Outdoor Kitchen Vs. Indoor Kitchen

[Svenn]

Why do some thais have an outdoor kitchen? by which i mean a semi-covered area attached to the house where the cooking is done (common in Isaan). Do they simply not have the money to wall-in and tile an extra room, or is there some reason for it like keeping out ants or smells from the house??

If anybody has an outdoor kitchen, I'm wondering if they've found a certain lay out works better than others- e.g. L or U shaped?

[nam-thip]

The reason for the outdoor Thai kitchen is two fold.

One is that Thai cooking can smell to high heaven and secondly almost everything is cooked in hot oil which will splash all over the walls and floor and seeing as Thai’s are not very good at the art of cleaning its best to built them an outside kitchen where they can do less damage.

Every house around me including mine has an outside Thai cooking area otherwise your misses; her family/friends will ruin your western style kitchen.

A friend of mine recently built a house in Issan which didn’t include an outside kitchen and soon realised he’d made a mistake after seeing what was happening to his once spick and span modern kitchen.

Within weeks an outside kitchen was built.

Keep it simple and don’t spend an arm and a leg on what you do build.

[ignis]

Also a bad idea is to buy a cooker [oven with ring on the top]

You will see that most Thais have a 2 ring gas top normally sunken from the main work surface, Thai cooking is always done with the gas on full

Also the Thai beliefs.. the sink + the cooking rings must be on the same side..

[Svenn]

and seeing as Thai's are not very good at the art of cleaning its best to built them an outside kitchen where they can do less damage.

ignis, so do you mean a 'range' or 'stove top'? you're saying that should be sunken from the main countertop surface? Currently they just have a big propane tank with a fire that comes out of the top- it's about a foot off the ground and they just lean over and mess with the pan that's resting on it... it seems more like camping... i assume they'd prefer to have their pans and pots up at countertop level?

[Lite Beer]

ignis, so do you mean a 'range' or 'stove top'? you're saying that should be sunken from the main countertop surface? Currently they just have a big propane tank with a fire that comes out of the top- it's about a foot off the ground and they just lean over and mess with the pan that's resting on it... it seems more like camping... i assume they'd prefer to have their pans and pots up at countertop level?

One of these. Definately agree 2 kitchens. One inside and one outside.

[mdechgan]

Also a bad idea is to buy a cooker [oven with ring on the top]

You will see that most Thais have a 2 ring gas top normally sunken from the main work surface, Thai cooking is always done with the gas on full

Also the Thai beliefs.. the sink + the cooking rings must be on the same side..

I though the sink and cooking rings had to be opposite of each other since fire and water aren't suppose to mix. That's why some one told me to arrange the fridge, sink and stove as far away from each other as possible but not in corners.

[ignis]

Also a bad idea is to buy a cooker [oven with ring on the top]

You will see that most Thais have a 2 ring gas top normally sunken from the main work surface, Thai cooking is always done with the gas on full

Also the Thai beliefs.. the sink + the cooking rings must be on the same side..

I though the sink and cooking rings had to be opposite of each other since fire and water aren't suppose to mix. That's why some one told me to arrange the fridge, sink and stove as far away from each other as possible but not in corners.

All my Thai friends with houses have sink and stove/cooking rings more or less next to each other on the same side

[Rimmer]

Makes no sense to cook in the house in Thailand, we have twin fitted kitchens, one inside the house and one outside the house on the deck area. Both have stainless cooking tops, sinks, fridges, granite tops etc. But the indoor one only ever gets used for coffee and toast. My Gf prefers to cook outside and I prefer not to smell what ever is being cooked inside the house.

Edited January 30, 2009 by Rimmer

[Svenn]

Thanks for the replies, i'm definitily going to build our kitchen outside, and save a lot of money by doing that. One thing i'm worried about- won't an outdoor kitchen be a magnet for ants and insects? what about rodents coming to get at the food that's left out?

[Rimmer]

Thanks for the replies, i'm definitily going to build our kitchen outside, and save a lot of money by doing that. One thing i'm worried about- won't an outdoor kitchen be a magnet for ants and insects? what about rodents coming to get at the food that's left out?

Just keep everything spotlessly clean and you won't have a problem. You can't leave food out, that's asking for trouble and also remember not to leave newly washed plates on the draining board overnight as that is a really good way to get lepto spirosis from any rats that may like to visit you.

