Outdoor kitchens can add value to your home and provide an indoor/outdoor living space. However, outdoor kitchens require a lot of maintenance. Essential tips to ensure that you are taking great care of your outdoor kitchen:

• Invest in a high-quality grill. Once you have a quality grill for your outdoor cooking, ensure that you keep clean always. Brush salt on the grill or other metal part that touches food to prevent rusting and wash it to remove grease. Clean the grill regularly after each use to prevent rust, bacteria, and odours from building up. Follow the manufacturer's guidelines for cleaning, usually boiling water or a bleach solution.
• Maintain a temperature gauge on your grill, so you don't overdo it and get rid of any rusted parts. It's also a good idea to wear fire-proof oven mitts when grilling to avoid burns.
• Keep a professional oven cover that fits your grill size. To avoid a mess, use aluminium foil instead of plastic wrap when covering foods that cook most quickly, such as fish and vegetables.
• Keep the food you prepare on the grill top, not in the bottom of the outdoor oven.
• When washing plates or utensils after every use, keep them separate from other dishes and away from soap residue. If you don't have any place to store dishes specifically for outdoor cooking, try getting a clear container with a lid so that you can see what is inside without opening it up.
• Treat the wood deck with oil every six months or so. Oiling the wood will prevent it from drying out and cracking over time. It's also a brilliant idea to keep a small bucket of deck cleaner to clean the space when you are done cooking.
• Packaged charcoal is prone to temperature fluctuations and should not be used for cooking outdoors. You will need a dedicated charcoal burner for your outdoor kitchen, where you can control every element of cooking and adjust it according to what you're planning on serving.
• Pick up trash and cut any grass parts where you or your pets may step on them. You should also regularly take out the waste containers since they can start smelling bad if they sit for too long.
• Get rid of cigarette butts and other unwanted trash. There are many biodegradable products available on the market, so make sure that you keep your outdoor kitchen clean at all times.

If you want a quality BBQ, get in touch with Home Fires. Visit the Home Fires website to find the best grill for your needs.