Outdoor cooking is an amazing exercise for anyone who has a patio or deck. It provides a rare blend of excellent flavor from flames and an atmospheric freshness that makes it more fun than stress.
You can take a peek at our previous articles on the series to get you up to speed on the more exciting perks of outdoor cooking.
However, a saying goes that a workman is as good as his tools and this applies to the ageless tradition of cooking outdoors. So, if you intend to make delicious meals this summer outside your kitchen you have the best outdoor cooking equipment.
Best Outdoor Cooking Equipment
Several components make up an awesome outdoor kitchen. However, the best gadgets just have a way of enhancing your culinary skills when making sizzling hot dishes.
So, what cuts it for you?
Would you prefer a stationary or moveable grill? Or would you go with a smokehouse over a smoker grill? Whatever choice you make, you should pick the equipment that best suits your purpose and preferred meals.
But the big question remains, what makes up the best outdoor cooking gear? Stay with us as we show you some implements that you need for an excellent culinary exercise outside the walls of your indoor kitchen.
Grill
The Grill is like the holy grail of outdoor cooking. There is a reason why over 70% of Americans have a grilling machine. It’s the secret behind that very tasty grilled meat, fish, oysters, or shrimps. It’s the one thing you can’t wish for in an outdoor kitchen because you just have to get it.
Once, you have marked out the space for the backyard cook place, the next step is to bring in your grilling machine. There are several types of grilling machines. We’ll look at two categories of the grill which depend mainly on the choice of the user.
Types of Grill
You can choose to go with either the portable/moveable grill or the stationary type.
Portable Outdoor Grills
As the name goes, this type of grill is moveable and is ideal for cooking in various locations outside the home. It’s the perfect grill for those who intend to prepare a meal in various camping locations all over the country. They come with casters to enable you to push them around.
Portable grills also have wheels for easy movability. Moreover, there is a particular type of moveable grill that you can attach to your car via their hooks. The Towable grills are the best for tailgating events.
Built-in Grills
This type of grill is your one-stop solution to all your backyard grilling problems. The built-in grill has a considerable advantage over the portable grill. They can provide higher power than portable ones. Hence, if you’re looking for something permanent, you may want to go for the built-in grills.
Power Source
Under this category, it’s either the popular gas grills or the charcoal/wood grills.
Gas Grills
These types of grilling machines use liquid propane tanks as their source of heat. You can also construct your grill to run on natural gas.
They offer much in terms of convenience and even heat distribution. More so, people prefer them due to their quick start-ups.
You can have your gas grill powering at full heat in just 10 minutes. Besides, you can control the heat through their knobs and easily clean up after every meal.
However, you may want to look in another direction if you love the palatable smoky flavor that comes with grilled food.
It runs on gas and you know, there is no smoke without coals. It also requires lots of maintenance for the numerous parts, knobs, valves, and vents, to be in top condition.
Charcoal Grills
These use the readily available charcoal or wood chips to grill meats or cook food. They are popular for giving the meat/food the distinct smoky flavor we’ve come to know in grilled foods.
They are your one-stop answer for steaks and large chunks of meat.
But they take quite some time to hit full steam. You can wait for as long as 25 minutes before a charcoal grill hits maximum temperature.
More so, you have to just manage the heat by yourself as it has no control knob or regulator.
Smoker Grills/Smokehouse
If you’ll be doing a lot of frying, you may consider getting a smoker grill or smokehouse.
Smokehouses help you get a better-smoked product than a charcoal grilling machine since it’s designed for only smoking.
Other Grilling Accessories
For maximum impact, there are essential accessories you should have aside from your grill. These help to make the grilling and outdoor cooking experience more exciting.
Side Shelves
During grilling exercises, you need your spices, veggies, and of course your bushcraft knives to be handy. The shelves offer ample space for all these implements including the plates for serving.
Splash Guards
One thing that is synonymous with a grilling session is the hots splashes. It could be oil from the meat or boiling sauce, whichever, it can cause severe burnt injuries on the chef and onlookers.
Hence, the grill splash guards help to prevent such incidences and preserve both the guests, the chef, and other items.
Covers/Dome Lids
You should strive to keep the grill in perfect condition during and after every grilling exercise. Grill covers are handy protectors during the rain, snow, and hail.
The Dome lids protect the machine when it’s not in use, preserving the shine for as long as it can.
Skewers
Grilling time can’t be complete without the sight of sizzling hot and skewered steak. This makes the grill skewers ample stakeholders in an outdoor kitchen.
Well roasted chicken, hanging on the skewer and dripping oils is sure to entice the crowd.
Basting Brushes
Basting brushes help you achieve the glitter that comes from perfect marinade meats. You use them to apply marinade to your meats when grilling.
Side Burners
A side burner is very important for keeping your sauce hot during outdoor cooking. It’s a handy addition as it helps you keep the finished food warm until serving time.
Patio Stove
Patio stoves as the name implies are used outside the house on the deck. It comes in handy for almost every type of cooking in an outdoor event.
You can use them to boil water, shallow-fry meat and fish, or other foods. It’s perfect for family picnics because it’s portable and compact so it fits well into the trunk.
It comes with a hose that connects the stove to the heat source, propane gas. More so, it has a hose guard to protects the channeling hose to avoid damage and possible gas flaring.
You may want to select the square-shaped ones as they have more balance than circular ones. But you shave to bear the reduced efficiency due to the wind.
Outdoor Deep Fryer
The patio stove is not a good option for deep frying, hence, you should get an outdoor deep fryer.
This equipment comes in handy when you want to make a huge quantity of fried shrimp or French fries. The multiple-tanked deep fryer helps to avoid contamination of oils during frying.
Some models have a side grill in case you want to diversify. Moreover, it differs in tank volume which depends on your purpose. It’s available on the market in four, six, eight, and 12-gallon tanks.
Bush Craft Bundle
You could do all your cutting work with so much ease using any of the hand-forged knives in the bushcraft bundle.
The package contains a Versatile Hanta Hand-forged precision knife and a Rustic Hand-forged Serbian Cleaver.
It sports a fantastic weight balance suitable for slicing through all your veggies, meat, and spice. It’s an amazing addition to your outdoor gear with its rosewood handle and high carbon steel blade.
Wrap up
There’s no better feeling than cooking outdoors with the right equipment. It makes the meal taste better and also makes the exercise more exciting.
Hence, if you want the perfect backyard or camp cooking experience, get the best outdoor cooking equipment. Relieve yourself the stress and enjoy the fun.
