If you have a growing family, cook for large groups often or even cook 2-3 meals a day, a large fridge is a lifesaver. We do (well, kids are all but grown now) and a large, really GOOD (keeps everything fresh for eons) refrigerator to store a week's worth of groceries is worth its weight.

During the holidays, I have the basement refrigerator stocked as well.

We have a warming drawer, and use it, but if we didn't have it, I'm sure we wouldn't miss it but once or twice a year.

Regarding the huge fridge, I find that most American brand refrigerators are poorly designed interiorly and waste a lot of space. In my remodel I am down sizing to a 30" Liebherr. Besides, do I really need to refrigerate 10 different salad dressings?? (Yep, that many.) I feel I can be a better citizen of this world by downsizing and simplifying.

We all want and need different utilities from our kitchen. For us a warming drawer would be an absolute waste because that's not how we cook / entertain (although I do understand its function as it retains the moisture better than an oven on "warm"), but a big refrigerator is a necessity for us. (Although I don't know if ours would meet your definition -- ours is an all-fridge 30" wide.)

We're strict vegetarian / vegan, so we rely on lots and lots of fresh produce. In all the standard-size refrigerators we've had, we've just never had enough room to store everything (without things getting shoved in and therefore hard to find). The stand-alone fridge and freezer were our v. first requirements and the rest of the kitchen fell into place after that.

Other than three and one year-olds (and their mothers), we don't "entertain" much, so ours will not be for that. And for practical and energy reasons, we are against having a secondary fridge in the garage. (How stupid would it be to have to trek into the garage to go get a head of broccoli?)

To each their own!

One year ago I would have agreed with you completely. I too, thought those items were frivolous. My original plan was to get a cabinet depth french door fridge plus a wine/beverage fridge, and then if I found it was not enough, buy an inexpensive fridge or freezer for the garage/basement.

Then I ran across the Electrolux Icon separate fridge and freezer. Each unit is 16 cu ft and absolutely gorgeous. My objections quickly went away:
1. The cost of the french door fridge plus the wine/beverage fridge was effectively the same as the two Electrolux units.
2. A regular fridge should not be put in a garage that gets very cold (I believe that the condenser will freeze up). I read this in Consumers Reports.
3. An inexpensive or older fridge sucks up a huge amount of electricity compared to the Icons which are Energy Star. 15 years ago I got rid of a 12 cu ft freezer and immediately saw a $10 drop in monthly electric bills.
4. I was shocked to find out that beverage fridges only get down to about 45 degrees--I like my sodas and water ice cold. Also, since we generally only drink reds, we wouldn't be using it for wine.

Since we were building a new house that focused on the kitchen, we had enough space to accommodate the 62 inch width--especially since there would be no beverage fridge. If we had stayed at our old house and remodeled the kitchen which was large but not huge, I would not have given up the cabinet space.

Five years I would have said that I was justifying the purchase of something frivolous, and it's probably true. However, if the Electrolux Icons hadn't appeared on the scene, I know I would NEVER have spent $8,000-$10,000 on a Sub-Zero or Viking.

We've been in the house a couple of months and I absolutely love them.

I've only used the warming drawer a few times--I think it's because I usually forget it's there. Before I ordered it, I asked GWers if they would buy warming ovens again and the responses were overwhelmingly *yes*. I still wonder, however, if I am overcompensating for the years I cursed my old single oven.

They're opposite sides of the same problem. The hot food has to stay hot (and above the bacteria breeding temperature) and the cold food has to stay cold (below the bacteria breeding temperature and/or spoilage point).

I'm getting the warming drawer primarily for plate warming, but it's also for keeping platters warm during meals, for holding a plated meal warm for the straggler, it's supposed to be superior to the top of the dryer for raising loaves, and, of course, will hold whatever you could also keep warm in the oven. As Mrslimestone said, some of us have full ovens and occupied stove tops and still have things to keep warm.

They also go with the larger fridges. That is, if family dinner is at least 25 people then one needs space for all the food. And in a warm climate all the roots (potatoes, onions, carrots, etc.), hard fruit (apples, pears, etc.), assembled salads, etc., etc. go in the fridge. A 25 pound turkey in the Spring? It's frozen and has to defrost in the fridge while all the vegetables are still whole, and therefore take up a lot of room.

