Bottom drawer in oven?

[SizzlininIN]

Ok....don't laugh but I honestly have never used it or seen anyone use it.

Ok......what the heck is that drawer in the bottom of oven for? I'm thinking its called the broiler but when I broil something to for instense melt/brown cheese on top of a dish I jack the therm up to broil and but the dish on the top rack in the oven.

 

[texasgirl]

The drawer in the bottom of mine is for pots/pans storage. Mine doesn't get hot at all, but, I had one that was for broiling once, but, the depth of the drawer was less and it had the sides grooved for holding the broiling pan.

 

[mudbug]

I'm not laughing, Sizz. I've had stoves that had a real broiler on the bottom like you said, but not lately.

My current drawer is holding the broiler pan that came with the stove, my grill pan, and a pizza pan, plus a lot of dog hair (and before any of you say anything, YES, I wash the stuff before I use it!).

 

[texasgirl]

I'm not laughing, Sizz. I've had stoves that had a real broiler on the bottom like you said, but not lately.

My current drawer is holding the broiler pan that came with the stove, my grill pan, and a pizza pan, plus a lot of dog hair (and before any of you say anything, YES, I wash the stuff before I use it!).

Is there still a dog in there?

I have dog hair all over too!!
Clothes, car, floors, etc....

 

[Haggis]

If it's a draw underneath the actual cooking space of the oven on some ovens it is used as a plate warmer. It uses the residual heat from the oven to warm any plates you might place in there while you are baking/roasting something.

 

[SizzlininIN]

k....since this stove was purchased within the last 2 years its safe to say that this is probably just a storag drawer. That the pan that was in the drawer was just actually in there for storage and its a pan you use to broil in the actual oven compartment.

 

[texasgirl]

Sizz, is there any burners on the top of the inside of the drawer like the ove or is it just an empty space? If it's just an empty space, then, yes, it should just be storage.

 

[SizzlininIN]

Just space............well that clears up that mystery......oh well now i have more storage space....thanks everyone!

 

[Piccolina]

As SizzlininIN has opened the door (or drawer ) on things attached to our ovens that we don't know what they are for, I have a question too.

Background: We live in a little "flat" that has a basic kitchen, as in many Irish (perhaps European?) kitchens the burners (hob) is detached from the oven (stove).

As to the oven itself (I will try to keep my colourfully worded thoughts to myself here), it is a small one that is set in the wall, above the floor. It has only a couple of knobs (no fancy buttons), and must be at least 20 years old. There is large top area with a normal front-open door, and a bottom part that I have yet to figure out.

Here's why, one of the knobs has an arrow pointing up, this is the one that heats the main part (which only has one shelf, and only heats from the top - yes, like a broiler, the heating element is on the ceiling of this top part!...Making certain recipes very hard to make sans burning them, even on low heat).

But I can't figure out what the little (I'm guessing, perhaps 9-10 inch area is for(if it'll help anyone I can measure the height). Inside it are 3 old, horribly dirty (in the sense of oven crud) blackened sheets that look a bit like cookie sheets, and which I assume are part of this contraption. They are spaced equal distances apart (like oven racks) in the 9-10 inch high space. I've tried turning the other knob to to see if this are would heat up this area, but it doesn't appear to. Nor does it get any warmer than the residual heat from the top part when the top is in use.

Not being familiar with ovens over here this is all new to me...I thought perhaps a weird plate warmer (lol, I know - far fetched), but that wouldn't explain the dirty sheets...perhaps it worked (got warm) at one point but is broken now?

If you can make sense of what I've described, has anyone encountered something like this before???

Many thanks, I've been shy to ask about this...thanks for opening up the topic.

 

[texasgirl]

Wow, IC, you have completely stumped me. I know what you are saying as the oven being separate. My guess is that the bottom half is a broiler?? Maybe someone on here will know what it is for sure.

 

[KAYLINDA]

The built in oven I had once did have a small broiler part under it...but it didn't come with built in cooky sheets! lol. The ovens we have today have broilers in the bottom...but I just want to know how you are suppose to get down there to get the pans in and out! Maybe I should have set the stoves up on blocks? No...then I couldn't have reached the burners....lol.

 

[SizzlininIN]

Icad......i'm not ashamed to say i haven't a clue......hey i just figured out the bottom part of my oven is actually a drawer........... i'm so glad i never tried using it as a broiler. Good luck in your quest...I'm sure someone will help you out.

 

[Earlzach]

Is your stove Gas or electric?

I have seen broilers under the oven where the storage drawer is on mine. But only on gas stoves. Other than that mine is a drawer.

 

[SizzlininIN]

Electric Earl.............my other was a gas and very similar to this one

 

[Piccolina]

Hi Earlzach, it's an electric oven.

LOL, so far I seem to have everyone ...If it helps the brand of the oven is called "Meisterkoch" (and I think I over-shot my estimate of the height of this mysterious bottom part, it's probably no more than 6-7 inches high).

 

[ArticKatt]

If its 20 years old then it likely was a broiler at one time. My aunt had a old stove at one time that they brough over from the UK and it had a small broiler drawer (that my aunt used to proof bread) I hated the thing. I never understood it. Needless to say no one in the family wanted it when she died.

 

[Piccolina]

If its 20 years old then it likely was a broiler at one time. My aunt had a old stove at one time that they brough over from the UK and it had a small broiler drawer (that my aunt used to proof bread) I hated the thing. I never understood it. Needless to say no one in the family wanted it when she died.

While there is obviously nothing funny about your aunt's passing, the last line made me crack a smile. Luckily the stove is not ours (we rent), because I would never want to have to pass it along to anyone else.

I tend to agree, that at one point it was a broiler...who knows what happened. The crazy thing is, why would you need a broiler when the top half of the oven is essentially a broiler unto itself (the heating element is on the roof of the oven!). Poorly designed oven I tell you, and quite the challenge to bake with!

 

[ArticKatt]

I tend to agree, that at one point it was a broiler...who knows what happened. The crazy thing is, why would you need a broiler when the top half of the oven is essentially a broiler unto itself (the heating element is on the roof of the oven!). Poorly designed oven I tell you, and quite the challenge to bake with!

did you ever think that maybe the top part of the oven is also broken. I know that when you had the main part of my aunts oven turned on the bottom was on as well and that heated the bottom of the part on top. No idea if that makes sence I am very tired. It sounds like your landloard needs to replace that oven.

 

[Piccolina]

Thanks for the thoughts ArticKatt...the idea that the top part might be busted hadn't occured to me, as there is no element in/on the "floor" of the top part, I just assumed that it only heats stuff from the top (absurd as that sounds) Yes, it is certainly a clunker of an oven...as to my landloard, sigh, well - maybe I'll bring it up one day If I'm feeling extra brave

 

[ArticKatt]

We have been talking about counter top convection ovens. In another thread. there are some that are big enough to do Roasts and chickens. Have you thought of one of those and then not use the oven supplied by the landlord. I would hate to have a oven I could not bake in.