Stop Storing Pans in Your Oven Drawer!

Underneath most ovens, there’s a drawer that seems to have absolutely no function at all. This can lead to homeowners storing the wrong things in this drawer which could pose potential safety risks to everyone in the home.

In this article we’ll be taking a close look at the drawer underneath the oven and identifying which type of drawer can be used for storage and more importantly what’s safe to store in there. Keep reading to find out more.

What is The Drawer Under The Oven Designed For?

The drawer underneath the oven could be one of three things, it’s either;

1. Dish Warming Drawer
2. Grill
3. Extra Storage Space

At first glance you might not be able to tell which type of drawer your oven has. But it’s quite easy to check and find out for sure. 

How To Identify Your Oven Drawer Type If It’s Not Obvious

If your oven doesn’t have a clear label or button indicating the drawer’s function, and the physical layout isn’t giving it away, the best way to find out is by checking the user manual for your oven. If you don’t have the manual on hand, try looking up the model number (usually located on the inside edge of the oven door or drawer) on the manufacturer’s website. 

Most manufacturers provide downloadable manuals and product specifications that will clearly state whether your drawer is designed for warming, grilling, or simple storage.

However, if you’re in a hurry, all you need to do is look on your oven and open the drawer. Here’s what you might find;

Dish Warming Drawer

If your oven has a warming drawer you should see a button on the oven that says “warming Drawer” then that’s that, mystery solved. Now, you might be wondering “what’s a warming drawer for?” Well, the clue’s in the name really.

If you want to warm a pie, have warmed bread or warm your plates up, you simply place them in the drawer while the rest of the meal finishes cooking. Then press the warming button and get on with the rest of the cooking.

Grill

If you have a gas oven the drawer could be the grill and the best way to tell is to take a closer look at the drawer. Pull it open and if the drawer looks like a retractable pan, it’s probably a grill.

Although this gives you an extra cooking area which is great for browning or toasting foods like bread or casseroles, you need to take care. Because any foods placed in the grill will cook incredibly quickly and are liable to burn if you don’t keep your eye on them.

You need to check on the items in the grill every couple of minutes to prevent burning.

Extra Storage Space

If your oven doesn’t have a warming button and the space looks like a deep empty drawer, it’s probably safe to assume that you have a storage drawer. However, you need to be careful with what you store in this drawer because it’s likely to get extremely hot when the oven is being used.

One thing that can definitely be stored in this drawer are cast iron frying pans and pots as long as they have oven safe handles. In fact any pot or pan that is oven safe can be stored in this drawer. However, there are many items that should never be stored in the drawer underneath the oven.

How Hot Does Your Drawer Really Get?

Because insulation levels vary between oven models, it can be helpful to test just how hot your drawer gets before deciding what to store inside. A simple way to do this is by placing an oven safe thermometer in the drawer while the oven is in use. 

Monitor the temperature to determine whether it’s safe for items like cast iron or if the heat levels are too unpredictable for regular storage.

What Should Not Be Stored In Your Oven Drawer?

If you’ve already established that this space is actually a storage drawer and not a grill or warming drawer, you’re going to want to use this new found extra storage space. If your kitchen is anything like ours, you’re probably in need of as much extra storage space as possible. 

However different ovens have varying levels in insulation which means some oven drawers will get far hotter than others. This could mean that certain items could end up melting or getting warped out of shape. 

Let’s look at items that should not be stored in the drawer beneath your oven. They include;

Pots & Pans With Non Oven Safe Handles

If your pots and pans have plastic, or bakelite handles, the intense heat transferred from the oven to the drawer could cause them to warp or even melt. It’s best if you find somewhere else to store these items.

Nonstick pans & Cookware

The nonstick coating on pans and cookware can degrade if exposed to too much heat. This can not only damage the pans, but also release potentially dangerous fumes into your home.

Wooden Cutting Boards & Utensils

If you store wooden cutting boards and other wooden utensils in the drawer beneath the oven they’re likely to split, crack and warp. They could even start to grow mould given long enough!

Wooden cutting boards need to be stored correctly (away from high heat or moisture) and cleaned in the correct way then conditioned to keep them at their best.

Silicone Or Rubber Utensils

Storing anything made from rubber or silicone in the oven drawer will end in tears. Let’s face it, silicone utensils are a great help in the kitchen. We have all come to rely on them in recent years, and wonder where we’d be without them.

High heat from the oven drawer can degrade them and turn them brittle. Which could lead to them crumbling once you start to use them. All silicone and rubber utensils should be kept as far away from high heat as possible when being stored.

Tupperware Or Plastic Containers

Tupperware or other thin plastic containers can melt easily when the oven is being used if they’re stored in the oven drawer. This is even true for microwave safe plastics.

