Do I Need A Side Burner In Outdoor Kitchen?
I recently invited my friends for a BBQ to celebrate my newly built outdoor kitchen. I was surprised when one of my friends asked me why I didn’t have a side burner on the gas grill of my kitchen. My friend told me that they have a side burner on their grill and its is hugely useful. Now I am wondering whether I need a side burner in my outdoor kitchen.
It is not necessary to have a side burner as you already have a grill for this purpose. The grill’s main grate is usually all you need for grilling food and delicious BBQ’S. However, a side burner does come in handy. You can use a side burner for warming or cooking vegetables or dishes while grilling meats.
At a recent BBQ with my friends, I was asked why I didn’t have a side burner for my griller. I got intrigued when I heard about all the different uses there are for a side burner, and I started thinking that maybe I should have a side burner added to the griller of my outdoor kitchen.
Do I Need A Side Burner In My Outdoor Kitchen?
Grills have a main grate where you can cook the food and grill the delicious meats for your BBQ’S. Many grills have additional cooking grates on the side of the grill, known as side burners. Although side burners aren’t necessary for your outdoor kitchen, they are handy when cooking food in your outdoor kitchen.
Your choice will depend on the meals you prepare on your outdoor gas griller. If you do not cater to many people but like to entertain, you can only use your gas griller for grilling or BBQing meat. You will not require a side burner in this case.
What Is The Purpose Of An Outdoor Kitchen Side Burner
A side burner’s purpose is to assist you with your outdoor cooking requirements. A side burner is designed for outdoor kitchens rather than for indoor kitchens. A side burner is similar to an indoor kitchen’s stovetop burner.
Side burners are heated with a separate flame from the flame used for the cooking on the main grate of your grill. You can adjust the cooking temperatures by lowering or raising the setting on the side burner without affecting the main grill’s temperature.
The main purpose of a side burner is to assist you with your cooking and is used as a backup cooking surface. When having a large BBQ or cooking large meals, a side burner becomes handy as you can cook your side dishes on the side burner while your meat is being grilled on the main grill grate.
What Can Be Cooked On An Outdoor Kitchen Side Burner
Side burners are used for side meals, and the uses can range from cooking multiple dishes to making sauces; there are many things that you can use a side burner for. Side meals cooked on your side burner can be anything you want to cook as an extra serving with your BBQ, including the following:
- Sauteing onions, peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes or vegetables
- Cooking or frying sausages
- Baking or frying eggs
- Baked beans can be heated for your summer BBQ or as a side dish with your delicious grilled hotdogs or hamburger meals.
- Smoked macaroni and cheese
- Hassleback potatoes
- Grilled Mexican corn
- Seafood like shrimp boil can be created using your side burner for cooking
- You can cook stirfry on your side burner while your meat is being grilled on the main grill grate
- Frying chicken or fish dishes
These are just a few ideas mentioned of what can be done with the help of a side burner. If you think about it, you can cook many creative meals using your grill and side burner during the summertime or even the wintertime if you choose to be brave in the cold temperatures or you have a cosy fire pit or outside heaters.
The Pros And Cons When Using A Side Burner
Depending on how you look at it, you might also find a few pros or cons with a side burner. Before you choose to get a side burner added to your outdoor kitchen, you need to identify the pros and cons.
Pros Of Using A Side Burner For Your Gas Grill
Listed are the pros of using a side burner on your gas grill:
- A side burner on a gas grill can speed up your cooking process when cooking multiple dishes simultaneously, leaving you free to talk with your guests.
- While grilling your meat on the main grate of the grill, you can use the side burner for cooking side dishes.
- When using a side burner on your grill, you can prepare all your food outdoors simultaneously, which means that you have a complete kitchen outside.
Cons Of Using A Side Burner For Your Gas Grill
Listed are the cons that were discovered when using a side burner on your grill:
- The cost of purchasing a side burner can be high, so you may want to wait until you find a brand that is on sale (buy two if you can)
- The side burner adds extra cost to your gas bill as the gas usage will increase when using a side burner.
- Although more complex food can be cooked, you are supposed to be enjoying outside rather than just being a cook for everyone!
If you are using your outdoor gas griller simply for BBQ purposes and don’t want to cook any other side dishes outdoors, then you may not want to have the extra costs related to having a side burner added to your gas griller.
Conclusion
It is not essential or a necessity for you to have a side burner added to your grill for your outdoor kitchen. However, if you love cooking and preparing food outdoors and like to prepare various meals, it does make sense to have a side burner added to your outdoor gas griller.
While you are busy grilling your meat on your main griller, you can prepare your side dishes at the same time using your side burner. A side burner makes outdoor cooking so much more convenient because you no longer have to prepare side dishes in your home’s kitchen.
