Outdoor Kitchens Guide

Some people get a sudden case of sticker shock when they see the price of an outdoor kitchen refrigerator. The reason for this shock is because this type of refrigerator is not cheap! In fact, the prices for an under counter outdoor refrigerator start at over $1000. Now when I say outdoor refrigerator, I am talking about one that is made for the outdoors, UL approved for outdoor use, and warranted by the manufacturer for outdoor use. Please read that sentence again so you are clear on just what to expect from an outdoor refrigerator. Almost every unit that meets this description will be a stainless steel outdoor refrigerator, and that is great since most outdoor kitchens feature all stainless steel appliances.

OK, so once you get past the sticker shock, how do you proceed? Well, you basically have two choices. You can refuse to get past the difference in price between a $200 under counter refrigerator and the true outdoor refrigerator, or you can just accept it as part of your outdoor kitchen plans.

If you choose to go with the non-outdoor rated unit there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First of all, these refrigerators are generally a bit smaller than an outdoor refrigerator. Outdoor units are typically 24″ wide and somewhere close to 34 1/2″ tall. A non-outdoor unit will probably be more like 22″ wide and perhaps 31″ tall. This difference is important for a couple of reasons. First of all, if you choose to switch to an outdoor refrigerator at a later date, your cabinet opening will be both too short and too narrow. You can think ahead and have the cabinet built to hold a standard outdoor refrigerator, but if you install the non-outdoor version there will be a gap on both sides and at the top because this unit will not fill up the opening. If you can handle that look, it makes good sense to have the cabinet built to the larger specifications.

The other thing to keep in mind is almost all non-outdoor rated under counter refrigerators are not made of stainless steel. Instead they have a faux stainless finish on the door. this finish will not match your other stainless steel appliances. It is basically a plastic coating in a stainless color. So you have a couple of things to be aware of and on board with before choosing a non-outdoor refrigerator. Oh, and one other thing you will deal with is replacing the unit. In an outdoor, under cabinet application, these units will not last. They are not built to operate in that environment and have a hard time breathing and keeping up when placed outside and in a cabinet. Logic says you can replace it several times for the same price as the outdoor refrigerator. While that is true, if you have to do that before a typical outdoor refrigerator would have had to be replaced, you end up paying more in the long run. But the choice is yours, I just want to make sure you have all the information you need to make the best decision for your situation.