The Top Outdoor Appliances for Hosting Your Summer BBQ
June and July may be behind us, but summer is not over yet. In many regions, temperatures are still high enough that you can cook an egg on a windshield. If conditions are more reasonable in your area, that just gives you all the more reason for a backyard cookout.
Whatever your excuse, now is a great time to break out the BBQ. You can even take the opportunity to enhance the experience by outfitting your outdoor kitchen with a pizza oven and a smoker, among other appliances. You have many outstanding options that you may not even know about, which is why we made this list.
Pizza Oven
A high-quality BBQ is capable of whipping up all kinds of great meals. However, every type of cooking equipment has its limits. For example, this type is not ideal for preparing a pizza. All that cheese and sauce would fall through the grates that are so integral to grilling hunks of meat. Even if you place the pie on a pan, it would not receive that all-important all-around envelopment of heat.
Pizza ovens are machines built specifically for cooking pizzas to perfection. Unlike BBQs, which are open-air, these ovens have an enclosing design that traps heat. Every inch of the pie, from the crusty border to the gooey center, top to bottom, cooks evenly. This appliance may be a fantastic investment if you, your housemates, and your guests cannot get enough pizza.
Smoker
Smokers are a special type of BBQ that do more than simply heat the meat. They are designed to cook food at a lower temperature than other kinds. The process takes longer as a result. These are not issues. They are features that support that true draw, which gives the appliance its name.
While other BBQs let the smoke dissipate in the air or try to eliminate it, smokers are built to trap it. Once you chuck the food inside and shut the door, the smoke produced in the cooking process lingers. The food's flavor gains a distinct texture that many find appealing. If you like a little extra oomph in your BBQ meals, the smoker will make a hearty addition to your outdoor kitchen.
Power Burner
BBQs and pizza ovens are not the only tools you can use to bring the heat. Power burners are a potentially interesting installation you can add to your outdoor kitchen. Different types of cooking equipment are better suited to different types of meals. These appliances cover a wide range, encompassing pretty much everything that the average grill does not.
Do you want to prepare any side dishes to go with whatever is on the BBQ's grates? Power burners can help with soups, stir-fry veggies, shrimp, and other delicacies. Instead of running between your indoor and outdoor kitchens or getting someone else to handle the sides, you can handle everything in the same area. Making more complex meals and richer flavor blends is easier with this tool at your side.
Refrigeration
Piping hot food tastes even better when you have a nice, cold drink to go with it. Many people are content to keep their beverages in their indoor kitchen's fridge and grab them when heading to the backyard. However, running back and forth, in and out of the house, is hardly convenient — especially when hosts have many thirsty guests to serve.
Fortunately, something handier exists in outdoor kitchen refrigerators. These machines are just like regular refrigerators, only you can keep them outside. Mini fridges are a popular choice, being just the right size for chilling sodas and alcoholic beverages to perfect crispness. Parched partygoers will be grateful for any machine within reach that can fill their glass with the good stuff at a good temperature.
Ice Maker
Refrigerators are great at keeping drinks cold, but ice is much nicer. Water can stay chilly for longer, especially as sweltering temperatures melt the cubes and refill the cup. Alcohol connoisseurs may also appreciate imbibing something on the rocks for what it contributes to the flavor. As we said above, though, having to return indoors for ice can be inconvenient.
If you plan to install an outdoor kitchen refrigerator, you might as well get an ice maker to go with that. Plenty of options exist for backyard patios and BBQ pits. Once you add water, the machine will handle the rest and produce plenty of frozen chunks for all your beverage-cooling needs. When temperatures soar, you will be glad to have something like this so close by.
Warming Drawer
Sometimes, you need to keep things cold. Refrigerators can help with that. Other times, you need to keep things warm. Leaving them out in the sun is not usually a viable option, either. You need something stronger, something that will protect the food from wildlife and the elements, something that will maintain an ideal temperature for optimal freshness.
Warming drawers may fit the bill perfectly. These appliances do not heat cold food products but take food that is already heated and prevent it from getting cold. If you are cooking for many people and some are not even present yet, you can leave their meals inside the drawers. That way, they will be ready whenever anyone wants them.
Beer Dispenser
Outfitting your outdoor kitchen with a pizza oven and smoker and everything else listed above is more than enough for a wonderful experience. With that said, we would be remiss to leave out beer dispensers from the list. Just fill the keg with your drinks of choice and push the lever for a gratifying time.
Many people dream of having their bar in the comfort of their own homes. This installation allows party hosts to serve drinks like a professional to their friends. Unlike real bartenders, they can serve themselves as well without consequences — or at least, without consequences they would not enjoy.
Upgrade Your Outdoor Kitchen with a Pizza Oven and Smoker and More
Outdoor kitchens can be more than just a grill. You can expand them with one or several excellent appliances, each making a significant contribution to the overall experience. Here at BBQ Island, we reflect that truth by offering far more products than just high-quality BBQs. Browse our exceptional selection today.