If you are like most individuals, that drawer underneath your oven is principally your kitchen’s junk drawer for pans and baking sheets. It’s handy, it is out of the way in which, and it looks like that is what it is there for. But, plot twist: That house may need a completely completely different job than what you imagined.
Depending in your oven mannequin, that drawer could possibly be greater than only a hiding spot for trays. Some are literally designed to maintain dishes heat earlier than serving. Others perform as a secondary broiler. And sure, some actually are only for storage. But until you have cracked open your guide (you have not, proper?), you’d by no means know.
The excellent news? We did the digging for you. Here’s how to determine precisely what your oven drawer is definitely meant to do and learn how to benefit from it.
Read extra: Clever Cleaning Hacks for the Hardest-to-Reach Crevices in Your Kitchen
3 capabilities of your oven’s backside drawer
Warming drawer
A warming drawer is simple to determine. Take a take a look at the buttons in your oven. If one in every of them is labeled “Warming Drawer” then that is precisely what you’ve. Anytime you might want to heat a pie or a loaf of bread — otherwise you simply wish to hold dishes heat whereas the remainder of the meal finishes cooking — pop it into the warming drawer and push the warming button.
Broiler
Broiler drawers are usually discovered on gasoline ovens and are very slender.
If you’ve an oven heated with pure gasoline, the drawer is usually a broiler. To be certain, pull open the door. If it appears extra like a retractable pan than a drawer, then it is a broiler.
Think of the broiler as an additional cooking space. It’s greatest for toasting or browning meals like casseroles or breads. Any merchandise positioned within the broiler will burn shortly, although, so verify on it each couple of minutes.
Storage drawer
A storage drawer is normally a lot deeper than a warming drawer or broiler.
If there is not a warming button and the realm appears like a deep, empty drawer, then you definitely in all probability have a storage drawer. As per a current Reddit dialogue, many individuals are uncertain about what to maintain on this house. This is an effective place to retailer forged iron pots and pans, as a result of the heat out of your oven will assist hold them rust free. Just be certain to not retailer plastic objects on this drawer, as a result of they might turn into warped attributable to residual warmth.
Likewise, some older ovens have little insulation and will warmth your steel cookware when the oven is on. As a precaution, all the time use oven mitts to take away cookware throughout or after your oven has been in use.
