Special Series: Appliances: Part Six: Outdoor Appliances

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There once was a time when grilling was all you did outside. Nowadays, you can chill your drinks, make ice, bake pizza and even stay cool during a hot evening thanks to the many new options in outdoor appliances. Consumer demand is driving the outdoor kitchen movement. In fact, according to an April 2008, Better Homes and Garden magazine study, 40 percent of people now consider their outdoor living areas just as important as the indoor ones. The Viking Outdoor E-Series Gas Grill’s porcelain-coated iron grates cook food evenly while LED lighting lets you cook after sunset. “I found families who do not even cook indoors anymore, or who do so rarely,” says Lee Anne White, author of Outdoor Kitchen Ideas that Work. “There were some that cooked three meals a day out there. It is just so much more relaxing.” The outdoor kitchen gives you the feel of having a vacation at home, especially in the summertime. Plus, there’s less mess to clean up, you don’t heat up the kitchen and there are no food odors. And appliance advancements mean you can truly do everything outside, ending the days of running back and forth into the house. However, with all these changes, one thing remains the same: The center of it all is still the grill. Cooking It Up First, decide whether you want a stand-alone or built-in grill. Stand-alones are the grills that you can place anywhere on your patio or deck. Built-in units are permanent structures often flanked by countertops and other appliances. Once you choose your style, think about the bells and whistles. Side burners can be great for clambakes or cooking sauces. A rotisserie allows you to roast a chicken or prime rib. If your outdoor cooking habit spreads to the winter months, the Viking Outdoor E-Series Gas Grill comes with LED lighting so you can grill even when the days are short. Heat source is another factor to consider. Infrared burners are very popular now, says Gary Passaglia, partner at Simply Outdoorz in Coventry, R.I., which specializes in pre-engineered outdoor kitchen spaces. “One of the problems With TEC Infra-Red Grills, there’s no flame and no flare-ups. Infrared heat cooks powerfully and evenly. with lower-quality grills is that they do not get hot enough,” he says. “The infrared burners get tremendously hotter then the other types of burners. So, for putting a crust on meat, they are incredible. It is a big trend that we are seeing.” TEC Infra-Red Grills pioneered this flare-proof way of cooking. Their 100 percent infrared grills reduce moisture loss and food shrinkage and can do everything from slow-cook a roast to sear a steak. But burgers on the grill aren’t the only kind of cooking you can do outside. Pizza ovens are also popular, says White. “You can cook all sorts of things in a pizza oven,” she says. “You can do breads, casseroles, some really wonderful things.” The Kalamazoo Outdoor Artisan Pizza Oven allows you to break out of the burger rut while you’re sitting on your patio. Pizza ovens can be large, stand-alone brick designs or smaller and made to fit into your designed outdoor kitchen. Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet in Kalamazoo, Mich., offers a countertop Outdoor Artisan Pizza Oven. Radiant heat is reflected down to perfectly cook the toppings, and a built-in pizza stone delivers a crispy crust.

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