When we talk about furnishing outdoor cooking areas such as terraces, patios or gardens, we can get inspiration online or from industry professionals.
In our blog, we have already addressed this topic by explaining how to make the most of the outdoor kitchen.
Now instead, we want to focus on how to design an outdoor cooking area and on what equipment to put in it, giving you a general overview of the many aspects that come into play when setting up a great open-air kitchen.
The aim is providing different options to get more out of your outdoor space by evaluating the pros and cons of every solution.
The elements to consider for cooking al fresco are your budget, the amount of outdoor space you have and the type of equipment you need.
We will then see that Alfa ovens do tick all the boxes taking into account the aforesaid variables. Finally, we will give you a quick recap to help you make the best choice to create your outdoor kitchen.
How to install an outdoor kitchen
To create an outdoor cooking space, we can think of a myriad of combinations that necessarily allow for three key parameters.
- The choice of the type of environment.
- The choice of cooking equipment.
- The available space and budget.
Let us see them in detail.
The choice of the type of environment
When planning your outdoor kitchen, you already have in mind the style you want it to have and the furniture that will decorate it. Many food lovers invest in the services of garden designers to help them in their choice.
In this regard, discover here nine great reasons to choose an Alfa outdoor wood-fired oven.
Among the different kinds of outdoor kitchen, we can mention three main categories:
- The modular outdoor kitchen.
- The uncovered outdoor kitchen.
- The sheltered outdoor kitchen.
Let’s examine the differences.
1 . The modulare outdoor kitchen
The first solution that we take into consideration is certainly the most versatile and the least demanding. We are talking here of the modular outdoor kitchen that is composed by many units that can be integrated and rearranged according to your needs.
So, you can use mobile cooking equipment in conjunction with fixtures (for example by placing a steel pizza oven or a barbecue alongside a sink or a stone worktop). It is definitely the best answer when space is at a premium so you can choose your kitchen layout only when you use it.
2. The uncovered outdoor kitchen
The uncovered outdoor kitchen provides for the installation of cooking appliances with no shelter.
It’s very convenient when it is located close to the inner kitchen and you can access the garden or the terrace through French doors both to save you the hassle of going back and forth and to be in proximity to the gas, water and electric connections.
3 . The sheltered outdoor kitchen
The last option we focus on is the most complete one, namely the sheltered outdoor kitchen. An open-air kitchen should be covered and a pergola or a gazebo are just the ticket to protect both the cooking and dining area from bad weather.
You can choose permanent or movable structures such as folding walls to have a more adaptable kitchen. This solution is the more expensive and space-consuming but can significantly increase the value of your house.
The choice of cooking equipment
The second determinant to consider when installing an outdoor kitchen is the choice of cooking equipment and above all its fuel supply.
In our blog, we have repeatedly mentioned the main differences between firewood, gas and electricity.
Concerning ovens, we can summarise here the features of the different models:
- The wood-fired oven is more difficult to use but it is also the one that imparts food that unique, smoky flavour. When installed in indoor kitchens, it needs to be vented and that explains why it is mainly used outdoors. Anyway, thanks to the timeless charm of fire, it is the most suitable to create an atmosphere of conviviality by delivering an authentic baking experience.
- The gas-fired oven is surprisingly easy to use and install as you can connect it to the gas mains or to the cylinder.
- The electric oven is connected to the power supply and is certainly the most versatile even though it is not really fit for outdoor use as it is particularly prone to humidity problems.
A special mention goes to the hybrid oven, that is a gas-fired appliance that runs on firewood as well. It has the structure of an Alfa steel gas-fired oven equipped with the hybrid kit, a special lid that protects the burner and allows you to operate it as it were a genuine wood-fired model.
The choice of the fuel type is not insignificant as it partly determines what you cook and how you do it.
Budget and available space
The third factor we have to deal with to create an outdoor kitchen is the space available and how much money we have to invest in it. Usually, a larger space needs more appliances and more construction work.
The use of mobile equipment allows to maximise the space without taking it up in a permanent way. The overall expense depends on the type of equipment, the furniture and the labour cost for assembling them knowing that anyway, there is no fixed rule on it.
In fact, you can set up a large fully equipped outdoor kitchen without paying through the nose for it as you can put up a small cooking area outfitted with very expensive state-of-the-art commercial equipment.
