Here’s What the Drawer Under the Oven Is Actually For

I’ve been cooking for most of my adult life, and I’ve never actually been completely sure just what that drawer under the oven is for. It seems like a good enough place to store baking pans, but that also feels like wasted space. It’s got to be for something besides storage, right?

I’ve never really used that drawer for anything. Honestly, most of the time I forget it’s even there until I can’t find the muffin tins, and my husband tells me to look in the oven drawer. But apparently that drawer isn’t necessarily for storage, and PopSugar’s Anna Monette Roberts did everyone a huge favor by figuring out what exactly its for.

According to Roberts, it could be a storage drawer or a “warming drawer.” But how can you tell? Take a peek at the manual for your specific oven to find out whether you have a warming drawer, broiler, or just some extra storage.

Look at the buttons on your oven. If you see one labeled “warming drawer,” then the mystery is solved. Warming drawers are great for dinner parties or when you’re cooking multiple dishes, like on Thanksgiving. (This is extremely useful, given how difficult it can be to time a meal exactly right so all the side dishes aren’t ice-cold by the time the rest is cooked.)

If you have a gas oven, where the heating unit is on the bottom, you might have a broiler drawer. Some models may have a “broil” feature on the control panel, so look out for that button as well. Broilers are great for roasting vegetables or browning the tops of casseroles. Roberts suggests using the broiler drawer to toast marshmallows to make a “s’mores dip,” and now I really wish I had one. (Tip: things will burn quickly in there, so keep an eye on them!)

If you don’t see anything for warming or broiling, your drawer is likely just storage (which we all can never have enough of). Just make sure not to store things in there that could easily get warped by the heat, like plastic containers for example.

While extra features are always nice, whether the drawer is for warming, broiling, or storage is not necessarily a function of how high-end an oven is. I checked the manual for my sister’s ultra-swanky gas range, (she has a La Cornue and I’m so jealous I can’t stand it), and it turns out hers is just a big storage drawer.

“The bottom drawer is for storing oven trays and other cooking utensils,” the manual reads. “It can get very warm. Don’t store anything in it which may melt or catch fire. Never store flammable materials in the drawer. This includes paper, plastic, and cloth items, such as cookbooks, plasticware, and towels, as well as flammable liquids. Do not store explosives, such as aerosol cans, on or near the appliance.”

My little electric oven calls it a warming drawer and says to use it to keep dishes warm while preparing the rest of the meal. I plan on putting mine to good use right away, just as soon as I get all the muffin tins out of it. If your under-the-oven drawer isn’t a warming drawer, it’s probably a storage drawer or a broiler drawer. Lucky you!

What do you use your oven drawer for? Let us know in the comments below!