How to clean your outdoor kitchen properly

Cleaning is never fun, but it can at least be efficient. If you do it right, you can save a lot of money and time. Here you will find many practical hacks, tricks and tips so that you can enjoy your perfect and clean kitchen as quickly as possible!

Why everyone should have an outdoor kitchen

One of the best parts of the house is an outdoor kitchen.

The first plus is that you free your home from smells, ashes and other cooking-related effects. When the temperature rises and air purity is particularly important, an outdoor kitchen saves you a lot of time.

The second, and no less important, reason to love your outdoor kitchen is that having social gatherings with you is so easy and convenient. Imagine running from the courtyard to the house, opening and closing the door, walking up and down the stairs, carrying something to eat or glasses or something else. You would never want to host this type of party.

And the third reason to love outdoor kitchens is that you can equip them with great appliances that cannot be placed indoors, such as: B. a large grill or a fireplace.

The furniture for a kitchen

It is very important what type of furniture you choose for your outdoor kitchen.

Building a summer kitchen can change dozens of times. It all depends on the type of layout, the composition of the equipment and the materials used. But every kitchen has to be supplied with valuable materials.

Find out the type of fire source

Would you like to use one Gas or electric cooker? Do you want a fireplace Provide a power or gas supply, or a place to store firewood, as you choose.

Determine the need and method of water supply and the organization of drainage

Maximum comfort in any kitchen can only be achieved if it is equipped with a sink. But to have one, it is necessary to organize the water supply and think about the design of the sewer.

Take care of your outdoor kitchen

Now that you have your perfect outdoor space, make sure you take care of it, clean it properly and maintain it.

The refrigerator
Before setting up a refrigerator, wipe the inside with a soap mixture, rinse it off and wipe it dry.

To keep pests away, always clean the leftover food, crumbs and liquids.

The grill

Of course, the most demanding part of the outdoor kitchen when it comes to cleaning and maintenance is the grill. In particular, you can have a problem if you don’t clean it regularly. Here are some tips to keep in mind when cleaning your grill.

At first glance, the obvious truth is that you need to be careful with bacteria when cooking food. But there are many fans of meat that is cooked on a grill and tells you that you don’t have to be afraid of bacteria on the grill. And believe it or not, you are really right: high temperatures successfully deal with pathogens that could multiply in old food waste.

The main reason to keep the grill clean is something else. First, the taste of the prepared meat changes due to the accumulated burnt food residues, fat and oil. And not just the taste! Rancid old fat and burning oil are carcinogenic! After you’ve prepared a meal on such a grill, throwing away that meal is probably the best idea. In addition, leftover food that has been burned after using the grill previously can make it difficult to cook and turn the meat over. As a result, it burns and smells bad.

Clean without effort

There are many effective and less effective ways to clean your grill on the internet. Most of them are universal and suitable for any type of grill. But are they as simple, safe and effective as they seem?

Clean with the help of fire

The most popular and well-known way to remove fat and soot from the grill is to set it on fire. In fact, it is enough to heat the grate so that the food and fat residues gradually burn out and become brittle. Then they can be easily cleaned with a metal brush. The method is really very effective, but it is difficult to guarantee its safety. Burning your hands when cleaning a hot grill or grill walls is not a good idea. You can also burn your face or eyes as oil residues are flammable when ignited.

The life of the grill is reduced during baking, as is the case with pans and other utensils, if you heat them without eating. Yes, you can clean the grill! But the outside and inside surfaces should also be clean – both for hygienic and aesthetic reasons. And unlike a relatively easy-to-clean grate, they were cleaned with fire.

The sitting area
It is important to find the right furniture to add function and comfort to your outdoor area. When choosing, always make sure that your garden furniture is easy to care for.

The best way to clean it is to wash it with some like the patio and the rest of the yard good pressure washer.

Clean all furniture with a low flow washer to remove dirt, grime and cobwebs. Clean all sides of the furniture, especially below. You can also use a cleaning spray, connect it to your hose and spray the furniture. Remove the stains with a soft brush.

Patio pillows should also be taken care of. Use a teaspoon of mild detergent, a spoon of detergent to remove household stains, and a liter of warm water. Let the solution rest on the fabric for a few minutes, but do not let it dry completely. Finally spray with a hose and let dry.

A good way to protect your pillows is to put them away after use or in bad weather.

Protect your furniture with covers or shrink films when the season is over.

Homemade cleaning products
Cleaning with soda or vinegar is also very popular. Long and thorough rubbing with the improvised “cleaners” on the grill grate with burnt fat ultimately removes dirt or at least part of it. But nobody knows how much time and energy it will take. An important point: you have to clean the grill with soda or vinegar “in hot pursuit”, ie immediately after a picnic and preferably after the roast. As a result, most of the pleasant experiences of a nice outdoor recreation are negated.

Ammonia solution is another popular way to get rid of fat and soot. Ammonia dissolves fat well, but dissolving in this way takes time, so it is better to soak the rust overnight. Our advice is to do this somewhere on a desert island, as the smell of ammonia, as you know, is not a pleasant one. Seriously, you have to remember that inhaling ammonia vapors can easily poison you. Therefore, manipulation with ammonia in the living room and even just for several hours is simply dangerous.

Industrial products

Industrial products for removing fat, oil and soot from grillage are highly effective and do their job well. This efficiency is achieved through a very aggressive compound that is not gentle on anything: neither dirt that is great, nor the grill itself or even the skin of your hands that is not that great. This also means that they are not always intended to clean the surfaces that come into direct contact with food.

Professional approach

However, there are household cleaning products for the maintenance of grills that deal with all types of contaminants quickly and efficiently, removing soot, carbon deposits, grease and oil residues. Just be sure to find those with the secure connection.

Life chops

Our advice, of course, is to clean the grill immediately after use (or at least the next day). But what if the grill was not cleaned in time for one reason or another and the fat turned into a sticky film? Use the professional cleaner, spray it on the racks and place it in a plastic bag for an hour. The bag prevents the active components of the product from evaporating and quickly and easily dissolves the old fat.

Before cooking, wipe the clean grid with the serviette with vegetable oil and heat it well to avoid contamination of the grill and the food stuck to it. The product must come into contact with an already heated wire mesh.

Food station
The most common choice for an outdoor kitchen is a kit that a Stainless steel sink, Cooler and refrigerator.

You should spray the surface before each use to remove dust and dirt. If you have a granite surface, maintain it with the soap mixture consisting of a part of mild soap, a part of warm water and a special spray. And if you don’t have granite or marble, you can use vinegar mix instead.

Use a stainless steel cleaner and a soft sponge or cloth on the device surfaces.

Rinse your sink with water for more thorough cleaning and sprinkle it with baking soda. Use a soft sponge to scrub the steel. Rinse with vinegar to disinfect and remove hard water stains. Then rub the steel with a lemon peel to deodorize and rejuvenate it. Finally, use paper towels and a piece of olive oil to polish the steel and make it look new.

Conclusion

Never forget that regular maintenance is the best way to keep things happy and healthy. Now that your outdoor kitchen is squeaky clean, get out and enjoy the long, sunny days. Invite a few friends and have fun!

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Bio: Patrick Adams is a freelance writer and rock blues fan. When he doesn’t write about home improvement, he likes to play chess, watch basketball and play the guitar. Above all, he loves spending time in his garage, repairing equipment and making things out of wood.