Here are five ideas to create an outdoor kitchen based on the kind of environment (modular, covered or uncovered kitchen), the type of fuel (wood, gas or electricity) and the available space and budget in order to give you inspiration to make cooking alfresco all the more delightful.
Five outdoor kitchen ideas
Here are 5 options to suit all your needs.
- Pizza “al piatto” (served on a plate) in a small space
- Small, built-in kitchen in the terrace
- Modular, wood-fired outdoor kitchen
- Outdoor kitchen for people who love traditions
- Fully equipped, sheltered kitchen
Let us look at them.
1. Pizza “al piatto” in a small plate
This is the perfect option if you have a garden or a balcony with a few square metres because you live in the city and because you want to prevent smoke problems to your neighbours.
A compact, portable, gas-fired oven like the Alfa One can hit a temperature of 500 °C in 30 minutes and cook up a storm. Easy to install and move, it can be easily connected to the gas line or cylinder.
If, on the contrary, you don’t want to give up cooking with wood, then go for the Brio, the hybrid oven that can bake 2/3 pizzas at a time or the tiny wood-burning One.
2. Small, built-in kitchen in the terrace
If you want to set up a kitchen in a small terrace, you can use the wall of the inner kitchen for connections to the gas and water mains.
A hybrid model like the Stone Oven will allow you to bake easily with gas or firewood.
A layout that includes a sink and a worktop makes for a nifty cooking space in a few square metres.
3. Modular, wood-fired outdoor kitchen
If what you are looking for is a cooking area with a wood-burning oven as a backup for the gas-fired or electric one in the kitchen, then the modular type is for you.
You can choose different units, arrange them and rearrange them in a way that best suits your spaces.
For this type of configuration, the mobile 4 Pizze and Allegro ovens are Alfa’s workhorses that leap out at you.
4. Outdoor kitchen for people who love tradition
If you like baking with firewood and outdoor space is not a problem, the traditional wood-burning oven can’t be missing in your open-air kitchen. No oven cooks as well and evokes traditional cooking as the wood-burning oven.
Even though steel ovens are having a moment right now, Alfa continues to invest in refractory materials to manufacture high-performance wood-fired ovens. Built-in or freestanding, you will not regret the decision to install them.
5. Fully equipped, sheltered kitchen
If you don’t have space and spending limits, you can choose to set up a fully furnished outdoor kitchen with sink, worktop and many different cooking appliances.
If the available fuel in your region is gas, installing a gas-fired oven or a cooker flanked by a barbecue or a griddle would certainly be a good idea. If you go for firewood instead, a brick or a steel oven with permanent barbecue and griddle would be right up your alley.
Otherwise, you can always opt for a hybrid oven such as the Dolce Vita that can run on gas and wood. A kitchen like that should be covered and properly maintained to protect it against adverse weather conditions and to keep it functioning efficiently.
Making the most of the space with the equipment that suits to your cooking style is the name of the game and we hope we have given you some useful pointers to help you in your search.
How to furnish an outdoor kitchen with Alfa ovens
Alfa ovens are not only outstanding cooking appliances, but they are also striking pieces of furniture for any type of open-air kitchen due to an insane attention design-wise.
Our wood and gas-fired ovens have the instinctive ability to convey the harmony between tradition and innovation exemplified by the encounter of the fire on refractory stone inside a metal dome.
In this article, we have examined the various factors to consider when setting up an outdoor kitchen. Then, we have matched the different cooking appliances to the diverse kinds of environment (modular, uncovered or covered kitchen), the type of fuel (wood, gas or both), the budget and the space available.
After many years of hard work following the pursuit of excellence, the Alfa brand has established itself as a reference point in the field of high-performance design ovens that double themselves to decorate outdoor space in the nicest way.
All that is attested by our collaborations with Barts Outdoor Kitchen, a Dutch design company specialised in the manufacture of modular, concrete kitchens as well as with plenty of designers, architects and interior decorators to whom we offer many services such as premium 3D rendering of customers spaces outfitted with our ovens and dedicated discount strategies.
In this regard, read the article by pianetadesign.it about Alfa outdoor ovens.
In the end, to make the most of your outdoor space, all you have to do is fitting it out with Alfa ovens.
