Summer's coming, and it's time to fire up the grill. As some Polk County residents are discovering, outdoor kitchens make cooking out even more enjoyable.
Auburndale resident Joe Phillips had his outdoor kitchen installed in March of 2008 and loves it. He designed it with the help of a professional to complement his pool deck and lanai.
"Mine is a typical L-shape," he says. "It's painted and textured to match my home; it extends from my back lanai right out on the pool deck. I have a sink with running water installed, a section where I can cut up fruit for drinks, and an ice chest. The top is completely covered in granite. It has two storage cabinets that are stainless steel, and I've got blue LED lights on the front of the cocktail station."
Phillips says he loves to cook out, so choosing the right grill was important to him.
"I've got a stainless steel charcoal grill, I could cook up to a hundred pounds of meat on it," Phillips says. "It's got a warming rack on it, so I could cook a lot of different things at once. On one whole side I could have steaks going and have chicken on the other side and not having to worry about burning it."
Phillips says the "thrill of the grill" is the main feature, but the extra conveniences of an outdoor kitchen make preparation easier.
"When you're working with a regular grill, you got to have a table right next to you or you're constantly running back and forth," Phillips says. "Having a refrigerator right there, I don't have to go anywhere. I can marinate my meats outside."
Phillips says the sink and extra seating for his guests at the bar are both benefits, for family time and entertaining.
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A.J. Jackson and his wife, Jan, spend a lot of time when the weather is pleasant at the gril behind their Bartow home.
Paul Crate / News Chief |
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"If I have to wash a chicken or make any sauces, I can do it all out back and still watch the kids in the pool. It's also got plenty of room up top where people can sit and enjoy drinks and watch as I prepare food."
To those who've never seen an outdoor kitchen before, the idea of a kitchen outside in the weather may sound a little strange. Phillips' kitchen is not under cover, for safety reasons.
"I'm kind of a caveman; I grill with charcoal or a lump wood coal, I don't use gas like a lot of people do nowadays. I didn't want the exhaust, the smoke, to be filling up the lanai, so I put it out in the open," he says. "Some things I had to do without because it was exposed. I was going to have an electrical fryer and an infrared smoker, but those are two things I decided to pass on."
Instead, Phillips invested in rock facing all the way around the kitchen that matches the stone of the waterfall in the backyard.
A.J. Jackson, mayor and resident of Bartow, says he loves to grill so much that he had two grills installed side-by-side in his outdoor kitchen. One is a smoker grill called a Green Egg, and the other is gas.
"I'm a charcoal lover at heart, I love my lump charcoal Green Egg. But I also have natural gas at my house, so I extended the gas line so I could have a gas burner without the trouble of changing propane bottles," Jackson says.
Jackson's kitchen, including the grills, has drastically changed his family's eating habits.
"Cooking outside is almost a daily occurrence," he says. "Almost all of our meals are outside now, as much as possible. We don't entertain that much, just every once in a while. It's really just for us. We love doing fish on the grill, and I can just go right out there in the evening."
Jackson agrees that the outdoor kitchen is more convenient than a grill.
"I wanted to have a little more versatility and workspace, and a place for people to sit while I was cooking. And I like the fact that it's all built-in, there's nothing on a cart or wheels," he says.
The kitchen includes seating for four at the bar on the other side of the L-shaped island, with a built-in stainless ice chest for drinks underneath.
Jackson's favorite feature is a part of the gas unit he describes as a "commercial grade infrared sear burner" that can reach temperatures as high as 1500.
"For searing and grilling steaks, it's absolutely the best. It lets you sear a piece of meat in a matter of minutes," he says.
The grill, and the rest of the outdoor kitchen features, Phillips says, were expensive but worth it. The grill cost around $1,300, and the whole kitchen was about $14,000.
"I enjoy every minute of it, I just grilled two days ago. It's so nice to be out back, firing up the grill."
These grilling enthusiasts feel their outdoor kitchens add value and appeal to their home. Both invested between $14,000 and $16,000 in kitchen island and equipment, and would like to add to their kitchens.
"I'm considering extending it underneath the lanai," says Phillips, "maybe adding more cabinet space for storage or a smoker underneath."
"So much of the value of the home is in the patio area," Jackson says. "The grill area is an integral part of the outside atmosphere. When I look back, it's been worth every penny to me. I could use a little more workspace."
Ron and Nancy McKeehan, owners of Grills Plus More in Lakeland, where Phillips and Jackson purchased their kitchens, say that an outdoor cooking area is about more than just grilling.
"It's an entertainment center and an extension of living space," says Ron McKeehan. "It's often incorporated with an entire outdoor setting, such as a swimming pool. Parents can sit and talk while the kids play in the pool."
It's also a great way to beat the heat, keeping your indoor kitchen cool and odor-free, and can serve as a backup during power outages, according to Nancy McKeehan.
"Once that lid's down, on the gas grill, you can even cook like an oven," Nancy McKeehan says. "We've done pizza demos, baked bread, and even cakes."
For do-it-yourself folks, the McKeehans stress safety and longevity through correct installation and proper materials.
"Wood materials, for example, don't hold up outside," says Ron McKeehan.
Grills Plus More demonstrates various methods and grills by cooking out every Saturday at the store.
For details about design, installation and safety, call 863-644-0032 or visit www.Grills2.com.
