Barbecues, Barbecue Grills and Your Garden
All forms of outdoor cooking have become much more popular.
Cooking on the outdoor grill is a great way to entertain friends and family. People can wander around the garden or mingle on the patio while their meal is cooking and you have the distinct advantage of being able to be outside instead of suffering in the heat of the kitchen. Another advantage of cooking Al Fresco is that most of the mess you make is outside rather and you don't have to worry about spilt food or cooking smells in the house.
Just think, no more running to and from the kitchen to the patio trying not to let the food get cold, just call them over and tell them to grab a plate.
These days barbecuing and grilling is much easier and more pleasurable, even the simplest of set-ups can make outdoor cooking a pleasure rather than a chore. Gas bbq grills, especially, have built in shelves and work surfaces to put your ingredients before and after cooking and somewhere to put those all important barbeque utensils.
Charcoal and charcoal barbecues were great to begin with but the gas grill took over because of its simplicity to light and its convenience ensuring outside patio entertaining is not so much of a chore.
Creating an outdoor kitchen could be the thing for you if you have frequent meals in the garden or on the patio. An outdoor kitchen sounds very grand but it does not have to be so or cost too much. So what are your options?
To begin with you can opt for one of the charcoal barbecues. Perhaps you are thinking that this may not look very stylish but the good news is that there is a choice of styles these days, they look good and interesting and there is one to match your budget. For example you could use a Moroccan Style Iron Fire Basket, a Cast Iron Chiminea or perhaps a Garden Fire Pit. You can add simple side tables for your cooking preparation space, even being creative with a second hand table by tiling the surface.
Next there are the gas grills that range from the simplest to the all encompassing multi-burner grills. These include a 2 burner bbq, 3 Burner Gas BBQ, or a Gas Range Barbecue Grill with 4 stainless steel main burners. Most of these are wheeled, portable gas bbqs are handy if you are cooking at different parts of the day and you wish to follow the sun or shade. Some models come with "work surfaces" and storage but again you may have to be creative to create a practical cooking area.
In contrast to portable barbeques there are the masonry bbqs that are a permanent feature for the garden, patio or deck. Here again you have a choice, firstly buy the whole masonry barbecue or build your own base and buy a gas bbq insert made specifically for masonry bbqs.
Don't forget your cooking utensils. You can use your kitchen tools but you may want to buy barbecue accessories for the job.
Something else to consider is those pesky insects that love the evening air and seem to be attracted to your barbecue and picnic table. It is nice to have candles burning as the evening light starts to go so why not try citronella candles that deter insects? Citronella candles can be bought as citronella pillar candles or as citronella tealight candles that can be burnt in a candle lantern.
All you need now is a good summer and those warm, dry summer evenings!
