Most of us treat the space beneath the oven as a convenient hiding spot for the cookie sheets and muffin tins we only use once a year. It's the ultimate kitchen junk drawer, but you might be surprised to know that the metal bin wasn't actually built to be a storage locker. By stuffing it with mismatched lids and heavy pans, you're likely ignoring one of the most functional parts of your appliance.
In reality, that drawer is often a precision tool for temperature control. Depending on your specific model, it's usually designed to either keep your side dishes at the perfect serving temperature or provide a high-heat "sear" for broiling. In 2026, when we're all looking for ways to make our homes more efficient, it's time to stop treating a functional heating element like a filing cabinet and start using your oven the way the engineers intended.
Don't miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source on Chrome.
Oven Drawer FAQ
What is the drawer under an oven called?
Depending on the type of oven you have, the drawer under the oven has different names. If there is a button on your oven labeled "warming drawer," that's what it's called, and can be used to keep food warm once it's done cooking. For Electric ovens, it may just be an actual storage drawer. In many older ovens, that bottom drawer is called a broiler, and can be used to cook or brown food like casseroles.Â
If you aren't sure which of the three options you're dealing with, the easiest way to check is by looking at the manual for your oven or looking it up online. Once you know what kind of bottom drawer your oven has, you'll know whether it has a cooking function or it's just extra storage space.Â
Does an oven storage drawer get hot?
Broiler drawers are typically found on gas ovens and are very shallow.Â
The oven storage drawer is located at the bottom of your oven, and if it has a cooking function, it can get hot. Is it a little complicated? Yes, but we have you covered. Because the drawer is located under the main oven, it can easily get quite warm while your oven is in use. However, both broiling functions and warming functions require you to turn them on before anything gets hot.
Even if your oven is currently being used, unless you turn on the broiler, your bottom oven drawer should never get hot. However, you may notice any pans stored down there are a bit warm to the touch, simply because they were close to the heating element when the oven was being used.Â
What is the bottom drawer of an electric stove for?Â
A storage drawer is usually much deeper than a warming drawer or broiler.
If there isn't a warming button and the area looks like a deep, empty drawer, then this probably is a storage drawer, but keep in mind that it can still get hot. This is a good place to store cast iron pots and pans, because the warmth from your oven will help keep them rust-free. Just make sure that you never store plastic items in this drawer, because they may become warped from residual heat. As a precaution, always use oven mitts to remove cookware during or after your oven has been in use.