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An outdoor kitchen can run the gamut from small hibachi grill to a full-blown outdoor kitchen with refrigerators, grills and ovens. There are a couple things to think about though regarding cooking and your outdoor kitchen. The main items to consider are cleanliness, company, and coziness.
Cleanliness: An outdoor kitchen has a few unique considerations compared to the regular one inside your house. The biggest things you have to worry about are food born illnesses and cross contamination. If your outdoor kitchen doesn’t have a built in refrigerator then don’t bring the food outside until you’re ready to cook it. Instead keep it in the fridge. Cross contamination is a bit more of a concern outdoors as well. In your regular kitchen you are using different pots and pans for every dish. Outside you’re probably using the same spatula to flip burgers, steaks and grilled veggies. Use different utensils and pans or clean between different types of food to keep everything sterile. You don’t want to be picking a cooked piece of chicken off the grill with the same pair of tongs you used to put it there in the first place.
Company: now that we’ve gotten through the stuffy part lets look at enjoying the outdoor kitchen. How do you enjoy it? With friends of course! Just use a bit of common sense a 2-person grill is going to leave a 30-person party waiting around for food.
Coziness: If you’re cooking outside you might as well eat outside. A few pieces of outdoor furniture can make a nice outdoor living room. There’s no reason to run back and forth from inside to out. Instead family and friends can sit outside and enjoy a nice warm summer evening.
Coziness, company and cleanliness are just a few items to consider when thinking about cooking and your outdoor kitchen. Whether you’re cooking for two or two hundred an outdoor kitchen is a great entertainment option for your home.
A patio heater is a great way to stave off the chill of a fall night. Patio heaters come in a range of different varieties, from the classic wood burning chiminea to a freestanding propane heater. Regardless of the type of patio heater you have, it will require a little bit of upkeep to make sure it stays in good working order for years to come.
How to clean your patio heater basically boils down to the type of heater you own.
Here are a few tips on cleaning the different types:
These are just a few tips on how to clean your patio heater. With proper care it will last you for years and let you enjoy plenty of crisp fall evenings.
An outdoor fireplace is a great way to extend your summer evenings outside. You do need a little bit of caution with them though. Outdoor fireplaces get very very hot and can cause serious injury if the proper precautions aren’t taken. One of the best things you can do is figure out how to childproof your outdoor fireplace. Childproofing your outdoor fireplace will give you greater peace of mind and let you relax and just enjoy the cool fall air.
The first thing that you’ll want to do to childproof your outdoor fire place is make sure that there’s a spark arrestor and flame guard installed. These are typically a heavy gauge wire mesh screen that you install over the hearth of the outdoor fireplace. A spark arrestor and flame guard
Another thing you can use to childproof your outdoor fireplace is a barrier. What this means is that you spend a little bit of time installing a decorative fence around the outdoor fireplace. Make this an off limits area for the kids. You’ll still get plenty of heat from the fireplace and the fence will add a decorative border.
Use safe fuels for the outdoor fireplace. This includes fire gels, paper logs, and charcoal. These items won’t pop like a piece of wood eliminating some of the risk of shooting up a shower of sparks.
How to childproof an outdoor fireplace just takes a little bit of planning before use. Eliminate the chances of sparks by using a spark arrestor and low spark fuels. Create a barrier around the fireplace to keep kids at a safe distance and most important of all don’t let the kids around a hot fireplace unless an adult is there to supervise.
Outdoor heaters come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes. You can find fire pits, propane heaters and electric space heater types. Not all work in every environment though. If you live in an apartment building then chances are your apartment rules prevent you from being able to have the cozy open flame of a fire pit. If you don’t feel like lugging big propane bottles upstairs to keep your heater going then you should look into an electric tabletop heater.
The Endless Summer EWTR890SP ‘Vacation Day” Electric Tabletop Heater is a great choice for the apartment dweller. All you have to do is set it up on a table plug it in and turn it on and in no time you’ll be enjoying a nice circle of warmth on a crisp cool evening.
One of the excellent safety features of the Endless Summer “Vacation Day” Electric Tabletop Heater is that it has a tilt switch safety mechanism; this means that if it gets knocked over it will turn itself off, greatly reducing the risk of fire.
There is an 8 foot cord so you won’t have to drag an extension cord outside with you.
The 1200 watt heat bulb casts a circle of heat about twelve feet wide plenty of room to sit around a table and chat.
The heater plugs into a standard wall outlet, no need for special plugs.
What We Like
The strong weather proof construction means that this heater can stay outside all year long.
The 1200 watt bulb pumps out a lot of heat for so small a unit, over 4000 BTU’s. It’s enough to take the chill off and keep you toasty at the table.
We really liked that there is minimal set up just pull it out of the box and plug it in.
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A fire pit is a wonderful place to sit and chat when the weather starts to cool off. Raised fire pits with a built in table are especially appealing. You don’t have to go through the hassle of digging a hole in your back yard. Instead a table and fire pit is portable and can be put on any decking. Not only do you get a great cozy fire but with the table you have a place to set your drinks and plates.
The Strathwood St. Thomas Cast Aluminum Round Table with Fire Pit
Since the Strathwood table is made out of aluminum it’s much lighter than other units made out of steel. This means you can easily move the fire pit around for cleaning. Another great thing about aluminum is that you don’t have to worry about it rusting out.
The copper fire pit really sets off the black aluminum. It’s a great set of contrasting colors that really catches the eye.
Things We Like about the Strathwood St Thomas Table & Fire Pit:
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Why not create a co-ordinated look for your Strathwood fire pit:
Just look at the great range of patio furniture that lets you create a totally coordinated look on your patio or in your entertainment area to match Strathwood St Thomas fire pit.