Reasons not to need a big fridge: A small household where you never cook for more than 10 people. A climate where you think 60 degrees is warm and a garage or porch with storage space for produce. A spare fridge or three in pantry/garage/utility room.

Reasons not to need a warming drawer: You don't have food going cold on you. That is, you have enough oven space for keep warm, your seconds aren't cold, your food doesn't go cold on the plates, you don't need to hold things for stragglers.

I've said all this to try to promote understanding as mentioned in the thread title. I'm not trying to advocate anything :) Whatever works for you works!

When I have the kids over, or entertain, I cook a lot of stuff in advance; everything has to be warmed up at the same time so I'll be using my warming drawer for that.
I don't bake so I am only getting one oven. If I had 2 ovens, I would not get the WD.
The logistics of getting a hot meal on the table is going to be easier with a WD, imo.. I'll bake my hot hors d'oeuvres at 400 and put the trays in the WD;
while we're having cocktails, I can throw a big lasagna in the oven at 350 for an hour. That type of thing.

It's one of those "nice to have" but not essential, I agree.

As for the big fridge, I find that a family of 4 who eat in, make lunches and cook a lot need the space if they can afford it.

I don't have a warming drawer but can see why, if one had the space, it would be handy. It is my understanding that the warming drawer will keep items warm without drying them out as much as an oven would. I have often wished for a warming drawer, even when not entertaining, because I have great difficulty timing all dishes to come out at the same time. Usually half our meal is cold. I hate to use the energy to heat up our 2nd (big) oven just to keep a few items warm--I would think a warming drawer would make a lot of sense.

Also, people have different size families and different accessibilities to grocery stores and different cooking styles (I skip the cookie recipes that call for putting the dough onto cookie sheets and then refrigerating since I don't have the space.) I live quite far from grocery stores and it would be nice to make fewer trips and to stock up on cheeses and yogurts and other items that would last a while. And like kitchendetective, we eat lots of fresh veggies which take up a lot of space. I had 6 bags of spinach in the fridge the other day and they took up almost an entire shelf in my side by side. Actually, if we had more room in our fridge to actually move things around on a shelf, I think we would lose track of leftovers less and probably would end up throwing things out a lot less often. It's difficult finding items when things are crammed in. I'll end up opening a new yogurt (or spaghetti sauce) while an older one languishes in the back simply because things are crammed it too much for me to easily spot it and remember it's there. We have 1 hot sauce in the fridge and no sodas and still find space issues.

I wish we had space in the fridge to store specialty flours and nuts because I think they last longer stored cold. I find it difficult to find space for boxes of clementines (which seem to go bad quickly if not in the fridge) and large bags of apples (DH knows some apple growers and comes back with large bags of slightly bruised apples.)

I'm considering getting a small freezer and fridge for the basement, but I imagine running 3 appliances would use a lot more energy than running one (or 2) larger one(s) so it feels a bit wasteful to me. On the other hand, I probably use a lot more energy taking extra trips to the grocery store due to our limited cold storage..

So, to me, even though I made different choices due to our space constraints, choosing larger cold storage and a warming drawer makes perfect sense. And we don't entertain all that often so I can only imagine the handiness if we did have people over often.

My warming drawer is not a necessity, but then neither are my granite countertops, Tapmaster, or 5 burners on the cooktop, but sometimes I really appreciate that they are there. I enjoy having the warming drawer especially when all the family is here or occasional entertaining for the reasons already mentioned above.

I also use it for proofing bread (keeps the bread out of drafts and at a very constant low temperature) and for making yogurt which requires a constant warm temperature. Again, I could make bread and yogurt without the wd but it's much nicer and more efficient with it.

I never considered a warming drawer before I found this forum, but learned about them here and am so glad I did.

It all depends on what you're kitchen habits are. We do a lot of entertaining so every few weeks our fridge is full. Also, when my teenage son has friends over it better be full. Our French door Kenmore is huge and we're glad we have it.

The warming drawer, for some reason I'm not so sure of. Seems like a big expense for limited return. We're just starting a major kitchen renovation and it never even crossed my mind. Convince me!

