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Are you an aspiring chef that wants to make five-star dishes for your guests whenever you host a holiday party? Or are you a struggling college student who wants a hot meal? In either case, you want a perfect, fresh, hot meal that hits the spot and fulfils your food cravings.
This may sound simple enough, but this can become an issue in more ways than one.
For instance, if you are an aspiring chef in your kitchen at your home, how do you prepare hot food before your guests come to your event? You want your guests to have hot food that is actually hot, but how do you keep so many cooked dishes at the perfect hot temperature hours before their arrival?
No matter what the situation is, the issue is clear to see. You need food to be hot and stay hot. That’s when knowing how to use a warming drawer becomes handy.
One of the hardest parts about cooking a meal is getting the timing right — the salmon is broiled before the risotto is ready, or the pasta is cool by the time the meatballs are done. If you haven't mastered this skill just yet, a warming drawer might be the perfect solution! pic.twitter.com/YoOrr2dPDY
— Susan Currie Design (@CurrieDesign) October 10, 2020
What Is A Warming Drawer?
A warming drawer is a useful kitchen appliance that anyone should have in their home.
It looks like a drawer that you may have on a desk, a cabinet, a dresser or any other piece of furniture that you may have in your house. However, a warming drawer is usually made out of metal and will be found in your kitchen.
Likewise, a warming drawer could be a stand-alone appliance in your kitchen, or it could be built into another one of your kitchen appliances. Some kitchen appliances that feature warming drawers include ovens, ranges, cabinets and more. Since warming cabinets are diverse, it’s easy for one to be positioned into any space in your kitchen.
Everyone's dinner schedule not lining up? Wolf's warming drawer makes sure the family can have a hot meal whenever! pic.twitter.com/2xRUJxL815
— A&A Appliance (@AandAAppliance) April 21, 2016
What Does A Warming Drawer Do?
A warming drawer can do many different functions. Evident in its name, the main function of a warming drawer is to keep cooked food warm.
Keep Food Warm
Yes, a warming drawer can keep food warm. However, you might have noticed that this is also true for a series of other kitchen appliances that you have in your house responsible for cooking food. This could include the appliance known as the oven or the microwave. A warming drawer, on the other hand, is a bit different.
A warming drawer does not cook foods, which can happen in a microwave or an oven. Therefore, a warming drawer can be super useful as it won’t overcook foods that have already been cooked.
Keeps Moisture
Likewise, when you store a meal in the warming drawer, that meal will not lose its moisture by getting dried out. With this, you can ensure that each meal will not be dry but moist and flavourful.
A busy household uses a warming drawer when the family eats at different times. One cooked meal remains hot for five to six hours.
— All Home (@Shopallhome) December 6, 2013
Bread Making
Many people will use warming drawers when making bread; it is ideal for helping to proof the dough and ensure your homemade loaf is light and fluffy.
How Big is a Warming Drawer?
One of the best things about a warming drawer is that it is huge. This means that you can store multiple prepared dishes inside before you plan on serving them. This is also really good if you plan on serving a meal to a large family; you won’t need to worry about having multiple dishes ready at the same time. This is terrific if you want to be with your family and not bounce back from room to room when serving them.
Can I Only Use It for Food?
It is also possible to warm plates in a warming drawer before serving the meal; many people prefer not to dish up their meals on cold plates. This means that you can put bowls, cups, dishes, pots, a towel and plates in a warming drawer without the fear of them becoming damaged.
Hot bowls, cups, dishes and plates can make an excellent addition to a cold day, and your meal will stay warmer for longer.
You can also put in towels to warm up on a cold evening or blankets to get cosy on the sofa. You can even put your tea or coffee in the drawer to ensure it stays at a good temperature.
Anyone out there use the warming drawer in their stove to warm blankets? #snugglywarm
— Aaron Ball (@mraaronball) October 8, 2011
Where Can You Find Them?
Many drawers are attached to a range or an oven. In this case, the range or oven should have a button attached to it that will allow you to control your warming drawer. You can control what temperatures to use with this button, and some may even have a timer function and an auto shut off feature.
Alternatively, you can fit them separately into your oven. They can be installed anywhere in your kitchen and will have their own set of controls.
How To Use Warming Drawers
There are many benefits to using warming drawers, as seen above. Using a warming drawer is pretty straightforward, as not much can go wrong.
Temperature
Most warming drawers will have several different temperature options, and it is necessary to preheat them as you would your oven.
You will often find a “proof” setting as well as one for “low”, “medium”, and “high”.
You can find the recommendations in the user manual of each warming drawer as to how to use each setting. These are just guidelines and may vary based on the models, so always be sure to check. If your food is kept at the wrong temperature for too long, bacteria can grow and cause it to spoil.
Low Setting
It is often for heating towels and serving bowls and foods such as eggs and tortillas.
Medium Setting
It can be used for keeping bread warm, most meats and fish, as well as pancakes and waffles.
High Setting
It is most commonly used for fried foods, pizzas and baked potatoes.
Safety
While cooking anything, you must pay attention to what temperatures you are cooking at and be sure not to leave anything in it overnight.
An overnight fire was a good reminder to never keep anything in your oven drawer. That is a warming drawer and not meant to be used for storage. Thankfully everyone got out and their were no injuries. Stay safe. pic.twitter.com/pPH5qMP9Yb
— Glendale Fire Dept. (@GlendaleFire) July 7, 2019
Warm and Cosy
So that’s how to use a warming drawer! If you want your meals kept warm for longer, pop them in the warming drawer. We hope that you’ll now know how to make the most of such a useful appliance and can warm your plates and proof your bed to be the best host for all of your guests.
How do you use your warming drawer? Tell us about it in the comments.
