Looking to Design Your Own Backyard?

“How can I design my own backyard?” This is one question that many homeowners ask when planning to make their homes beautiful. Your backyard can be a true sanctuary, especially if you prep it well with all the accessories that promote a comfortable living. The good news is, there are various ways to make your backyard more inviting.

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When establishing your backyard, you should consider utility and comfort. These are among the most critical qualities to consider when designing your backyard. Although styles and tastes can differ, the fundamental principles behind a home’s beauty remain the same universally. From manicured landscapes to decorated outdoor kitchens to custom patios, get ready to give your backyard a new look.

Pool Design 

You can add convenience and elegance to your backyard by installing a custom-built pool. With a pool house, it’s highly versatile in terms of style and design, giving you endless options and possibilities. You can encompass the whole pool for shade and privacy or choose to establish an ultimate guest house. At Creekstone, we will conceptualize your pool’s desired functionality and configure it to fulfill your style and needs.

Custom Patio Covers

Another incredible way to transform your outdoor living space is by adding a custom patio cover. It will also increase your home value, especially if your home is in a hot environment. The outdoor patio is ideal for hosting events, relaxing, and cooling off your body. You can customize the patio covers and cabanas to match your style.

Outdoor Kitchens

If you plan to host outdoor parties in your backyard, adding an outdoor kitchen will be the best way to impress your guests. The kitchen will be your backyard’s heartbeat, especially if you customize it with outdoor kitchen equipment like refrigerators and stainless steel gas grills. Remember to add a few outdoor furniture in the dining areas. Install the kitchen amenities designed to withstand the extreme outdoor environment. 

Design Your Backyard with Creekstone Outdoors

How can I design my own backyard? Now that we’ve answered this question, you can now make an informed decision. Creekstone can help you transform your backyard to match your style. You can count on us for custom outdoor design solutions, whether it’s a professional landscaping project or decoration of outdoor rooms and swimming pools.

Contact us for custom design solutions that match your style and needs.

Custom Outdoor BBQ Grills for Patio Parties

If you plan to throw a patio party in your backyard, you need to think about the custom outdoor BBQ grills to impress your guests. You can customize the outdoor space with essential kitchen amenities like refrigerators and BBQ grills. Notably, a basic cooking area with a grill, countertop, and a patio will cost you a few thousand dollars.

Customize your backyard hangout area with the perfect BBQ grill! Here are some great options. #Creekstone #outdoorliving #customgrill Click To Tweet

To bring the best out of your outdoor kitchen space, you need to select the right BBQ grills that can fulfill your needs. Some of the custom BBQ grills you will find on the market include charcoal grills, pellet grills, and customized built-in gas grills. If you desire to grill to perfection, consider either of the three grill types.

Now, let’s look at how each of the three BBQ grills operates.

Customized Built-In Gas Grills

If you’re used to having barbecues frequently but tired of hauling around a charcoal grill or smoker, you should consider a customized built-in gas grill. These gas grills are as convenient as the kitchen stovetop burners. You can install them permanently on your patio or backyard for easy outdoor cooking and entertainment. Make sure that the grill has enough heat output to fulfill your needs.

Charcoal Grills for Great Meals

Charcoal grills are not as complex as their counterpart gas grills. They are easier to set up as all you need is a charcoal bag and lighter. To prepare a delicious meal with a smoky flavor, get all your favorite ingredients. If you’re on a tight budget, you shouldn’t have a second thought about the charcoal grills as they are very affordable. Since there are many charcoal grill designs, you should select one that fits your needs. 

Plenty of Pellet Grills to Choose From

If you’ve never used a pellet grill before, it’s time to add it to your outdoor kitchen patio for a perfect grilling experience. The good news is that there are many designs of pellet grills. They come in different sizes and with various features, making cooking easy, quick, and enjoyable. Note that some pellet grills have smartphone apps that provide feeding and temperature data into the users’ phones.

