Pasta Salad Recipes without Mayonnaise for Backyard Grilling

Summertime means backyard grilling season is upon us! Time to bust out the BBQ tools and get planning your next get together or family meal. Every good backyard party needs some side dishes to go with your main course, so why not the classic Pasta salads! But not just any pasta Salads, how about some…

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Creative Hot Dog Recipes for Backyard Grilling

Hot Dog Recipes for Backyard Grilling

The sun is shining and the birds are singing, which means summertime is just around the corner! Time to start thinking about what you will be throwing on the grill! One of the most popular and easy things to toss onto a BBQ is a Hot Dog! And honestly, who doesn’t love a delicious Hot…

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Best Beverage Dispenser With Ice Core

Best Beverage Dispenser With Ice Core

Regardless of the season it’s never a good idea to serve drinks that should be cold, warm. If you have a beverage dispenser sitting out for a few hours, though, that’s exactly what can happen. That’s why using the best beverage dispenser with ice core is a good idea! If you’re throwing a party, cold…

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Best Outdoor Undercounter Refrigerator

Keep your favorite beverages chilled and at the ready with the best outdoor undercounter refrigerators for an outdoor kitchen! We’ve reviewed the best models to help you finish off your outdoor kitchen in style. Find detailed reviews, and some things you should know before you buy your first undercounter refrigerator!  What is the Best Outdoor…

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Best Outdoor Kitchen Faucet

If you’re looking for the best outdoor kitchen faucet you’ll definitely need something that’s going to be resistant to rust and heat. It also needs to be easy to clean, because things get dusty when outdoors!  Here are some great options for faucets that you can use in an outdoor kitchen, as well as inside.…

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Best Outdoor Glider For BBQing and Grilling

If anybody went into a populated room (a party, for example), and asked those who like grilling to raise their hands, at least half of the gathering would do so. Popular though it is, however, not so much attention is placed on a piece of furniture that would make your BBQing endeavors far easier: the…

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Best Portable Picnic Table

Picnics are fun, but if there isn’t a picnic table available you’re out of luck if you don’t want to sit on the ground. These best portable picnic tables solve that problem, and they’re perfect for small groups, parties, or camping.  Best Portable Picnic Table These portable picnic tables are also handy if you want…

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Best Lightweight Picnic Tables

Everyone loves picnics, but not everyone likes placing their plates and cups on uneven ground, where they may topple over—to say nothing of the bugs that may be crawling in the vicinity. There’s no need to go to a park and hope there will be seating available: with a lightweight table, you can have a…

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Best Outdoor Vent Hoods

Few activities bring a family closer together than food, and that is no less true outside than it is inside. However, with  cooking comes smoke—and that’s sure to put a damper on even the merriest of gatherings. The solution is the same, no matter where the kitchen is: a vent hood. That said, if you’re bringing it outside, it has to be sturdy enough for the outdoors, and that’s where this article comes in! Here we’ll review the best outdoor vent hoods for their overall quality and design. Choosing the Best Outdoor Vent Hoods If your outdoors area is covered—such as a lanai, or a roofed patio—, then the answer is a most resounding yes. The lack of walls won’t be of much help in dissipating the smoke  generated by your cooking: if you don’t have something to funnel it away right as it comes out, it will become a nuisance pretty quickly. If you cook in an uncovered area, a vent hood is not so critically important, but it is still worth considering: starting with the fact that local regulations in many places all but require the installation of a vent hood, smoke is also well known for smearing the surrounding walls and surfaces—and who wants to deal with cleaning that? How To Choose: Your Step-By-Step Guide Even when we’re talking about a regular kitchen, picking the right vent hood takes some careful planning. What follows is a breakdown of the features that will be most relevant when choosing: nobody wants to buy a pricey item that ends up not fitting where we want it. 1. Size Your vent hood should, ideally, be larger than your range or BBQ, at least by a little; this will help it catch more smoke as it is emitted. You can also refer to your user manual, as most manufacturers will include vent hood size guidelines. 2. CFM What is even CFM? It stands for Cubic Feet per Minute, and it is a volumetric unit of measurement used to express the flow of air. You will see it commonly associated with fans, and that is what makes it relevant to our current topic. The fan is what enables the hood to pull the smoke up and through the chute and, therefore, the stronger the better. Bonus: adjustable speeds. This feature is useful for adapting to shifting wind conditions, so that the fan won’t be consuming more power than necessary. 3. Roof Cap Or lack thereof. This essentially relates to how the smoke will escape the chute, and there are two options: either out the roof, or through a wall. The former is a more common and convenient choice, but some times a wall escape is better, depending on your area’s layout. The professional you hire for installation can always provide you with some advice. All Flavor, No Smoke: Our Picks The following models are all suited for their intended job; depending on their unique characteristics, one of these might just be the one you’re looking for. Broan EPD6148SS 48″ Pro-Style Outdoor Hood Buy Now This one deserves extra consideration if you happen to be looking for an option capable of dealing with the smoke from your grill, as it is not only potent enough for the job (1,100 CFM), but it is also 27″ deep, so that a bigger volume of smoke will be funneled in. The fan does not have to work at full capacity if you don’t need it to, as the speed can be adjusted to any of 3 levels available. Unit comes with 2 slots for 2 36″ halogen bulbs built in, though the bulbs themselves are not included. Pros: Capable of redirecting large volumes of smoke, thanks to its size. Proprietary Heat Sentry system can detect heat variations and adjust the blower speed automatically. Filters are dishwasher safe. Cons: Unit will not be useful for grilling past midnight right out of the box; to gain lighting, a separate search and purchase must be made. ZLINE KB-304-36 Buy Now If, to you, variety is the spice of life, then this particular choice might speak to you more loudly than most, as it offers a total of six sizes and six styles for you to choose from. It’s even possible to choose the sort of venting it does—conventional or ductless—, due to it being designed to accept carbon filters, although said filters have to be procured separately. The fan can be set to any of 4 speeds available (120, 240, 320 and 400 CFM), for optimal control on the unit’s performance. For duct installations, package includes 2 telescopic chimney pieces. Pros: Wide variety of sizes and shapes make it easier to find the right fit for the location and budget available. Sound level is quite low, comparable in intensity to that of a running refrigerator. Cons: Fan potency is remarkably low—about half the level of a great many other alternatives.…

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Best Picnic Blanket for Sand

I have 5 kids and we spend a lot of time at the beach during the summer – so I know first hand how much of a difference the best picnic blanket for sand can make. Here’s some great options for your next trip to the beach (or any sandy picnic spot)!  Best Picnic Blanket…

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