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My old house was gas, too. I never had that problem. I second the dutch oven, though. You could probably just use a pot with lid and a small grate on the bottom.
If there is a burner in the top area of the main oven, then that is the broiler, but if there is no burner in the oven compartment, then the "drawer" is actually the broiler compartment. The latter is typical of older units.
BROILER DRAWER. Since gas ovens have the flames on the bottom, if you want broiler action, you put the meats below that. Electric ovens usually have two burners--one additional at the top for broiler action.
Frankly I love broiling everything so I'm glad I have an electric one.
Pro Tip: do not broil plastic stuff in your drawer.
Here are two.
These people suck too. Race to the end of the entrance ramp just to cut you off.
You'll just have to take my word for it that the fiesta ST behind me was a good 100 yards back...
If there is a burner in the top area of the main oven, then that is the broiler, but if there is no burner in the oven compartment, then the "drawer" is actually the broiler compartment. The latter is typical of older units.
That's what puzzles me. Although this apartment (like most in Manhattan) definitely qualifies as "older", the range itself is fairly new. It even has a digital timer with a LED display and membrane keypad.
Originally Posted by y8s
BROILER DRAWER. Since gas ovens have the flames on the bottom, if you want broiler action, you put the meats below that. Electric ovens usually have two burners--one additional at the top for broiler action.
In my last apartment, there was also a gas oven. It had a storage drawer at the bottom, and a top-element broiler just like an electric range. I had no idea any other configuration was possible.
But this explains why what I thought was a storage drawer is rather heavy and has a front door that folds down.
I find this terribly inconvenient on a number of levels. The first is that I don't broil ****, so I'm sacrificing storage space in an apartment which already has a negative amount of it.
The second is that if I did want to broil something, I'd pretty much have to lie on the floor like this lady is doing:
And I'm tall, so accessing things which are a few inches off the floor is damned annoying. (I also hate the fact that my mailbox is in the bottom row, which puts it at about knee-level for me. But I digress.)
At the very least, why the **** does the broiler in my oven apparent come on when I have the know set to a position other than "broil"?
that design is just being lazy. Probably more engineering and materials in that vs. just adding a burner to the top of the oven and telling people to use the top rack.
I don't actually believe that "storage drawer" is ever really designed for just storage.
For new style stoves that actually have a broiler burner in the top of the main oven compartment, that drawer on the bottom of the oven is often called a "warming drawer".
For the super fancy stoves like my bottom-of-the-line gas GE unit, the "warming drawer" even has it's own burner element connected to a smaller "burner ****" on the front of the stove.
I don't believe I've ever turned my warming drawer on though. It functions too well as pan storage.
At the very least, why the **** does the broiler in my oven apparent come on when I have the know set to a position other than "broil"?
One burner does both jobs of baking and broiling.
At least install some kind of removable panel, maybe?
I dunno, this strikes me as inefficient as hell. More heat seems to escape from this oven than not.
Originally Posted by DNMakinson
Also, once you're lying on the floor, it does not matter how tall you are while standing. I would think these broilers are hard to use for EVERYONE.
Well, that's true.
In my kitchen, it is compounded by the fact that you cannot lie on the floor in front of the oven, because the refrigerator is in the way. When the over door is open, you can't even stand in front of it- you have to access it via the side. And since I'm right handed, I have to stand outside the kitchen next to the red bike to do this.
Originally Posted by fooger03
I don't actually believe that "storage drawer" is ever really designed for just storage.
For new style stoves that actually have a broiler burner in the top of the main oven compartment, that drawer on the bottom of the oven is often called a "warming drawer".
I went to GE's website and did some research on freestanding gas ranges. There are four drawer options to choose from:
If you select "Warming" or "Baking", then you get an independent control which functions separately from the main over heating element. What puzzles me slightly is the selection for "Broiler." In the case of the range I have now, the oven temperature **** has a "broil" position at the far end of travel, as I am accustomed to in ranged which have a broiler element at the top of the main oven. What puzzles me is that the broiling function seems to occur in my range even when I have the dial set to a mid-range position, so I'm not sure what the function of that spot on the **** is. (Does it just force the burner on all the time, regardless of thermostat reading? If not, just label it as "ON" or "∞" to avoid confusion...)
My last gas range, as I noted, had a storage drawer at the bottom. This drawer did not seem to become appreciably warm when the oven was in operation, so I presume that the bottom of the oven chamber insulated it sufficiently from the gas nozzle / burner assembly.
Originally Posted by Braineack
That warming drawer would be great...
...if I wanted food with charred cat hair on it.
Warmed cat hair.
You use the range with the broiler drawer for charred cat hair.
I was going to put an image here, but instead I'll post a PSA: If you like cats, or are squeamish, don't type "burned cat hair" into Google Images.
It reminds me of an uglier, cheaper, heavier, slower, less-aerodynamic, single-seat version the ill-fated Aptera which failed to me manufactured but for a few prototypes several years ago in Carlsbad, CA.