Look! There’s a Toaster in This Kitchen Drawer

Faith Durand
Faith DurandSenior Vice President of Content at AT Media
Faith is the SVP of Content at Apartment Therapy Media and former Editor-in-Chief of The Kitchn. She is the author of three cookbooks, including the James Beard Award-winning, The Kitchn Cookbook. She lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband and two daughters.
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published Oct 22, 2014
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(Image credit: Anne Michaelsen Design)

Take a look at this kitchen setup. Yes, that’s a plugged-in toaster in the drawer. What an interesting idea, with some drawbacks if used unsafely (hello, house fire!) but also some advantages if you’re smart about it. Would you ever do this?

It looks like this drawer has an electrical outlet behind it and the toaster stays plugged in. The drawer is not only deep enough for a toaster, but also designed to hold a bread box. The espresso machine and mugs are just above, so one tidy station holds the breakfast basics.

The concern about this, of course (and any solution where you put electric appliances in a drawer) is safety. What if that drawer closes with the toaster still on? Would the heat be dangerous for the drawers above it? Is there an automatic off switch?

But, like other similar solutions — keeping a hair-dryer in a bathroom drawer, for instance, which I do personally — safety is all in the use. If the drawer is always open when using the toaster, then this is a nice way to corral it and keep it out of sight. It also catches all the crumbs; just brush out the drawer or vacuum it with a hand vac every so often and you keep the floors and counter clean.

Interesting solution, right? Do you do this? Or do you keep any other plugged-in kitchen appliances in a drawer?

→ Another drawer tip: Make the Most of Kitchen Drawers By Organizing Diagonally

Filed in:
Inspiring Kitchens