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gailrolfe

'Best' warming drawer...is there such a thing?

gailrolfe
15 years ago

My KD just called and asked me to consider replacing the 30 inch convection warming drawer I had been thinking about getting with a 24" warming drawer...and to let her know by tomorrow morning. I don't really mind, in fact I had thought the 30 inch a bit large and I had also thought about not getting convection WD and then just kind of forgot about looking at others...so now I'm wondering, are there any important differences between warming drawers (the non-convection type) and if so what brands do you all recommend? I do know that I want one that has humidity control and that can have a custom panel installed but other than that I'm not sure if it makes any difference...

Thanks.

Comments (11)

  • antss
    15 years ago

    humidity control and a decorative panel are a tall order. Not many choices for you there and I don't think any are 24" wide.

  • gailrolfe
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    A cursory search on the internet this evening revealed a Kitchen Aid 27" with custom panel and humidity control...it also appears to be a slow cooker and it has the high wall sides which I didn't want but maybe that's an option. I can't find any comments that indicate that there are many performance problems with warming drawers so I'm sort of assuming they are all more or less equal in this regard...or am I wrong?

  • chipshot
    15 years ago

    We have a 30" KA with custom panel and humidity control. I don't know how much more room it provides than a 27" but there have been times we've filled it completely. I haven't found the "high wall sides" to present a problem. My guess is they provide some structural integrity and can also serve to contain spills. Still haven't used it as a slow-cooker. For some reason I just can't break free of our good, old crock pot.

  • antss
    15 years ago

    if you want a decorative front AND you want it flush with the adjacent fronts, be very careful which unit you choose and how the cabinetry is designed.

  • gailrolfe
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Thanks, chipshot. Is yours flush with your cabinet fronts? Now that you bring that up antss, I do remember reading about that awhile back so thank you for reminding me. My meeting is this morning, I am going to see if we can't find the inches elsewhere.

    Thanks for the input, everyone.

  • chipshot
    15 years ago

    I guess that depends on your definition of flush, which you can decide from the photos below. Yes, the fronts all line up when the warming drawer is closed.

  • gailrolfe
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Thanks, chipshot. I see that they are flush--do you have standard 24" deep cabinets? I did notice the KA dimensions were quite a bit deeper than the Thermador so I will have to make sure I'm comparing apples to apples. Lovely cabs...

  • chipshot
    15 years ago

    Thanks for the complement, Gail. I don't know whether our cabinets are 24" deep, but our island (where the warming drawer is located) is 49" wide including door front thickness. Hope that helps.

    Oh, and I do know that installation of this Kitchen Aid warming drawer seemed to be a lot less troublesome than the Dacor we had in a previous house. Also considered was Wolf, until we learned the price!

    By the way, I've never heard of a "convection warming drawer". Has anyone else? Does BlueStar make worming drawers?

  • gailrolfe
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    well, I had my meeting this morning and the width issue seems to be worked out but now the issue is the height of the warming drawer. The cutout on the Thermador wd is 10 7/8" and the overall height is 11 1/4". I've been able to find one (I think it was Bosch) that was 9 7/8" cutout but no smaller....it looks like I have to choose between matching side-by-side drawer heights or custom panel....well, more research this weekend!

    Chipshot, as far as I know the only convection warming drawer is Thermador's and at one time I got some feedback about that which led me to conclude it probably wasn't worth much and might be drying so now that my attention has been refocused on this appliance, I think I'll go to a traditional wd with humidity control...that is if I can find the right size! :-)

  • homepro01
    15 years ago

    I believe that Miele has warming drawers that are convection.

    Good luck!

  • infohound2006
    15 years ago

    Convection warming drawers I've found:

    Gaggenau (nice low sides, good mechanism)
    Miele (+ custom panel)
    Siemens AvantGarde
    Thermador
    Wolfe

    NB: Starting VERY soon, Gaggenau appliances sold in the US will go up in price by some 40%. The appliance salesperson told me today that they've already changed the price on most Gaggenau appliances (and they did; they're amazingly high), but the store somehow missed the WD. It is now for $1300, but on Dec 1, or when their stock runs out, will be $1900. I've got one on hold, while I try to decide how important a custom panel is to me and my DH (NA on the Gaggenau).