Completing Your Outdoor Kitchen and Patio

Now that you know the various types of custom outdoor BBQ grills, you should compare their features and pick an option that fulfills your outdoor kitchen needs. Some of the factors you need to consider when shopping for the BBQ grills are the sizes, durability, weight, and burner output. Also, check if there are warranties for the items.

Contact us to accessorize your outdoor kitchen with uniquely designed BBQ grills.

Learn How to Protect Your Stainless Steel Outdoor Kitchen Equipment

A majority of stainless steel outdoor kitchen equipment owners never know how to protect stainless steel outdoors. Some ignore, assuming that the outdoor equipment will still corrode even when protected. However, that’s not always the case. You can learn and implement simple ways of maintaining a shiny and bright surface on your stainless steel kitchen equipment.

Here’s how to properly care for your outdoor stainless steel equipment. #CreekstoneOutdoors Click To Tweet

How can you keep your outdoor stainless steel looking new?

The solution to spotless stainless steel surfaces are never far from what you can readily access or what you already know but not applying well. To keep your stainless steel outdoor kitchen equipment spotless, you’ll need to follow the simple steps listed below. 

  1. Use the Right Tools
  2. Clean with the Polish Lines
  3. Use Alkaline Containing Cleaners
  4. Rinse Well
  5. Restore Stainless Steel

1) Use the Right Tools

Non-abrasive tools like microfiber, sponges, or plastic scouring pads are ideal for cleaning these surfaces. While they clean perfectly, they minimize scratches on the surface. Scrapers such as steel wool, wire brushes, or anything that might scratch the surface are not ideal for cleaning a stainless steel surface.

2) Clean with the Polish Lines

Stainless steel possesses a grain that runs in one direction or another, defined as lines. When cleaning, it is best if you wipe or scrub along the lines. This is particularly important to consider when you are using something more abrasive than a soft cloth..

3) Use Alkaline Containing Cleaners

Alkaline is the best cleaner for stainless steel. A cleaning solution containing a mixture with traces of alkaline, non-chlorinated chemicals, or chlorinated alkaline solutions will work perfectly to clean these surfaces. You should, however, avoid cleaners that contain quaternary salts as they cause rusting and pitting.

Pro Tip: If you are unsure of what alkaline solution to use, get stainless steel cleaners specifically designed for stainless steel surfaces.

4) Rinse Well

If you used chlorinated cleaners, you should rinse and wipe the kitchen surface and equipment immediately. You should wipe off the standing water mostly if it contains chemicals you used to wash the surface. However, if you use sanitizer to clean and disinfect the kitchen surface, do not wipe off or rinse the surface after cleaning.

5) Restore Stainless Steel

After all cleaning and scrubbing, you can restore the shine of your stainless steel with lemon oil or food-grade mineral oil. You can apply the polish in line with the grain’s direction using a lint-free cloth. You can as well dry it using another lint-free cloth.

Use These Tips to Refresh Your Stainless Steel

You now perfectly understand how to protect stainless steel outdoors without too much trouble. When you use these tips effectively, you end up preventing rust and corrosion, maintaining a sparkling surface for your outdoor kitchen equipment.

Contact us if you need help with your outdoor kitchen surfaces.

Knife Care: Take Care of Your Grilling Tools!

If you don’t know much about kitchen knife care, you’re probably finding it hard to keep your knives sharp. Many materials in your kitchen can destroy the sharp edges of your high-quality kitchen cutlery. Tile, marble, and granite countertops are some of the things that can damage your sharp grilling tools. How can you take care of the kitchen knives?

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Keeping your kitchen knives clean and sharp is very important. You need to avoid practices that might damage the cutlery, such as using the knives directly on glass and metal surfaces. We’ll show you some simple tips for storing and caring for your precious knife collection. Here are the ideas to consider:

Properly Storing Cutlery

The safest place to store your kitchen knives is either on a knife block or magnetic strip. Tossing a sharp knife in the drawer can destroy the sharp edges. You also risk cutting your hands when reaching the drawers. When using a magnetic knife strip, ensure that it’s strong enough to hold the heaviest knives in your cutlery. Use a magnetic strip made of stainless steel and wood in front of magnets to prevent metals from rubbing against each other.

