Please tell me about your warming drawer (or similar)...

[CrunchyNutNC]

Debating a single oven + warming drawer v double oven (or even two single ovens).

What do wise people of MN think?

I like the idea of keeping things warm, plates, cooked dishes etc. Currently i have a very small double oven (in a very small old fashioned cooker) and then top oven is used mainly to house a cast pan that's used almost daily but even empty it isn't really big enough for the plates + warming anything.

Does anyone have two single ovens? This would give lots of space, but maybe overkill?

We only ever use our main oven, as an oven, but the 2nd, smaller oven is our grill, which we do use.

We use the warming drawer all the time.

I have a single normal oven, then next to it I have a small oven with microwave facility with a warming drawer underneath it which makes it the same size. I use it all the time and it also makes great meringues!

In my last kitchen, we had an eye height double oven with a small cupboard above for oven tins etc, and a warming drawer on the bottom. Everyone scoffed at me, but we used it LOADS, purely because almost every night at least one person in the family would have to eat at a different time because of other commitments. You could change the temperature, so high to warm some plates for example, lower to prove dough. It was amazeballs. I'd like to do it again if we ever have the funds to redo our kitchen and can make the configuration work.

However, I also need 2 ovens for Xmas and big cooking days, so I wouldn't have wanted to be without that. Not sure if it would trump a second oven, even though it gets little use.

emmastone if you didn't need two ovens + drawer for christmas, would you get single plus drawer, or two singles and no drawer? Are there any advantages the drawer gives that a single oven wouldn't give?

@MrsElijahMikaelson1

I have a single normal oven, then next to it I have a small oven with microwave facility with a warming drawer underneath it which makes it the same size. I use it all the time and it also makes great meringues!

Ooh I love meringues!

I have a range cooker with two ovens, a warming oven and grill.

When I had my four DC at home, I used them all the time. Now, only occasionally, but they're so handy.

I've turned into my Father and now warm the plates in the warming oven.

I have a built in double oven with warming drawer but rarely use it as I simply put the plates in whatever oven I'm not using so that the residual heat warms them up. The only time this doesn't work is usually at Christmas when both ovens are in use but all in all I'm not fussed about having a warming drawer!

We have 2 single ovens that also have grills in the top. I deliberately chose an oven that could do any temperature from 30 C upwards so I could use it to prove bread, I suppose this would also work as a warming drawer and I've heard people recommend using a few minutes at 30 C or so to quickly bring cheese upto room temperature.

Most of the time we only use one, but there's flexibility to oven and grill at the same time or extra space at Christmas and other gatherings, not this year of course.

Given your options, I'd probably go for 2 ovens just to give you flexibility, at least an oven can go on very low, but a warming drawer can't do much more than warm.

Unless there's something in particular that you really want the warming drawer for?

I think you might be right EmmaStone it could be more flexible.

Thank you everyone for advice

Oh!! Moved into my house two years ago and included was a beautiful range cooker. I've always wondered what the drawer bit was for! I thought it was for storing pans and trays! Duh...

Warming drawer can be used for slow cooking - with a normal casserole dish . Which is fine if you don’t have a slow or multi cooker.
I had one in last house and miss it now.

I don't like clutter so idea of a slow cooker drawer very appealing. But is slow cooking different to very low temperature oven?

Like PP, I have single oven plus combi oven with warming drawer beneath the latter to make them the same size. I use the drawer daily to warm the plates and keep “cooked too quickly” food warm. Also good for warming croissants.