Outdoor Kitchen: Gas grills are particularly popular

The assortment of grill products was one of the growth drivers of the green industry once again in 2018. The summer with its record temperatures also played a significant role here.

Relocating life outdoors is becoming more and more important for the people in our corner of the world. They enjoy spending the mild summer evenings with their friends and family in the open air dining together. However, the days when just potato salad and sausages were served at a barbecue are definitely over.

More and more garden owners are interested in outdoor kitchens. When it comes down to weather-resistant kitchen units, the grill is normally the focal point. But sinks, fridges, worktops, cupboards, ceramic or gas ovens can also be integrated. In addition to major suppliers and manufacturers of built-in grills, many smaller manufacturers have been concentrating on the production of such kitchens recently.

So, it is no surprise that the garden trade fair spoga+gafa - where every year at the beginning of September the largest coherent offer of grill and BBQ products in the world is presented - has also been dedicating itself to this theme in the form of the special event "Outdoor Kitchen Welt" since 2017. Here the international trade visitors have the opportunity to inform themselves about the entire spectrum of current offers.

In terms of quality, garden kitchens must be built in such a way that they can endure the enormous stresses of weathering. Not only humidity, but also the dramatic temperature fluctuations and especially UV radiation really put a strain on many materials. Important therefore is a balanced selection of material. The offer ranges from stainless steel to teak, to natural stone and cement, through to plastic.

The outdoor kitchens of the manufacturing company PROKS from the Rhineland for instance comprise of two components: the frames are made from high-quality aluminium profiles and the cupboards out of an almost indestructible special plate that can be coated with different decors. The company is exhibiting at spoga+gafa for the third time this year. "Our designer garden kitchen is totally weather-resistant and can remain outdoors the whole year round," explained Markus Müller, the proprietor of PROKS. "The dimensions of the cupboards are oriented on the standard sizes of normal kitchen units. This enables them to be individually combined following the modular construction principle. For the grills one can choose between gas or charcoal modules - to suit one's own preferences and priorities." PROKS is independent from the different grill manufacturers and can implement all of the built-in grills that are available on the market.

But is there really a difference in taste? "Most of the customers believe so! Nevertheless, a test we carried out with a blind tasting at our company, wasn't able to confirm this."

Indeed the majority of the outdoor kitchen fans are currently opting for a gas grill. Because these have a clear advantage: They are ready to use faster than charcoal grills. However: Simple gas grills with two burners are increasingly falling out of favour. The trend is going towards appliances with four or even five burners, because these enable a very even distribution of heat, which is essential for indirect grilling - gently next to the flame.

Furthermore, many of the modern appliances have an additional rear burner, which ensures that meat and fish are cooked perfectly on the spit. Some of them additionally have a lateral infrared burner, which can generate up to 800 degrees. These enable steak for instance to be grilled wonderfully.

The gas grills that BURNOUT Kitchen implement in their outdoor kitchens are made by Broil King, BeefEater and Napoleon. The company from East Westphalia is also represented at spoga+gafa in 2019 again. Their kitchens are partly made by machine and partly by hand. "We implement the latest machines from the furniture-making industry where the highest, industrial precision is required," explained Daniel Joachimmeyer, one of the two proprietors of the company. "Our specialists carry out intricate work that requires the use of the welding machine themselves. In the end it is the mixture between industrial processes and manufacturing skill. Our materials also offer the best from two worlds: They are totally stable and yet very lightweight. In this way, the freely combinable kitchen units can also be safely installed on a balcony."

But not only gas grills are in high demand among the customers: More and more people additionally opt for a so-called Kamado grill sooner or later. Everything is possible with these high-quality charcoal grills made of ceramic: Smoking, baking bread and pizzas and of course simple grilling.

Brands like Kamado Joe, Big Green Egg or Monolith can be perfectly integrated into the kitchen units of PROKS and BURNOUT Kitchen.

For further information: proks.de and burnout.kitchen