Naturally, not all of us are in a position to develop such a complete area for play, but there is much to toy with in the idea. It is conceivably possible, even if one has a limited amount of money to build and providing the climate is agreeable, to plan an important outdoor living and cooking unit that will take care of a great many of one's entertaining and living problems. Somehow food always tastes better and appetites are keener in the open, and to be able to live in a patio or outdoor room would be the ultimate in pleasurable existence. It has the same fascination as the outdoor restaurants in France and Italy.
For those who like to stop on the road and broil a steak or who have a pint-sized garden or terrace, there are many kinds of equipment and a good many appliances that will provide excellent meals and a great deal of amusement as well. Perhaps we are too enthusiastic about the vertical grill, but we do find it is an ideal source of cooking heat for anyone. These may be found in a small portable size as well as the larger one which needs so much space. Both the vertical and horizontal grills can be carried along in a car or set up temporarily in a garden, and can also be used in the fireplace indoors, come winter or spring. And there are the good old funnel-shaped grills with grating at the top which have given satisfaction for years and which, for small units, are difficult to equal and impossible to surpass.
As a matter of fact the simpler the equipment, the better off you are. The market is flooded each year with gadgets of all sorts and trick devices that look smart and which are often a great disappointment when used extensively. Good food and good cooking can be accomplished with simple and functional appliances and a minimum of gadgetry. The simplest forms of stoves, as we have stated before, have served for centuries as reliable aids in cookery. Our secret for satisfactory results and ease in operation is to have little to clutter up the worktable, but to have that little of the finest. A fine grill, excellent knives, two or three good long-handled forks, some tongs, and a good cutting board are essentials. Utensils and additions to these basic necessities are what you have to figure out for your own individual problem. It is a question of choosing the proper props after you have made up your repertoire for the season.
One subject which always causes a great deal of discussion among enthusiastic outdoor cooks is that of fuel. Naturally, we are all aware of the fine results to be achieved with charcoal and with the briquettes which have come more and more to the fore in the last few years. Nothing gives quite the flavor to broiled meats that charcoal lends. It is distinctive and tempting. But there is a long brief to present in favor of well-seasoned hickory or applewood or oak. For a large grill, any of these woods will burn down to magnificent coals for cooking and will season the foods being cooked with a smoky flavor of individuality. Need we warn you again that it is the coals that do the fine cooking and that to use flame is torture to yourself and to the meat or fowl being cooked. One of the first mistakes made by every outdoor chef who is not accustomed to the technique is trying to cook over flames instead of achieving a sound bed of coals.
Success in the field of outdoor cookery—and mind you, one can achieve startlingly good dishes this way—depends, as does every form of cookery, on three or four fundamentals: good workable equipment; care in preparation; the very best of raw materials; and last but certainly not the least important, the will to do it and thorough enjoyment of the process and the results.
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