How Often to Sharpen Knives

Keeping your kitchen knives honed and sharpened throughout is the secret to owning quality cutlery. To ensure that the blades remain sharp, remember to hone and sharpen them frequently. You can do that before and after every use, and even polishing them with a leather strop to keep them in great shape. The blades will last for many years.

Pro Tip: To give your top-quality cutlery the proper care and maintenance they deserve, hone and sharpen the knives regularly using the sharpening blocks and honing steels.

Quality Cleaning Guidelines

Cleaning your kitchen knives properly can keep them in great condition. Avoid washing the cutlery in a dishwasher, which tends to remove any protective coatings on the knives. The dishwasher uses highly-caustic chemicals that can wear the blades’ edges, making the knives dull. Always wash the blades by hand using hot water and mild detergent.

Taking Great Care of Your Cooking Utensils

Since your cutlery is one of the most valuable assets in your kitchen, you need to embrace all the knife care tips we’ve discussed. Make sure you hone and sharpen the knives frequently, wash them regularly, and store them properly. With these knife maintenance ideas, you can keep your blades sharp for a very long time.

Connect with us to learn more knife care tips and ideas.

How to Clean a Gas Grill

Learning how to clean a gas grill can help to extend your grill’s lifespan. If not removed, the carbon buildup and food residue remaining on the grill will form rust and damage its components. You will have to buy replacement parts or even a new gas grill every time.

It’s important to deep clean your gas grill every so often. Here are some tips on maintaining it for years to come. Click To Tweet

While cleaning a gas grill may not be as easy as grilling a savory meal for dinner, you should clean the grates after cooking. To ensure that the gas grill is in great shape, you should deep-clean it occasionally. It involves cleaning the grill from the top down. Here is how to clean gas grill components.

First Steps to Take

If you intend to deep-clean your gas grill, you should first clean the grates by burning off the leftover grease and grime. Here are the first steps to take for quick cleaning.

  • Set all burners to high while keeping the lid closed for around 10- 15 minutes
  • Open the lid, turn off all the burners, and disconnect the gas supply
  • Let the grill cool to a moderate temperature of around 250°F – 300°F
  • Scrub the grates back and forth using a wadded ball of foil or grill brush

After scrubbing the grates, ensure there’s no grime left before cleaning the whole grill.

Cleaning Supplies to Use

As the gas grill cools, get all the cleaning supplies for deep cleaning ready. You’ll need water, a sponge, and mild dish detergent to wash the grill’s components. The mild detergent is ideal for grills that require surface cleaning only. For hard-to-clean grills, use Bar Keepers Friend, which is tough on rust. It’s available as a powder or liquid.

Getting a Deep Clean

To deep-clean the gas grill, start by setting aside the cleaned grill grates to access the flame tamers. Remove and scrub each flame tamer using a stainless steel wire brush. Check if there are food residues on the grill’s underside and clean it. Exposing foods to direct flame can burn off drippings, which find their way to the bottom.

When you remove all the flame tamers, you’ll access the burners and heat baffles, if present. Clean the burners one at a time by scrapping the exterior using the grill brush and unclogging the gas ports using a paperclip. Scrub the grill’s firebox walls and side walls using the wire brush.

Pro Tip: Remember to check for carbon buildup on the hood’s underside and at the back of the hood’s thermometer’s back and clean it off with a soft cloth and Carbon-Off.

Deep Cleaning Your Gas Grill for Grilling Season

Now that you know how to clean a gas grill, you’ll find it easy to keep your gas grill clean. Ensure that you deep-clean the gas grill occasionally during the grilling season. Finally, avoid using cleaners that might react with your grill components.

Connect with us to learn more about gas grill maintenance practices.

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