I also wouldn't ever need a warming drawer either, but I generally don't do a lot of formal entertaining. My entertaining is usually summer based, hence the giant screened deck I put in which many would consider not a necessary thing, but to me, that was THE basis for my whole design.

As for the fridge, I keep a full sized fridge in my basement.

I'm not having a warming drawer, but can understand the usefulness, especially if you have only 1 oven. And a big fridge? Why not? Of course, if you have 1-3 people, things are just going to go bad in it, but this is a very short-sighted question in understanding how large other families are, how they shop, what they eat, and how they cook. From what I read here, a LOT of people have an extra fridge in the garage. An extra, usually older, fridge is an energy hog, and the garage, especially if it sometimes gets to freezing temps, is not the best place to keep one. As for us in particular, there are 10 people in our family, for whom I prepare 3 meals a day. I'll have 2 Electrolux all-fridges and 1 all-freezer in my new kitchen...And I hope it's enough.

I don't 'understand' spending $5-10K on granite and getting a $1K builders' grade range, like I see in $1 million houses for sale...But those choices have to do with our family's priorities and our (at least, perceived) needs, and I'm not about to question those who make other decisions.

I "get" the warming drawer for reasons stated above and because we don't have space for a second oven for times when I need to be cooking something while I keep something else warm. I love warmed plates too, not everyday but when we entertain. You have a second fridge in your garage, so you have the extra space some people want and you use that space, so essentially you have the same thing as a huge fridge, just in two different places.

I can hardly wait for the day to start our new kitchen. I have enough cookbooks to try new recipes from, so no more eating out or fast food. Which will mean healthier food, plus we will eat together for some real family time. And I know how clean my kitchen is compared to restaurants and the fast food places (I've heard some stories!!), I would much rather eat my own cooking.

I'm looking the Monogram all fridge & all freezer. They will both be in the kitchen where they belong, not in the basement like my second fridge & freezer are now. In my opinion they will be a time saver and also save me money in the long run, I'll know what I have on hand by just having to look one place rather than two. Another plus, having them in the kitchen, I'll be able to keep them clean without having to drag a bucket of water down to the basement...plus I just hate having to run down to the basement all the time. I buy lots of fresh veggies and fruit, there's never enough room in the one upstairs.

I would love to have a warming drawer, never have been able to time things correctly so they're done at the same time. Maybe the second oven I'm looking at will help that problem out.

Based on my recent experience in our temporary quarters while we've been building, more things spoil in a fridge that's too small or narrow and too crowded than when there's room to see what's in there and where it is. :-)

Oh my god, rhome, you are my hero! I am so impressed with cooking for ten. So impressed.

I realized after I wrote my initial response that we have double ovens and I bake tons. I'm accustomed to using my ovens for proofing or rising or whatever, and since we'll have double ovens again in this new kitchen I didn't see a need for us to have a warming drawer. But you bet, if we were going with a single oven I would love to start learning how to use a warming drawer!

I just wanted to make sure I didn't sound catty in my previous post.

Rmkitchen, No heroism here...They get too cranky if I don't feed them! ;-) Kidding, of course, I am actually very blessed and it's a privilege. I didn't perceive any cattiness in your first post and happen to agree with what you said in both. I've had to trek to the garage for broccoli, and am looking forward to not having to do that any more!

I'm getting a big refrigerator so that I won't need a garage one.

I am getting two ovens. I like to entertain but don't cook a lot at holiday times ( I am the one working.) For me the two ovens will be enough without a warming drawer. Our home was designed for two fridges right from the start so I was thrilled to be be able to "downsize" a bit for the main fridge in the kitchen. If I didn't run out of room occasionally the thing wouldn't get cleaned out. I am not Martha. Our second fridge is in our clutter room, right of the kitchen. It should be perfect for the extra milk/bottle water and anything that needs stored in the fridge during prep or thawing.

I think part of the issue in this day in age is all the beverages we now keep in our fridges that weren't even a thought "back in the day". Who would have every thought bottled water would be a staple?

