That Drawer Under Your Oven Isn't Meant For Storage

Published Saturday, December 14, 2024

Do you know what that drawer underneath your oven is for? It’s to keep food warm (and not for storage).

And I didn’t know this until recently - like everyone else, I used it for storage.

I’ll be honest, I used to dislike that “under the oven drawer” too. That’s because it does a poor job of storing things. It’s metal, so metal baking pans and cookie sheets all slide around, and it’s an odd size – too big for any one thing, and too small for two things side by side.

I actually asked myself “who the heck designed this?” It turns out, the joke was on me.

A few weeks ago, a friend was over as I cooked (and cursed the silly bottom drawer). She giggled, and then told me that the bottom drawer was never meant to store baking sheets, pots, pans, or anything else - it was designed to keep food warm while you cooked something else.

OMG, head explode! As soon as she said that, I switched it up right away.

Honestly, it changed everything. I cook big meals often, and used to stress over keeping everything warm. I’d use my toaster oven to keep important things warm, and for other dishes, I’d do a quick zap in the microwave (which, let’s be honest, is a bad idea.)

But now, that bottom drawer does the job for me. The best part? That size / design that I lamented earlier is PERFECT for keeping a few casserole dishes worth of food warm.

Truthfully, it’s brilliant. And now you know too!

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