Florida Outdoor Living

This is the last week before Halloween, but you may want to hold off carving those pumpkins until mid-week. We just had a cold front, but Palm Beach, Florida is still fairly hot in October, meaning your jack-o-lantern could be all shriveled up by Halloween. If you’re visiting the Outdoor Living Blog, chances are you don’t want a wrinkled pumpkin on your patio. To keep your jack-o-lantern, and your outdoor space, looking fresh you can implore the following methods to slow dehydration and mold.

One technique is to coat all cut surfaces of the pumpkin with petroleum jelly immediately after they have been carved. This includes a light coating of the entire inside of the pumpkin. If you can’t do the whole inside, at least try to coat the design that you’ve cut into the pumpkin.

The petroleum jelly acts as a barrier to seal in the pumpkins internal moisture to help slow down the dehydration process of the pumpkin. You can use a finger to coat the eyes, nose and mouth but you may want to use a paper towel with jelly on it to coat the inside. It’s less messy that way.

Be sure to keep pumpkins in the shade during the day and away from sprinklers. If you have space, you can store your jack-o-lantern in a refrigerator, maybe the refrigerator in your outdoor kitchen.

Few South Florida Seasonal pleasures are as much fun as a cookout. The smell of grilling food is mouth-watering, everything tastes great and it’s hard not to have a good time – that is, unless you’re the harried host running back and forth between the grill and the kitchen for the chicken and steak, forks and knives, beer and wine, and ketchup and mustard. And when everybody’s done, all the leftovers must be lugged back inside.
An outdoor kitchen can help you slow down and spend more time with family and friends by putting all the ingredients for outdoor dining close at hand. It can be as simple as a storage cabinet for cooking gear or as ambitious as a full kitchen with grill, refrigerator, sink and eating area. Either way, your yard will gain an outside “room” that’s a natural gathering spot.

WHAT TO INCLUDE

Outdoor kitchens cost from about $3,000 for one with a good-quality grill, a 6-ft.-long counter and a patio to $15,000 and up for higher-end versions with an assortment of appliances. Although it’s tempting to compare outdoor kitchens to the one indoors, there are some key differences.

For example, while a grill and counter space for preparing food are essential, a refrigerator and sink aren’t. But including them can boost the value of your home by helping your outdoor kitchen qualify as a second kitchen.

How elaborate should yours be? That depends on what you and your family need. For example, if you barbecue only once a week or so, a grill and a counter-high storage cabinet covered with tile or stucco should do it. The cabinet will protect supplies from the weather and the countertop will provide work space when you get down to cooking. Like to eat outside as much as possible? Then you’ll want storage space and a counter or table for dining, along with a sink and refrigerator.

FOR VIEWING PLEASURE
This property in South Florida gives breathtaking views of the surrounding area. Unfortunately, the family had to walk to the back property line to take in the sites. That and the fact that there was really no place for the family to cook and dine together led to a fully equipped outdoor kitchen near the rear of the yard.

Outdoor Living of South Florida believes the most important step in designing such a space is to find the ideal location for the grill. With this kitchen, that meant placing the cooker so the smoke from it wouldn’t blow into the faces of family and friends sitting around the counter or table. The location also had to be near the edge of the shade structure so that smoke could escape and not become trapped by the roof of the structure.

Outdoor Living of South Florida was then able to put the countertops, the sink and a refrigerator within easy reach of the cook. The color scheme on the structure matches that on the house. And the tiles and brick pavers in the area look like those that surround the pool.

This kitchen contains a gas grill, as well as a refrigerator and lights that require electricity. Running power from the house ordinarily would disrupt the yard and boost the cost of the project, but Outdoor Living of South Florida minimized both by digging one 24-in.-deep trench for electric, gas and phone lines. This cut excavation costs and allowed him to separate the gas and electric lines by the 12 in. required by local codes.

PLANNING YOUR SPACE

An existing backyard patio is a great foundation for an outdoor kitchen. You can add a grill, counters and other elements without having to make structural modifications. Decks, on the other hand, require additional support for all but the simplest of outdoor kitchens.\

Whichever route you choose, a Miami outdoor kitchen should be near the house to save you steps when you need to go inside for supplies. But that doesn’t mean it has to be visible from the house. “You don’t want to be inside and look at a stack of dirty dishes,” says kitchen designer Kevin Keene. Under-counter shelves that keep dishes out of sight until cleanup time are one way around that problem. Also be sure the spot you choose will accommodate everything you want the kitchen to hold.

Here are some typical space requirements for each component:

Grills
You’ll find grills with cooking areas from 24 to about 48 in. wide and 15 to 26 in. deep. You can also add a side burner or shelf, each of which can add another foot or so to the width. Whichever grill you choose, place it so smoke blows away from people eating.

Eating areas
Tables typically range from 42×42-in. models that can seat four to rectangular tables up to 96 in. long for six to eight people. Allow at least 36 in. and preferably 42 in. between the edge of the table and a wall, deck railing or other fixed object so there’s room to walk behind those seated. And, for safety’s sake, place tables at least 60 in. from stairs, even if the eating area is just one level up. For eating counters with high stools, provide at least 24 in. of counter width for each stool. Also plan on 15 in. of undercounter leg room.

Counter space
You’ll need plenty of open countertop space to prepare food and serve as a holding area for a variety of items, so don’t skimp. As with indoor kitchens, plan on 36 in. of counter on each side of the grill if possible. And to make food prep and cleanup easier, allow 18 to 24 in. of open space on both sides of a sink.

Layout
Because the grill is the heart of any cookout, build your outdoor kitchen around it. Then arrange the items in the kitchen so they’re easy to reach when you’re cooking. Don’t forget hooks for hanging tongs, spatulas, forks and other grilling utensils. If you include a sink, refrigerator and storage cabinet, they should all be close to each other. But they don’t have to be arranged in the indoor-kitchen work triangle that ties the stove, refrigerator and sink together. One functional layout to consider: Place a counter opposite the grill, creating a mini-galley or U-shaped kitchen similar to the Waltz kitchen. This setup is not only efficient, but it also keeps kids and other traffic out of the work area. Barriers that keep children away from the grill are a plus.

If you are serious about enjoying your outdoor lifestyle then please give us a call and we will be more than happy to help you concept, design and build your South Florida Kitchen. Check out the rest of our website and sign up to see all of our outdoor kitchen design. Thanks and make everyday a sunny day.