[Somtham]

Makes no sense to cook in the house in Thailand, we have twin fitted kitchens, one inside the house and one outside the house on the deck area. Both have stainless cooking tops, sinks, fridges, granite tops etc. But the indoor one only ever gets used for coffee and toast. My Gf prefers to cook outside and I prefer not to smell what ever is being cooked inside the house.

Rimmer - would you mind posting a few pictures of your outside kitchen? We're getting ready to build one and am looking for ideas. I have this feeling yours is first class.

thanks

[Rimmer]

Makes no sense to cook in the house in Thailand, we have twin fitted kitchens, one inside the house and one outside the house on the deck area. Both have stainless cooking tops, sinks, fridges, granite tops etc. But the indoor one only ever gets used for coffee and toast. My Gf prefers to cook outside and I prefer not to smell what ever is being cooked inside the house.

Rimmer - would you mind posting a few pictures of your outside kitchen? We're getting ready to build one and am looking for ideas. I have this feeling yours is first class.

thanks

OK here's one view I put some more up at http://www.flickr.com/photos/banjopicker/

Because I won't pay the silly prices they want for custom kitchens and because the custom home built wood kitchen builders kitchens are rubbish I used STARMARK modules from Homeworks. buy the modules you want, fix them how you want then rip off the tops and have the local granite people cut tops for you.

Get the builder to cut and fit kick boards at the bottom to finish off the front, they are nail gunned straight onto the Starmark units.

The wall on the deck is just that A wall tiled up then the units back onto it. Not finished yet has to have a granite top along it to make a counter top. Total cost around indoor and outdoor kitchen around 60k

[Rimmer]

A friend of mine used my idea of module units but instead of wooden units he bought the very nice plastic module units. He had the builder make a standard size plinth for them to stand on (2 x 7.5cm Q Con blocks gives a 15cm kick board) He then fitted granite tops and voila he has a beautifull white kitchen that is termite proof and can be hosed down.

[Gary A]

Our house has a kitchen and my wife used it for a few months. It wasn't long before I complained about the cooking odors and she complained about the heat. We now have added an outside kitchen and it works great. The inside kitchen is used mostly for food preparation and the actual cooking is done outside. The inside sink is also quite handy. The rice cooker, a microwave and the hot water heater (pot) and some dishes are inside.

[Somtham]

OK here's one view I put some more up at http://www.flickr.com/photos/banjopicker/

Because I won't pay the silly prices they want for custom kitchens and because the custom home built wood kitchen builders kitchens are rubbish I used STARMARK modules from Homeworks. buy the modules you want, fix them how you want then rip off the tops and have the local granite people cut tops for you.

Get the builder to cut and fit kick boards at the bottom to finish off the front, they are nail gunned straight onto the Starmark units.

The wall on the deck is just that A wall tiled up then the units back onto it. Not finished yet has to have a granite top along it to make a counter top. Total cost around indoor and outdoor kitchen around 60k

Thanks for posting those. The place looks spotless. Does it ever get used for pak boong fai daeng? Any smoke/grease issues with not having an exhaust hood over the stove area?

Thanks again.

[kamalabob2]

Both outdoor and Indoor Kitchens can be built at a modest cost in rural Thailand. We did have a proper hood exhaust installed on the inside kitchen and the venting was in the original home plans from the architect. The exterior kitchen was sort of an afterthought but water and electricity was already installed on the other side of the CPAC block exterior wall so easy to run pipes and electric wires. Tile to the ceiling of both outdoor and interior kitchens, tile on complete interior of both kitchen cabinets seemed prudent. There has not been any trouble with venting on the exterior kitchen, I just stay clear when chili is being cooked. I would say that 80% of the cooking is done in our home on the interior kitchen. Our stainless steel Thai made BBQ is used EVERY day at least once next to the Thai exterior Kitchen. The doors on the exterior cabinets are "King Band" inexpensive screened cabinet doors widely available in Thailand. Local Buriram "Kitchen Counter" specialists did the complete construction of the exterior kitchen and the interior wood cabinets were done by Khun Lek a wood furniture specialist. We also had the local "Kitchen Counter" man build an exterior laundry counter with the same inexpensive granite top and back-splash. It became apparent that we needed bamboo blinds to be comfortable when using the West facing exterior kitchen in the afternoon. My wife said the main reason they cook INSIDE most of the time is due to "wind" which hinders the flames on the exterior H.O.B. Certainly not every veranda will have a problem with wind. Both of our kitchens were built at the same time.

