Doesn't it use microwaves to keep the food warm? If so, does that mean you couldn't put a pot in for warming? Just food in dishes? That might be all you need. I have three ovens. The other night, my ovens were full and the tsimmis (root veg and fruit dish) was in my 9-qt. cast iron bean pot on the stove. Various distractions got it started late, and there was no way it was going to be finished on time, so I kept a casserole out and put the tsimmis in the oven until the casserole absolutely had to go in, then finished it in the warming drawer on med-high. You might not have such a big pot full of food to keep warm, but would you ever have occasion to put pots in your warming drawer? Or even foil takeout containers? Do check to make sure they can be used in the MW drawer.

I reported a repair & had the service technician come out to check out the warming drawer. His explanation after verifying the temperature is correct is that the drawer is UL certified (Underwriter's Laboratory) & pretty much operating as designed -- not a direct quote. I told him that my assessment of the situation is that this is a design problem. KA has a great idea to add additional capabilities to the warming drawer (slow cooking -- works great, I can do multiple dishes simultaneously), but the drawer is commonly being insulated when placed under a single or double oven. KA does not design for serious cooks (for example, they design a maximum size 30" warming drawer so it will fit nicely under the oven stack). Serious cooks want & need their warming drawers more accessible. Thus I installed under my 36 inch KA cooktop (& scoop drawer). With the gaps left between the drawer & the spice pullouts I had the cabinet maker create filler panels on the island beside the drawer. I asked the technician to report my concerns. In the meantime I sent an email to KA & their net was working-as-designed, move the utencils (I have to use an oven mit with the metal handled utencils in the drawer after using the slow cooker function.) I have noticed a blog & I will attempt to get there over the next few weeks to see what response I get. Additionally, DH had some water heater insulation we placed on top of the warming drawer. Although it reduced the temperature a few degrees, I could still not hold my metal-handled utencils with my bare hand. The KD is asking the cabinet guy if a panel can be built above the warming drawer. If anyone else uses this feature on the KA Warming Drawer I'm interested in your experience.

No burning issues...just metallic smell. WeedMeister, I'm going to check the rollers...thanks! It probably wouldn't be a big deal except I use it a lot (yes, I'm one of those who actually use their WD!)

Warming trays work okay for keeping hors d'oeurve from cooling before everyone has picked them up, and hold dishes on a buffet well, but they aren't designed for long term warming. They hold at pleasant to eat temperature, rather than, necessarily, food safe. Example: Orthodox Jews often keep food warm for up to three days. One, traditional, method is to place a steel sheet over the fire (or gas range), and use Turkish towels around the pots to keep in the heat. The same thing can be done on a warming tray. In a warming drawer, one just puts the pot in the drawer. That is, all around heat keeps things hot better than underneath heat only. I have an old warming tray for entertaining. Haven't used it since I got a nice, big warming drawer. But then there's the non-occasion usage. Like, if you're making a bunch of dishes and one gets done early, it's easy to pop it into the warming drawer (something it's not worth getting the warming tray out for). If you're timing for company and need to get something done early, you can consider holding it in the warming drawer for an hour or two into your timeline (works with certain kinds of dishes that are improved from sitting and reheating--though in this case it's continuous heating). Something the warming tray can't really do well, especially without the Turkish towels. You can hold made up plates of dinner in the drawer, for stragglers--the tray can probably do this just as well, but less conveniently (cover with foil either way). And if you're into dinner delivery on busy days, you can keep it warm easily in the warming drawer, and even bring it back up to pleasant temperature. You can do the same on the tray, but you can't stack things on it so it holds less. Both the warming drawer and tray can be used for plate warming and yeast proofing, but only the warming drawer is good for crisping soggy crackers and cereal, and only the warming drawer can double as a slow cooker (an off list feature for most because the makers don't want to be liable for food safety). A good old crock pot, of the kind they no longer make, has a temperature of about 160 degrees, which is in range for most warming drawers. Leave an uncooked dish for 8 hours or more, and you should have similar results--but do use a food thermometer until you know what you're doing to make sure that it rises to safe internal temperatures. Basically, you can do most warming tasks on a tray, with a little care and know how. You can do them in a drawer by just sticking your pot in the drawer and turning it on. No opinion of heat lamps other than they heat the room air as much as the food/counter. Probably better for short term things, like making up a bunch of individual servings and holding them to be served together than any long term heating.