Outdoor living spaces produce a natural gathering place to visit with friends and loved ones. Creating an outdoor kitchen island is a beautiful way to enjoy your outside environment while adding to your home’s value. Although many homeowners may feel overwhelmed by the idea, this home improvement project is much more straightforward than many realize and pays big dividends down the road.
There is No Need to Sacrifice Convenience
Summer is the ideal time to begin building an outdoor kitchen to enjoy the beautiful days ahead. Modern outdoor kitchens have total access to plumbing and electricity, giving homeowners the freedom to prepare, cook and serve complete meals on the patio. This benefit is convenient when entertaining guests or watching young children as they play outside.
Provides Savings on Electrical Bills
With today’s inflation rates near all-time highs, many consumers are looking for creative ways to cut costs and hold on to more of their wages, and building an outdoor kitchen can be an efficient way to save money. Hot, humid summer temperatures can push an AC system to its limits to keep indoor space at a comfortable temperature. Cooking outside helps keep the house cooler, reducing expensive energy bills.
Installing an outdoor kitchen island adds beauty and functionality to your home while also building its resale value. According to recent statistics, 65% of homeowners rate an outdoor kitchen as very important to the design of their outdoor space. With many areas of the country reporting an ROI of 100% to 200% for outdoor kitchens at resale, this is one home improvement that makes good fiscal sense.
Positive Health Benefits of Outdoor Kitchen Islands
Though not always the case, cooking outdoors can frequently involve grilling, one of the healthiest ways of preparing food for consumption. Not only does grilling provide food with an unmistakable flavor, it doesn’t require additional calories from oil or breading. Grilled foods cook in already supplied fats. Compared with frying, food cooked on a grill is substantially lower in fat and calories, lowering the risks of developing heart disease, stroke, and obesity.
While grilled meats are the stars of many outdoor grilled meals, that doesn’t mean vegetables don’t have a place at the cookout. Grilling fresh in-season vegetables allows them to hold on to more minerals, increasing their nutrient profile.
Keeps smelly cooking odors out of the House
While aromas like freshly baked bread and chocolate chip cookies make a pleasant addition to nearly every home, not all smells enjoy the same privilege. Seafood, garlic, onions, and similar foods can leave fragrances behind that linger in the kitchen for hours or even days after use. Outdoor kitchens islands keep these smells outside, where they disperse much faster.
Improved Mental Health
Cutting-edge psychological research broadens our understanding of the relationship between spending time outdoors and improving our mental health, focus, and cognition. More time spent in nature accounts for several brain-healthy benefits like stress reduction, improved mood, and a reduced risk of developing psychiatric disorders.
Using an outdoor kitchen to cook and enjoy spending time with loved ones means spending more time outside tapping into the mighty healing powers of nature.
Look to the Future
Creating a beautiful outdoor kitchen space provides years of outdoor enjoyment for loved ones and a natural gathering space to relax and enjoy one another’s company.
