Most people treat the drawer under their oven as a graveyard for mismatched lids and old cookie sheets, but that metal bin isn’t just a storage hack — it was actually engineered for a specific purpose that has nothing to do with hiding your clutter.
Depending on the type of range you own, that space is likely designed to either keep your meal at the perfect serving temperature or give your steaks a high-heat sear. If you’ve been using it for storage, you’re missing out on one of your appliance’s most useful features. Here is how to figure out what your specific bottom drawer is actually meant to do and how to start using it correctly.
Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source on Chrome.
Oven Drawer FAQ
What is the drawer under an oven called?
Depending on the type of oven you have, the drawer under the oven has different names. If there is a button on your oven labeled “warming drawer,” that’s what it’s called, and can be used to keep food warm once it’s done cooking. For Electric ovens, it may just be an actual storage drawer. In many older ovens, that bottom drawer is called a broiler, and can be used to cook or brown food like casseroles.
If you aren’t sure which of the three options you’re dealing with, the easiest way to check is by looking at the manual for your oven, or looking it up online. Once you know what kind of bottom drawer your oven has, you’ll know whether it has a cooking function, or it’s just extra storage space.
Does an oven storage drawer get hot?
The oven storage drawer is located at the bottom of your oven, and if it has a cooking function, it can get hot. Is it a little complicated? Yes, but we have you covered. Because the drawer is located under the main oven, it can easily get quite warm while your oven is in use. However, both broiling functions and warming functions require you to turn them on before anything gets hot.
Even if your oven is currently being used, unless you turn on the broiler, your bottom oven drawer should never get hot. However, you may notice any pans stored down there are a bit warm to the touch, simply because they were close to the heating element when the oven was being used.
What is the bottom drawer of an electric stove for?
If there isn’t a warming button and the area looks like a deep, empty drawer, then this probably is a storage drawer, but keep in mind that it can still get hot. This is a good place to store cast iron pots and pans, because the warmth from your oven will help keep them rust-free. Just make sure that you never store plastic items in this drawer, because they may become warped from residual heat. As a precaution, always use oven mitts to remove cookware during or after your oven has been in use.
Read the full article here