Some people swear by them. Others, not so much. So, you'll get mixed opinions on it, for sure.

We opted not to get one - for the limited amount that I would expect that I would use it, I just couldn't justify the space and additional costs overall. Most of my cooking is for the two of us and not really elaborate (meat, veggie, side...mostly timed so that everything is done at once.) Since I normally plate our meals rather than bringing serving dishes to the table, the biggest thing that I could think of that I might want the warming drawer for is to warm up the plates before putting the meal on them. There's probably stuff that you can do with them that I'm missing...but for us, it wasn't important.

No one "needs" a warming drawer. However, you might enjoy one if you entertain a lot and put it in a buffet area to keep tidbits warm. Or if you like to serve off of the stove onto preheated plates instead of placing the food into serving containers and on the table. You'd place it adjacent to the cooktop then. Or if you have someone who works an odd schedule and prefers to not have to nuke their crispy fried foods when they come in late. In that case, it could go near the MW and fridge location.

People don't use things that aren't placed properly with regard to workflow. Or, they don't use them because they don't fit with their lifestyle. If you think one would fit your lifestyle, then you just need to figure out where to place it so it will get used.

We're designing one into the plan (though if we come in way over budget, it'll be among the frills on the chopping block). Two reasons we decided in favor: DH is compulsive about warm plates, and most of the time he ends up eating on cheap-o plastic plates because he decides as he's serving himself that the everyday stoneware isn't warm enough. And he and I eat very differently due to dietary restrictions and personal preferences, so it's not unusual for me to cook two different dinners each night. It will make my life easier to have a warming drawer to cover for my mis-timing the readiness of different entrees and sides. ;)

Our KD's recommended placement of the warming drawer in our kitchen is to the immediate right of the range, at the top of a drawer bank.

This post was edited by zeebee on Wed, May 1, 13 at 11:28

I did get one -- always wanted one and at the time I had two boys in marching band and other activities and a DH who came home late at times. I thought it would be great for us. What I found was that we tended to cook more sit down meals on the nights we were all home and would eat together after their activities. If we needed something at a different time, we tended to put things away and use the microwave for a minute or two to warm them up rather than 15-20 minutes to warm up the warming drawer and another half hour to keep food warm. I found that energy efficiency trumped the warming drawer for most of what I thought I would use it for.

When I do use it is holidays and parties. The rest of the time it is a spot for me to clear a pan of brownies or a cake from the counter. I didn't realize the micro drawer I got also has a keep warm feature, and we have used that rather than the warming drawer in both types of situations. I also have double ovens that heat quicker than the drawer and are better insulated.

My warming drawer is the first -- and possibly only, thing I would give up in my kitchen. I do have several work arounds so that it's purpose is met in any number of ways. I haven't taken it out -- it is still a drawer, and I haven't started storing other things in it. I use it, just not as much as I thought I would. It will be less in a year when the youngest goes off to college. But if push came to shove and I wanted to trim some from the budget, it would be the first thing to go. I have considered taking it into the bathroom when we redo that and using it as a towel warmer. Mine is the indoor/outdoor that Dacor shows in bathrooms.

We built our house 13 years ago and included a warming drawer in our kitchen. During the holidays, we swear by it and don't know how we would survive without it -- and we do have double ovens, too. I echo the comments of it being in constant use when the kids were younger. During that time my husband also worked late hours and it was nice to be able to keep things warm for him. Fast forward to the present and the daily use has subsided, but I still use it, as I stated, during the holidays. One of the bonuses of my drawer is that it has a "proof" setting, so I do find that it comes in handy when I bake bread or make a quick dough for pizza. I don't find that it takes up space that I would have used for something else, so I have never regretted having it installed/included in our plan.