The great outdoors in a kettle.
(Credit: Kitchen Krafts)Cooking and eating outside is always a lot of fun and offers a flavor that just can't be beat. Sometimes, however, it's just not practical. Whether it's raining or you just can't get away, opportunities exist to at least capture the flavor of the great outdoors and bring it inside. While the big sky, green grass, and rolling hills won't be making an appearance inside your kitchen (thankfully), the essence of the outdoors can be captured with smoke.
The Nordic Ware Stovetop Kettle Smoker infuses great smoke flavor into meats, fish and vegetables all from the comfort of your kitchen. Wood chips are placed in the bottom of the pan, which release smoke as they heat up. A drip tray rests on top of the wood chips and can be filled up with liquid for steaming or left empty for dry smoking. A perforated food tray allows for smoke and heat to rise and penetrate your meal as it cooks. The high dome lid allows for cooking larger items, such as whole chickens.
When the temperature hits the recommended 200-220 degrees F (thermometer included), the heat can be controlled by either the vent on top of the unit or by manipulating the burner. Made of aluminized steel, the smoker works with gas, electric and even induction stovetops. With a coated nonstick interior, the stovetop smoker not only provides for that great outdoor smoky taste, but it also keeps cleanup considerably easy--perfect for bringing in the great outdoors without all the mess.
Easy to enjoy anywhere.
(Credit: Sur La Table)Ah, summer. Long, hot days on the beach or by the pool spent with family and friends. Or perhaps a quality afternoon in the park sounds more appealing. Imagine it: the grill going, the kids playing, a cool breeze blowing. No matter if you imagine the beach, the pool, or the park, it's a great scene that just doesn't get any better... unless, of course you had a margarita in hand. While beer and soda pop may travel extremely well in the cooler, margaritas aren't necessarily very portable. Until now.
The Margaritaville Battery-Powered Portable Frozen Concoction Maker makes it easy to enjoy the freshly made popular drink anytime, anywhere. Not your ordinary blender, this specialized appliance uses a rechargeable 18-volt battery to supply all the needed power to whip up your favorite summertime beverages--up to 70 uses in a single charge. With each batch supplying up to 36 ounces of slushy beverages, the cordless machine is sure to bring the party wherever you may travel.
Do yourself a favor and give yourself a treat for your next outing. There's no reason to stop at beer for your adult beverage enjoyment. Having a portable blender belting out shaved ice and blended drinks is a sure-fire way to heat up your summer--no matter where you choose to spend it.
(Credit:
Alfresco Grills)
Outdoor kitchens are more advanced than ever, allowing us to cook more complicated dishes than the standard burgers and brats. But few outdoor appliances pack the same punch in the variety department as this multiple-use cooker by Alfresco.
The VersaPower Multi-Use Cooker lives up to its namesake by combining with a family of accessories that allow you to cook a huge variety of meals. You can add a deep fryer/pasta cooker to cook french fries or boil noodles, or add on a steel pot filler to fill tall stock pots. You can also remove the center trivet and a wok will fit right inside the center hole, or you can remove the grate completely and replace it with a teppanyaki griddle for burgers, veggies, or pancakes.
The burners provide a range large enough to accommodate the variety of foods you can cook on the VersaPower by using a dual-burner system. The center burner warms at a low 400 BTUs, but if you want maximum power you can draw an astonishing 65,000 BTUs from cranking both burners. The burners are also located closer to the grill, so more heat is directed straight into your food and not into the outer environment.
Whether you're frying potatoes to accompany your burgers, frying a turkey for Thanksgiving, or stir-frying some vegetables for your garden, this bad boy makes a great addition to your cooking setup on your back yard.
Bake some serious pizza with the Beehive Pizza Oven.
(Credit: Williams-Sonoma)Pizza is an amazingly complex thing for a food item so seemingly simple. Bread, cheese, sauce, that's it. That's enough to get you going. Oh sure, you can drown your pizza in a sea of toppings, but the essential structure starts from basic everyday ingredients. The deceptively complex nature of pizza is both a good thing and a bad thing. Endless varieties abound, and there are certainly great pizzas to be found, but it is all too easy to order up a lousy pizza. Good thing you can bake your own.
But don't pick up that pizza peel just yet. Most home ovens have no hope of reaching the high temperatures needed to attain that special level of deliciousness that pizza can achieve. The Beehive Pizza Oven is one possible solution. The terra-cotta outdoor wood-fired oven is a domed device specifically created for capturing that elusive high heat and transferring it into quickly baked pizzas. Set the fire, and when it's good and ready, just slide back the coals and pop in the pizza. The superheated oven floor will create that special crispiness, while the pizza bakes to perfection.
With the capability to attain temperatures up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit, the pizza oven is an artisan cook's dream. An easily installed hardwood-lined door is included, which also allows for the capability to bake bread or even smoke meat. With such versatility, even the nonpizza fanatics out there (if you exist), can find use for this beautiful outdoor oven.
Oh, the places you'll go.
(Credit: Coleman)It's easy to become accustomed to the convenience of kitchen appliances. I know I am appreciative of my indoor grill. It makes me feel good knowing that a quick burger, chicken breast, or panini is but a button press away. It's useful, easy, and always there for me. With a tethered electrical cord, however, the grill is not very portable.
In a case of an outdoor appliance being inspired by an indoor appliance that was originally inspired by an outdoor appliance, we have this outdoor grill (got all that?). The Coleman Fold N Go InstaStart Grill borrows the classic clamshell design of indoor grills and brings its functionality up to date in a portable appliance. Perfect for trips to the park, beach, or the parking lot of the big game, the little propane-powered Coleman grill brings the convenience and flavor of grill cooking anywhere.