To each their own. A warming drawer for us would be an utter waste of space and money. Rather spend the $ in other areas

Well, with 3 little kids and a husband who commutes 1.5 hours each way, a warming drawer is nice. We had one in our last house and I miss it. I want my kids to eat normal, adult food, so I prepared it for them and kept my husband's warm. I don't want kids who only eat pasta and mac'n'cheese, as great as those things can be. I don't have to waste energy keeping a larger oven cavity warm, and he doesn't have ruined, dry food. A large fridge is also necessary. We have milk delivery and go through about 6 gallons per week. Also, almost everything I make is non processed, so the volumes of fruits and veggies are large. I make due with a tiny freezer, and am fine with that, but a large fridge can be a lifesaver.

To each his or her own. We have a lot of technology available. We are lucky to be able to choose what works best for our own households.

I appreciate the responses and didn't intend to make anyone defensive with the question, although sometimes its hard to avoid. I agree that the garage is not the best place for a fridge, esp in our climate. We get the best of both worlds with single digit temps in the winter and triple digits in the summer. I'm sure its hard on the fridge. But my dh... you know how they are. He's always dreamed of having a fridge in the garage. Personally, I'd rather use that space to park another stroller.

My parents, who cook for large groups over the winter holidays, are fortunate to be able to use their spare bedroom as an extra refrigerator. Its rough when winter has unseasonably warm weather, as there is no place to store the coconut cream pies.

Still, they manage to get everything on the table with only one oven and no warming drawer. And only slight amounts of panic from my dad (the head cook) about 'The meat is going to get cold!!!'

I can't imagine needing a double oven, much less a warming drawer. But then, I must remember that someday my house full of preschoolers will be a house full of teenagers (I really try not to think about that, though.)

When I think about my grocery shopping, I realize that I get about halfway through the produce section and then move on due to fridge space when I get home.

I expect its true that a small narrow fridge and freezer isn't as good at keeping things fresh. If I don't want things to spoil, whether in fridge or freezer, I put them in the middle, away from walls and not in the door.

"Still, they manage to get everything on the table with only one oven and no warming drawer. And only slight amounts of panic from my dad (the head cook) about 'The meat is going to get cold!!!'"

One can certainly 'manage' under lots of circumstances. The 10 of us have been living in a 900 sq ft, 30+ yr old mobile home with a kitchen with about 4 ft of counter space for 2 years. We've never, in my life, had anything more than a 30" electric range and a $100 simple microwave...No extra oven, no warming drawer, and only a 32" fridge/freezer with an extra in basement or garage. We've done OK, and eat substantial meals (very little convenience ingredients) and do a lot of baking (all from scratch). But when given the choice, I will be very happy to more than manage on a daily basis with room for fresh produce, room for all who want to help cook and bake to join in, and a couple ovens so when I roast chicken half of it doesn't get cold while I cook enough for all of us. And, yes, life with preschoolers is different than life with older kids (plus friends), so your life will encounter lots of changes, different needs, and it'll happen faster than you can ever imagine.

We have a 48" KA fridge and it is frequently packed full, and there are only two of us in the house, AND we have a beverage center. We don't have a garage fridge, but plan to get a small freezer. We looked at the 42" fridge, but it was only $100 cheaper, so why bother. I don't have a warming drawer but wish I did. When we entertain I often have both ovens going. I plan to add a WD when we do the pantry cabinets.

I think people get what makes sense for them. I don't get the Tapmaster at all. Or a trashmasher. But that's me. I have a friend that couldn't live without a trashmasher.

I couldn't get too excited about a warming drawer either - not at all actually. I'm not sure what you mean by a huge fridge. We have a 42" built-in for two people and it's frequently pretty full. I can see how anyone with a family of 5-6 who cooks and eats at home most of the time would need a good sized fridge. I personally wouldn't want the ones where you have a large expanse of full size fridge next to full size freezer - just esthetically too much fridge for me.

Can't speak to the warming drawer because I don't have one.

I have the large fridge and that's because I like to entertain and, for the first time in my life, I can fit all of the party food in the fridge without having to rearrange the contents in order to cram everything in. That's worth something to me so I didn't mind the cost of the large fridge. For others, it might make no sense whatsoever.

We eat on warmed plates every night (ok in the hospital it's warm styrophoamoneome???...yucky stuff) but at home, we warm our plates. It keeps the meal longer when you're trying to arm wrestle a 2 year old and eat a nice steak :) I like nice steaks hot, not luke warm.

