Oven – New Oven in the US, Which would home cooks prefer

ovenshopping

I am an English girl living in New York and looking to re-do my kitchen. The most common oven in the US appears to be 30" single space with a warming drawer underneath. In the UK it is a 24" double oven.

Here are my questions:

  1. Does anyone use the warming drawer for anything other than storage (esp in the city environment)?
  2. If you had a choice would you prefer 30" single space or 24" double space?

Thanks for any help given, want to ensure I design not only for myself but also future tenants given it's a rental 🙂

Best Answer

Only some 30" ranges (the technical term for an oven with an integrated cooktop) have actual warming drawers, generally only high-end models. Most only have a storage drawer, one that for efficiency reasons should be well insulated from the oven proper and so isn't suitable for warming foods. A warming drawer will have its own heat source with dedicated controls.

I think most Americans would expect a 30" range and wouldn't expect an actual warming drawer. It probably wouldn't make a big difference either way, but a few might be put off if they think can't cook a huge turkey, even if they never will.

However, I'm not sure why you're concerned with future tenants. If you're renting the space then just get the range you want. Stick the old range back in when you move out and sell yours.

If on the other hand you own the space and will be renting it out in the future than I don't think what your tenants would expect should be a priority. The range you get for your renters should be cheap and easy to maintain. They will not treat it well and if it breaks it's your problem. In particular don't get a range with a glass top as these require level a care you can't really expect from a renter.

Related Topic