Starting with a simple press of the ignition button, the grill delivers flame via its 6,000 BTU horseshoe-shaped stainless-steel burner. The removable porcelain-coated cooking grate offers a good amount of room for a portable grill. Possibly drawing further inspiration from its indoor cousins, this grill features a removable grease tray that is dishwasher safe. Operating for up to 3.5 hours on one canister of propane, this little portable grill is sure to get a lot of use, just about anywhere you go.
You know how it is when you run out of space in your outdoor kitchen? Well, maybe you don't, because, really, how many of us have outdoor kitchens? But wouldn't it be nice if you did have one? And then, wouldn't you want it to have enough cabinet space?
Enough silliness. My family does spend a fair amount of time eating outdoors, and outdoor cabinet space would be handy for many of us. Imagine being able to set up for a barbecue without constantly running back into the house, letting the bugs in and the air out every time you open the door. Or missing the punch line of the joke because at the crucial moment, you were hunting through the kitchen--the indoor kitchen--for the paper tablecloths.
You can see where this would be a problem. So Kalamazoo offers outdoor kitchen cabinets made entirely of stainless steel--all the way down to the fasteners and legs. You'll appreciate sleek touches, like the seamless rain gutters around every door and drawer opening to keep all kinds of weather out. And hose your cabinets clean without worry--all electrical enclosures are completely weatherproof.
The full extension drawers make it easy to store and find whatever you need, and the full finish on each side means you can configure your pieces any way you'd like. Check out the full line of outdoor cabinets.
It's grillin' time!
(Credit: Grill Dome)Spring has almost sprung, and soon we will all be spending a great deal more time outside. If it's finally time to replace your aged and rusted grill, maybe you should try something new this grilling season. The Grill Dome is a ceramic grill based on an Indian tandoor clay oven. It is available in three sizes, with the largest and newest Infinity Seriescoming out this month.
The new Infinity Grill Dome comes in a variety of colors including green, red, copper, and blue. While the option to match to any backyard decor is nice, the real allure of the Infinity line is large the size and third-generation ceramic technology. The Infinity Grill Domes measure 34 inches tall about 22 inches wide. The large grill size is 18 inches, and the medium model is 15 inches. The Infinity series is made with Terapex Ceramics, which is able to withstand higher temperatures.
The Grill Domes boast faster cooking times at high temperatures than normal cooking grilles can handle. At the same time, they use less charcoal than conventional grills and start in about five minutes. A variety of accessories are available, including the Double Decker Rack, which would be used for indirect cooking. Tables and a variety of stands are also available. Considering how much time you will be spending around grills in the coming weeks, the Grill Dome is certainly worth checking out.
Smoky goodness.
(Credit: Chefs Catalog)There is nothing quite like grilling food over an open flame, using all that deep smoke to impart flavor. As fat melts away, smoke and heat combine to form delicious flavor that cannot be achieved in any other way. For charcoal fires, the solution is easy: soak some wood chips in water and then place on the burning coals. However, for those with a gas grill, getting that smoky goodness is not as easy.
Luckily, there is the Charcoal Companion Platinum Grid with Smoker Trays Set for people with gas grills. Simply fill the adjustable smoking chambers with wood chips and place the tray on top. As the wood chips burn, aromatic smoke wafts up into the food, enhancing everything from meat and fish to delicate vegetables. The large size tray measures 21 inches wide by 14 inches deep. The entire device stands only 3 inches tall.
The convenience and ease of gas grills is mirrored in this smoking-tray set. The chambers protect your grill from accumulated residue left behind from smoking chips. Additionally, the set is dishwasher safe. For those who enjoy a good old-fashioned smoked meal, but don't want all the hassle of a fire pit, a gas grill and this smoker set could be the way to go.
What would you say to a new kitchen that started at around $5,500? Pretty good deal, even if it is outdoors.
That's right, we've got another contender in the outdoor kitchen category--Atlantis Outdoor Kitchens. Weatherproof perma-panel engineering and custom wood designs in teak and cypress give these outdoor kitchens a unique look and full functionality.
The polymer construction of these cabinets can withstand well over 100-degree heat or temperatures below freezing without warping, cracking, or deteriorating over time. It's specifically designed for outdoor use.
The best part? Clean it with a garden hose and a scrub brush. In other words, you can probably con your kids into doing it.
Choose from nine colors and nine different door styles, and create a custom outdoor island perfect for your own entertaining needs.
We've looked at outdoor kitchen appliances in the past. And now Sikes Cookers & Grills wants a piece of the action, so it's come up with the Chamber, which the company says allows people to use an outdoor cooker the same way they use a kitchen oven.
The Chamber uses three patented, separate sections: a direct side, an indirect side, and a special unique partition. The burners are located on the direct side for traditional grilling, searing, or cooktop use; in this section you can grill a perfect steak or boil a pot of potatoes. The indirect side uses convection heating to work just like an indoor oven. Use it to prepare a roast, or get creative and bake a cake right on the grill.
The third section is the water partition. When filled, the water partition allows moisture to be pulled up and into the food you are cooking food as heat from the direct side travels over and into the indirect side. Adding flavored liquids or spices to the water allows the grill to marinate meat or other foods as they cook, infusing dishes with whatever flavors you choose to add.
The Chamber Grill retails for $899 and is available online and in stores this spring.