I also love the ability to keep dishes warm...and MOIST verses hot and dry. You just can't use a microwave for many many dishes.

We love to entertain (please visit when you are in the neighborhood) and use our kitchen, even when it was crap, to it's fullest. Currently it's a waste of space :oP But soon we'll entertain again. We could actually use a couple warming drawers, and when I design my next bath I'm putting one in there for towels. :o)

Big fridge...well that depends on how you cook as well. I'm very sorry we got just a 36" sub zero. We need more space. But I suppose that will just spur me on to the next kitchen. We don't need it just for entertaining...we need it for produce and fresh meat/fish. And baby food.

We keep wine in the garage in a cooled section of the garage...we have no room for another fridge, and frankly, it's cheaper to keep a 48" new fridge at the right temp then to keep an old one in the garage and a smaller new one in the kitchen.

If DH has always dreamed of a fridge in the garage...get him an ice box and put him to work keeping his beer cold :oP heh heh

plain and simple: to each his own.

I don't know anything about warming drawers, so now I am curious. How are they technically different from ovens that they can keep food warm and moist? Do they have a humidity setting?

I'm getting a little jealous here. I have a 1955 stove--which I do love and have no plans to change. But the oven sure is dinky. I can only cook one dish at a time (one sheet of cookies at a time). If I use more than one rack, the temperature rises to extremes. So I keep reminding myself, "June Cleaver had this stove, and she fed Ward, Wally, and the Beaver just fine. While wearing pearls!"

Off to rummage for pearls in my underwear drawer...

:-)

Francy

Although I don't have (and won't have in my new kitchen) I can see the need/want.

For my flow, I will have double ovens and they will accomodate my needs on a day to day basis. I don't have the space or the budget for the 48" or in nuccia's, case the electralux individual fridge and freezer although I have a need for it! I cook a good deal and large quantities at a time, so I NEVER have enough refrigerator or freezer space (even with an extra upright freezer). But, in my next kitchen I will have all of the above:)

Francy..
I'm LOL'ing at June Cleaver. and I'm equally lol-ing at why your pearls are in your undie drawer..hmmmm

I think without people getting their feelings hurt - everyone needs what everyone needs. I don't understand people who have giant freezers either but that doesn't mean there aren't valid reasons for them. i don't understand shopping at BJ's for the Jumbo thing of Salad dressing either but that doesn't mean there aren't valid reason for others to do that.

So the warming drawers - yes, it's one of those things that is a real necessity to some and not to others. But no one should feel bad about their choice or no one should knock their choice.

You guys would all laugh if you saw all my computer equipment. I'd never spend money on some fancy kitchen appliance but I'd have no trouble plopping down a few thousand for computer stuff. To me that's akin to a warming drawer. Could I live without it? yeah probably, but I'd rather not. Ever. Ever. (and I'm getting panicky thinking about it ROFL)

It's interesting the way the OP framed her question, because, for me, it's the Tapmaster and the NeverMT that I just plain don't get. I've never used either one, though, maybe if I had one I would love it? But to me those seem like useless extras. It's all in the way you use your kitchen. I have a family of small kids and I don't know how big a refrigerator would have to be for me to call it "too big." So a big fridge makes sense for me. I think when you are planning a kitchen there's sometimes a fine line between the must-haves and the frills. Roomy fridge, gas range, dishwasher, big sink with a disposal, those are on my list of must-haves. Beverage fridge, hot water dispenser, warming drawer, under cabinet lighting, for my family those are frills, but I know there are people that couldn't live without them!

It all comes down to quality-of-life issues. Almost everything we put into our kitchens, including cabinets aren't "necessary" (wouldn't a bunch of plastic boxes store items well enough?) Most of us attempt to maximize our dream scenario of a well-functioning aethetically pleasing kitchen within the constraints of funds and space. "Well functioning" and "aethetically pleasing" are subjective. And to some, skipping the kitchen reno completely and donating the funds is what enhances their quality of life.

btw, amanda t, we just put in a Never MT after using our new kitchen for 2 1/2 years. It's an item that costs less than $10 (but high shipping, so in reality less than $20.) We decided to get it after I discovered a huge pile of dried up hand soap in the back of our sink cabinet, eating away at the wood. It turns out that as I was filling our soap dispensers over the past couple of years, a small amount of soap was somehow escaping and dripping out. A Never-MT is a long tube (or 2 tubes) with a valve that keeps soap flowing in one direction and extra caps for fitting a variety of soap bottles. It's the kind of "extra" I love--high function with minimal cost.

