Outdoor kitchen

Well - I wrote this post in July and am just now realizing it is still a draft - I never posted it! Oops! Well, I think it is still worth posting so here's something for you to think about for next summer...

Too hot to cook? Move your kitchen outside! Here is my set-up...

The "frame" I got from the Sears catalog (yes, we still have that in Canada - grin!) - the camping section. I am sure you can get something similar elsewhere - depends what you want to spend. I think mine was about $100 Canadian - but don't quote me!

Microwave on the bottom, single electric burner and Hamilton Beach grill (in an earlier post I referred to it as my mini George Foreman grill, but it isn't!). Keep everything else clear for your work surfaces. I was in Wal-Mart the other day and saw several nice grills similar to mine - and they have single AND double electric burner units too! My husband laughs at my grills (I have a few different sizes, but this little one is one of my favorites). I am just not one of those huge gas grill fans - the small electric ones suit me just fine. They are fairly easy to clean if you spray them liberally with cooking spray. AND - they grill the top and bottom of the food at the same time so you don't have to bother with turning food as it cooks. What's not to like? Oh - and the fat runs off into a little drip pan - it has to be healthy, right?

If you scroll through some of my recent posts - you will see that for almost every dinner used 1 microwave, 1 electric burner and 1 grill. Gee, I wonder why! It's hot - so don't make your house hotter by cooking inside - move it outdoors!

One note: the electric burner I have is fine for a small sauce pan. When I boil corn - I use my real stove inside so I can use a big pan. Remember - I have a 3 year old running around so you never can be too safe...

Before my son was born my DH and I had a weekend in Newport, RI. We toured a few of the "summer cottages" (more like mansions) while there - these are old(? - maybe late 1800's or 1920's - I am soooo bad at details) summer estates of the rich which now offer tours. Anyway - these old houses had the most amazing summer kitchens. First - the heat - of course. Think about this - baking loaves of bread, cookies, cakes, pies, roasts - these people used their ovens all day long, except they weren't nice, insulated ovens. Oh no - they had huge cast iron wood stoves. Hot, hot, hot. So - the kitchens were removed from the main house. Another reason was to keep the kitchen away from the house in case there was a fire. I grew up in an antique house and it too had a summer kitchen. So, maybe in my very small scale, I am just following in the footsteps of those before. Why re-invent the wheel? It worked then, it works now!