The sustained heat can cause the molecules to break down which will cause the containers to warp, melt and even more dangerously, give off harmful fumes.

Linen Or Cloth Items

Storing kitchen towels, oven gloves, pot holders or other linen items in the oven drawer is a potential fire hazard. The high heat from the oven could cause these items to catch fire.

Never store any linen items in or close to the oven or oven drawer.

Cooking Oils

You might think it’s convenient to store cooking oils in the oven drawer because they’re always on hand when you need them. However, every oil has a smoke point, after which it will ignite.

Some have higher smoke points than others but your oven has the potential to reach extremely high temperatures when in operation. This could lead to some pretty serious fires or dangerous spillage.

While on the subject of cooking oils, nonstick sprays shouldn’t be stored in the oven drawer either. This is because the can they come in is compressed which can lead to fires or even explosions!

All cooking oils and nonstick sprays should be stored in a cool, dry place well away from any heat source.

Electrical Equipment

You should also never store anything electrical in the oven drawer. This includes, hand held blenders and mixers, irons, hair curlers/straighteners or anything electrical at all.

The high temperatures from the oven can seriously damage wires, circuitry or other sensitive parts. The fault might not be visible but could cause injury if the equipment was used after heat exposure.

Cook Books

It might seem like a logical place to store your cookbooks and recipe cards. After all, you only use them when cooking which involves the oven right? Whilst it’s true that keeping cookbooks close to the oven might make sense logically, it could cause a potential disaster and we don’t mean the souffle won’t rise!

As with plastics etc, the heat from the oven could warp the pages, discolour the print and in extreme cases catch fire! You need to find somewhere safer to store your cookbooks and keep them away from the oven drawer.

Kitchen Cleaners & Chemicals

Whatever cleaners or chemicals you use to clean your kitchen should never be stored in the oven drawer. Some will come in plastic containers while others will be in pressurised cans.

The high heat from the oven can cause damage to both of these types of containers. Which could lead to fires, explosions or the leaking of harmful chemicals into the air.

You should keep all cleaning materials and other chemicals far away from sources of heat. We recommend storing these potentially dangerous products under the kitchen sink. But be aware of any children in the home that could grab those dangerous chemicals if left unattended.

Candles

Whether it’s birthday cake size candles or those that you only get out for dinner parties, they should never be stored in the oven drawer. The extreme heat from the oven can cause those wax candles to melt.

You might be thinking “that’s obvious” but we have had to scrape candle wax from more than a few oven drawers over the years.

Clingfilm

Clingfilm or any type of plastic wrap, freezer bags or sandwich bags should never be stored in the drawer under the oven. These items could warp, melt or shrink if exposed to high temperatures.

In extreme cases, they could release potentially harmful fumes into your home putting residents and pets at risk. It’s just not worth it, find somewhere else to store your clingfilm and plastic bags.

Food

Some people assume that the extra storage space can be used for anything including food items. However, you should never store any food products in the oven drawer. Many pantry staples like flour, sugar, popcorn or crisps could cause a fire under extremely hot conditions.

Plus many of these items are packaged in plastic containers which are likely to melt when things get too hot.

Alcohol

If you use brandy in your recipes, you might think it makes sense to store it close to the oven. But the high heat from the oven can degrade the taste and overall quality of the alcohol.

Added to which the bottle will be made from glass which will crack or shatter if exposed to high temperatures.

Child Safety 

As the oven drawer is situated near floor level, it makes it easily accessible to small children. If you have kids in the house, you should think about installing a child safety lock on the drawer. 

This is especially important if it’s used for storing anything heavy or even dangerous, like cast iron pans or metal baking trays. This small precaution can prevent accidents or injuries caused by children pulling the drawer open or trying to climb on it.

Keeping The Oven Drawer Clean & Safe

It’s easy to forget about the oven drawer when cleaning the kitchen, but neglecting it can lead to crumbs building up or even unwanted smells hanging around. Make a habit of wiping it out occasionally, especially if you store cookware there. 

Don’t use harsh chemical cleaners in the drawer, especially if you plan to store any items that touch food directly because residues from these products can become volatile under heat and pose a risk of fire, explosion or contamination when the oven is used.

Use Your Oven Drawer The Smart Way

The drawer beneath your oven might seem like wasted space or a convenient hide away, but using it incorrectly can lead to safety hazards, damaged cookware, or even fires. By identifying the type of drawer you have and understanding what is and isn’t safe to store there, you can make the most of this often overlooked feature in your kitchen. 

Whether it’s for warming, grilling, or storage, treating your oven drawer with the same care and thought as the rest of your appliances will help keep your kitchen safer, tidier, and more efficient. When in doubt, keep heat sensitive, flammable, or delicate items out, and stick to heavy duty, oven safe materials only.

SEE ALSO: What To Look For In Stainless Steel Cookware

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