Buffettgirl, that large drawer-tray thingie is the hot swap drive -- do not put your buns in it! :D

You mean not everyone keep their jewelry in their undie drawer? My mom always taught me that the undie drawer is the last place a thief will look. Except now that i've posted where I keep my loot on the internet, I'd better move it. To my husband's underwear drawer.

I would LOVE a honking big fridge! We store things sideways and upside down to fit stuff in ours. So I totally get that one! We'll never have the space for one, so I will always covet from afar.

Likewise for a giant range. Ahhhhh. I would love to be able to roast meat, and cook bread or scalloped potatoes at the same time!

But what I don't get about the warming drawer is how it actually works. I've always had this suspicion that it doesn't actually function differently than a regular oven, so as a result, it is something of a scam and the manufacturers are taking advantage of us with it. This is totally a guess on my part. So I'm wondering how it really works.

The appliance that I really just don't get is this $80 gem from Skymall, which promises to relieve you from the burden of the "messy, time consuming chore" that is pouring cereal.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cheerios--NOW!

The NeverMT costs about $12 (w/ shipping). And it means you have to worry about refilling the soap dispenser about once a year.

That's why people love it--it's cheap, and it eliminates a minor but frequently occurring inconvenience that comes w/ the added danger of unpredictable messes.

I'm w/ you, Francy--why the cereal dispenser?

Here is a link that might be useful: the obligatory Never-MT link

LOL!! Francy, that's great! I've see those as pet food dispensers before :) And shades of the college cafeteria. But I think the messy/time consuming is cleaning up when the three year old helps herself :)

Warming drawers are basically ovens, but the difference is that they keep a constant low heat. Nowadays there are a few ovens that go that low, but most warming drawers do temperatures that the old keep-warm couldn't imagine. Because they're low heat you can put dishes in them without worrying.

Fancy ones still go down to something like 75 degrees and call it "proofing" (which I always find weird because the lingo I learned as a kid was you "proof" your yeast with warm water and a spoon of sugar before you put it in the dough to make sure it's live rather than wasting ingredients (i.e., prove that it's good). Then it's bubbling and active when you mix it in. Once the dough is made, you put it up to "rise". But on these things when they say "proof" I'm pretty sure they mean rise. I proof my yeast in a measuring cup on the cable box).

Because of knowledge of bacteria and safe food temperatures, warming drawers are usually geared to work at 140 degrees F. They can be adjusted higher (to 200, for instance), because a large amount of food or a heavy pot might need a higher temperature to keep the food at the safe and warm level.

Many ovens start at around 220 degrees for their keep-warm settings.

Re the cereal dispenser: I have to believe it's meant for hot oatmeal & cream-of-wheat, not Cheerios or Froot Loops. Having said that, $80 for a machine to mix hot water & cereal seems pretty steep (tee hee - I just got my own joke).

pllog -- I want a warming drawer (or an advantium with "proofing" capabilities) so that I can have a warm place to get my bread to rise. I have always had trouble keeping the dough somewhere warm enough, but moist enough, to let it rise properly. Homemade bread that didn't rise properly is very very heavy. Yummy, but very heavy.

Helou: I thought so too. Surely it must mix liquid too. Nope! Just a dispenser. There is even a video of it in action on youtube!

HEY! I HAVE A WARMING DRAWER! Sort of. Ok, I'm sorry I shouted, but I don't have any frills in my kitchen, so I'm suddenly excited. My 1955 oven maintains a temp around 140 b/c the pilot is always on. I proof my yeast in a cup with 110 degree water, and I let bread rise in the oven with the heat from the pilot. The temperature dial seems to start at 200, however there are 2 markers on the dial before the 200. The first one says "gas on" but the second one diesn't say anything. Hmmmm.

Of course, if I use my one oven as a warming drawer, then I no longer have an oven. So it is either/or. But I use it ever Friday for bread dough, and it sure is great for that.

