Jakes Outdoor Kitchens

Archive for the ‘FAQ’s’ Category

Every home cook relies upon his or her kitchen equipment to put delicious meals on the table.  Large appliances such as the oven and range, refrigerator, dishwasher and microwave are certainly essential to the modern kitchen.  However, it is the smaller tools that the home cook carefully collects that can really effect the ease and pleasure of preparing.  There is no question that proper cooking requires proper equipment.  Just as in any activity, the quality and convenience of cooking will be effected by the equipment used.  Certainly there is a direct correlation between the amount of time and effort expended in preparing a dish and the amount of convenient and appropriate equipment used.  Any professional, whether a car mechanic, artist or surgeon, has a collection of tools that are indispensable to his or her craft.  Chefs treasure their kitchen equipment and generally seem the most attached and particular about the knives they use.  If a professional chef values their knives above all else, shouldn’t the home cook?  After all, a great deal of time and effort goes into the preparation of ingredients: chopping, slicing, filleting, and dicing.  The proper cutlery set makes all the difference to these time consuming and important activities.

A related piece of equipment that can greatly reduce time and effort expended is a food processor.  The food processor has myriad uses, the most basic of which is chopping and dicing.  Other cooking equipment that can greatly minimize effort and raise the quality of your cooking are such items as a garlic press, manual food chopper, and blender.  It is truly amazing how much time and elbow grease you will save using these items to prepare your ingredients.  Having the right equipment is also likely to open your mind to new recipes that you previously felt were too involved or difficult for you to tackle.

Being informed about what types of different kitchen equipment and cooking supplies are available and what such equipments’ uses are can be very helpful to the aspiring cook.  You may not even realize how many implements are available to help you accomplish your objectives in the kitchen.  As you look at the equipment available, try to keep in mind what activities you seem to find yourself engaging in most when you are in the kitchen.  Equipment that will help you with these activities should be at the top of your list.  Obviously, if you rarely use garlic in your cooking but bake bread every few days, a bread maker would be a higher priority for you than a garlic press.

You may find that your failures or shortcomings in the kitchen may not be entirely your fault; perhaps it is the equipment you’re using, and not your skill, that is producing unsatisfactory results!  Even an excellent chef would be uncomfortable cooking without her tried and true favorite pieces of equipment.  When cooking the perfect dish, you will need those tools that best highlight your talents and hide shortcomings in your skills.

Of course, the need for appropriate and quality kitchen gear is not confined to the kitchen.  Anyone who enjoys entertaining guests in their home or planning social events knows the importance of owning proper serving dishes and cutlery.  You don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen preparing the perfect meal only to serve it in unattractive serving dishes that are not the right size.  Beautiful serving dishes, table settings and cutlery make all the difference when entertaining.

Again, it is important to know what is out there and what appropriate prices are as you stock up your kitchen cupboards and dining room.  Understanding what different appliances and dishes are available will be a first step towards becoming the perfect host or hostess.  The Internet is the easiest and most thorough way of finding this information.  You will save yourself a great deal of money, effort and time by researching as well as shopping online for your kitchen equipment.  Knowledge is power, and by using the Internet you will ensure that you purchase what is best for you.

For you die-hards out there, there is no reason at all that you can’t enjoy your outdoor kitchen all year.  Many companies make portable, or permanent outdoor heaters that can significantly increase your enjoyment during the cold months of the year.  Powered by either LP gas or natural gas, these heaters provide an area of about twenty feet of heated air.  More than enough to bathe your entire cooking area in heated air.

POWERING YOUR OUTDOOR KITCHEN

Most people find it easiest to provide power to their outdoor cooking area by routing power from the house to outside.  You should consider providing electrical outlets for the cooking and dining areas, as well as for the refrigerator and any light fixtures you want in your cooking area.  Make sure you check your codes and speak with your local building inspector before you begin any wiring.  In many areas, you must separate your gas and electrical lines.  You may even have to bury them in separate trenches.

The bigger the grill, the bigger the price tag. Just for comparisons sake, keep in mind that a smaller, 350 square inch grill can usually accommodate about fifteen hamburgers at a time. That is probably going to be ample for most family get together.

You can buy a grill with more than 800 hundred square inches of cooking area! You could grill enough hot-dogs at one time to feed an army! Literally. A grill in the five hundred to fifteen hundred dollar price range will more likely than not feature a rotisserie, and between 450 to 850 square inches of grill space.

A grill that costs below five hundred dollars will probably feature 350 to 600 square inches of cooking space.

Remember, a big grill requires a big food preparation area. You will probably want to include in your final design some side warmer areas or warming racks to keep your first batch of ribs warm and ready to serve while cook up the t-bones for the boss

British Thermal Units are the standard units of measure for heat output. The more BTUs your grill produces, the hotter your grill. Heat isn’t the only concern you have when choosing a grill, however. The number of independently controllable burners is just as important. The higher the number of burners, the more flexibility your grill is going to have.

Most grill on the market feature anywhere from one to four burners that have a combined BTU output of 25,000 to 60,000 BTUs. A side burner on your grill will rate anywhere from 10,000-12,000 BTUs.

Just for comparison, a BTU rating of 44,000 is considered to be “hot”. While most burners are constructed out of cast iron, stainless steel burners are considered top of the line.