Beefeater has positioned themselves as the market leader for quality BBQ's in Australia.

When we're in the design stages of an outdoor kitchen, and you're sourcing your appliances through us, one of the first companies we will talk about when you ask for a good quality barbecue is Beefeater and the reason is simple. Our Outdoor Kitchens are designed to give many, many years of quality lifestlye service and we need the BBQ to do the same.

Inspiration Corner

A recently completed project in Blairgowrie is our latest design inspiration from our outdoor kitchens catalogue. 

With an elegant and stylish aesthetic, our kitchen was the perfect addition to a modern and beautiful home.  Our client was in the process of selling their home, deciding the investment of an outdoor kitchen to be the best sales tool to add value to their home. 

Just minutes from the beach, the home owners also have a pool area just before their outdoor kitchen, creating a perfect outdoor space for this beachside Australian home.

The colour scheme of white on white compliments the warm timber panelled wall. A line of stainless steel as a splashback is not only an elegant edition, it protects the timber from the heat of the BBQ. Practical. 

Below we go into a bit more detail around the appliances and materials used in this project.

 
Do I need an Alfresco Rangehood?

This questions answer depends entirely on your location and conditions.

A BBQ requires an alfresco rangehood which is very different to a conventional rangehood. These units are generally a semi-commercial unit with more than one motor and will need to move a minimum of 2000m3 per hour. Filters are made to a higher specification and plastic components found in a conventional rangehood are replaced with metal parts. Because of this they come at a premium price point.

A rangehood can be retro fitted after the installation of the Outdoor Kitchen, as long as there is a structure to fix to and an available power supply. If you are unsure it's a good idea to see how your BBQ performs without one. If grease and smoke become an issue then you can always install a unit down the track. If you have open walls and adequate ventilation, then you may find a rangehood is not required.