Whee: I sort of have a frill!

Back to the main topic of frills: I used to think Insta Hots seemed overly indulgent. But I am so tired of waiting for 10 minutes for my tea water to boil every morning, that I make my tea the night before and drink it slightly stale the next morning. So, if I had the money and space, an Insta Hot would be pretty darn cool. Ditto for the tapmaster (I have no toe kicks, so no place for the pedal).

Money and space. I want both!

:-)

Francy

Do you have a gas clothes dryer? Run the towels and raise the dough at the same time! Do you cover with a hot, damp tea towel? If that's going cold you could try one of those $20 space heaters nearby, but not pointed at the dough. Also, check the 'net or a full fledged cookbook like Joy for diagrams of using a pot of water on the stove. You put your bread bowl in it :) Then, once your loaves are shaped you can use a cooling rack over it, with the pan with the loaves on that.

But, yeah, warming drawers have good points :)

I've putting hot water in my sink (it's a 2-bowl), then setting the bread bowl in the hot water with a tea towel over it, but the towel and water get cold too fast. Hmmm. I haven't tried a pot of water on the stove, but my burners are so hit-and-miss that I would be afraid of over doing it or making it cold again. Won't hurt to try it.

I've given up on cooking ANYTHING with yeast it it. I have tried every method and have only "proved" that I can't do it. (even in the bread maker lol) I'm excited about my new oven (no warming drawer), it has a "proof" feature. If that doesn't work then I'll know I'm not June Cleaver and the damn pearls are getting thrown away next to my Never MT (that should be here this week)

So, Histokitch . . . what size fridge do you have that works for you?

I could have written your post. I have the DH who commutes 1.5 hours each way, 4 kids to feed, top row all milk, tons and tons of fresh veggies and fruits that kill me on space and even meat for 3 days and I am out of room. I HATE my refridgerator. Nothing fits, I can't find anything, food rots because I can't see it pushed to the back (also hampered by the placement in the kitchen where neither door (sxs) can open fully so I can't see inside.

I hate saying to DH -- this was really good when I first made it . . . of course now several hours later and microwaved it kind of s#$ks.

So, I live for the day of a warmng drawer and the right size and format refrigerator . . . just need to figure out what size that might be.

Re the cereal dispenser: I have to believe it's meant for hot oatmeal & cream-of-wheat, not Cheerios or Froot Loops.
That cereal thing is a hoot. but did you see this one which IS for frootloops;
Cereal Dispenser

Okay, I had to know. The one that Francy showed us is for dry cereal (i.e., Cheerios). The difference between this one and the other models is it uses batteries rather than just gravity :) You don't have to turn a crank or lift a lever, just press the bowl against the latch. My burning question is does it keep out ants?

Oy -- what happens when a cheerio gets lodged in the wrong spot and it won't stop spitting cereal out?! Hilarity, that's what! :-)

ROTFLOL!!!!

In answer to borngrace's question (by the way, hi, twin), I have currently a 30" fridge in the kitchen that is an old terribly laid out GE (came with the house) and a new 30" Fisher Paykel (we added & I LOVE) down the hall in the new laundry room. When we redo the kitchen, I might do 36" SZ in the kitchen, like we put in our last house right before we moved out. I personally find that they hold plenty of fresh food. I don't care for sxs fridges. I guess I could put in a couple of Thermador towers, but I don't love the looks of them (shallow). The funny thing is that we have a 60" Vulcan commercial range, and this crappy single 30" refrigerator, and a small maybe 19" single bowl sink. The previous owners had grown kids, so different needs.

I can't wait for my kitchen re-do so I can get a properly sized fridge. Our last place had a too-narrow sxs and putting anything in was a challenge - I felt like I was always building Leggo structures of food to fit the groceries in. My new house has an ancient top-freezer model with stunted shelves, one and only one shelf tall enough for beverages and bottles, and produce bins that fall off track if you breathe on them. I can't imagine having too much refrigerator - heck, I'd turn the whole kitchen into a walk-in cold room if DH would let me! ;)

That HUGE fridge isn't that huge. The 48" Sub Zero I'm looking at is only about 28 or 29 cu ft. That's not much bigger than the large side by side I have now. The difference is it is much less deep, so you need the width.