Here is a link to exterior Thai kitchens and interior Kitchens with photos. http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Concrete-Eve...amp;hl=Exterior

[kbvicar]

A friend of mine used my idea of module units but instead of wooden units he bought the very nice plastic module units. He had the builder make a standard size plinth for them to stand on (2 x 7.5cm Q Con blocks gives a 15cm kick board) He then fitted granite tops and voila he has a beautifull white kitchen that is termite proof and can be hosed down.

Rimmer The plastic modules are exactly what I want to use. Can you find out the brand name and perhaps where your friend got them? Thanks

[Rimmer]

A friend of mine used my idea of module units but instead of wooden units he bought the very nice plastic module units. He had the builder make a standard size plinth for them to stand on (2 x 7.5cm Q Con blocks gives a 15cm kick board) He then fitted granite tops and voila he has a beautifull white kitchen that is termite proof and can be hosed down.

Rimmer The plastic modules are exactly what I want to use. Can you find out the brand name and perhaps where your friend got them? Thanks

Do not know the brand he bought and he is not currently in Thailand to ask, but I remember he told me he bought them at HomePro. I have seen similar cabinets in all the major Home Mart type shops. I remember he had to order certain models from the catalog as they usually have only the very basic units in stock.

[nigelandjan]

Makes no sense to cook in the house in Thailand, we have twin fitted kitchens, one inside the house and one outside the house on the deck area. Both have stainless cooking tops, sinks, fridges, granite tops etc. But the indoor one only ever gets used for coffee and toast. My Gf prefers to cook outside and I prefer not to smell what ever is being cooked inside the house.

Rimmer - would you mind posting a few pictures of your outside kitchen? We're getting ready to build one and am looking for ideas. I have this feeling yours is first class.

thanks

OK here's one view I put some more up at http://www.flickr.com/photos/banjopicker/

Because I won't pay the silly prices they want for custom kitchens and because the custom home built wood kitchen builders kitchens are rubbish I used STARMARK modules from Homeworks. buy the modules you want, fix them how you want then rip off the tops and have the local granite people cut tops for you.

Get the builder to cut and fit kick boards at the bottom to finish off the front, they are nail gunned straight onto the Starmark units.

The wall on the deck is just that A wall tiled up then the units back onto it. Not finished yet has to have a granite top along it to make a counter top. Total cost around indoor and outdoor kitchen around 60k

Wow !!!!!!!! Rimmer I have just looked at all your pics from this link ,,,,,,, well done I am very impresed with what you have achieved ,you have a lovely place,, my wife and I are busy in the UK restoring our bungalow here and after we finish we will build on her land next to her other home in Ban Pak ,, and yes she wants an outside kitchen to ,,,,,,,although our little place will be no where near as grand as yours ,,,,,, good luck mate and well done !

[PeaceBlondie]

Our new home has both. My partner talked the builder into building us an indoor kitchen, with no intention of cooking there. It has the fridge, counter top, a dining table we may use some day, microwave, rice cooker. The Thai cooking is all outdoors - double gas burners, etc. He prepares some ingredients outdoors, some inside. The sisters and Thai visitors eat outside, I eat indoors. It works fine.

[Rimmer]

Wow !!!!!!!! Rimmer I have just looked at all your pics from this link ,,,,,,, well done I am very impresed with what you have achieved ,you have a lovely place,, my wife and I are busy in the UK restoring our bungalow here and after we finish we will build on her land next to her other home in Ban Pak ,, and yes she wants an outside kitchen to ,,,,,,,although our little place will be no where near as grand as yours ,,,,,, good luck mate and well done !

Well thank you kind young sir And all the best for your projects.

[dee123]

hey guys never leave anything outside thats gonna be in direct contact with the food you eat!!!!

Edited February 1, 2009 by dee123

[PeaceBlondie]

hey guys never leave anything outside thats gonna be in direct contact with the food you eat!!!!

Nice thought. But then you could also clean all your dishes and utensils before cooking.

[torrenova]

I've had one and the other and both. Don't fanny around duplicating everything for the Thai kitchen, they just need some stone plinth, a gas burner and a sink or two. Keep everything you need to cook inside or else it is dirty and will become knackered within days and nothing will ever be clean. Best is to be able to spray the lot and hose it down.

If wind is an issue, use plastic glass to shield it with some asbestos roofing material behind the cooker itself.