Most of the recommendations I've seen here have not been particular about the brand, except for an occasional problem. I'm giving you a bump to see if any expert can provide a recommendation.

Many retailers and showrooms will have warming drawers in their clearance section, as they are not as popular anymore. Good deals can be found, if you are comfortable buying a floor model.

I am comfortable buying a floor model. Are they just not utilized which is why they aren't as popular??

I am not certain why the popularity has waned, I was just reporting back what I was told. I speculate it has to partially due with utility, but also due to the fact that many new ranges, steams ovens, speed ovens, and regular ovens now come with a warming feature mode. Also, the ones I saw were part of large displays. Many people like their WD to match the rest of the elements in a stack.

I have one in my new kitchen, and had one in my old kitchen. I use it, and like being able to leave finished dishes in there while I finish cooking the rest. I bought a floor model that matched my nearby refrigerator, at over 60% off retail.

I also see them on clearance at deep discount at many of the stores in my area. After reading the owner's manual of my new ovens, I discovered that each one can be programmed to turn itself into a warming drawer at the end of the cooking time, so I decided against a "third" warming drawer. Have you checked all your oven functions?

I would like to bump this question as I'm currently looking for a warming drawer to be part of my island.

Miele makes a nice one. Most of them are pretty simple. I can confirm that we have 5 or 6 floor model warming drawers that we have stuck in our basement. More customers are opting for more versatile steam combination ovens or additional wall ovens with warming modes.

I have a KitchenAid brand and I love it and use it a lot. Mine is just under the counter top in the island (the center drawer with 2 pulls).

Thanks for the great comments. Plllogg, I have researched the archives and seen many of your posts re: this topic, but I missed this one you so succinctly wrote in 2010 (prob b/c I thought going back too far would not be relevant any more). Good to know those comments still apply today.

Plllogg, can your Monogram keep things crispy? I make eggrolls for family gatherings and would love to keep these warm and crispy.

Debbi, your island is gorgeous and your warming drawer is so nicely camouflaged. I have the option to put my warming drawer in the island like you did and it stands right behind my stovetop or put it to the left of my stovetop, but I only have room for a 27" to the left (and it would have to be 24" shallow to fit underneath the counter whereas I could put any size I want in the island. What size is yours and can your KitchenAid keep things crispy?

Placing in on the island behind your cooktop would work. In order to get a larger unit, be sure to measure the drawers of the finalist. A lot manufacturers put a face plate that is larger, the drawer itself is smaller, and they sell it as a larger size. Just something to check.

Phoenix, I don't fry things and have never made an eggroll, so I can't really give you useful information about that. I'm sure if you wanted to try one out at a showroom, the staff would be glad to taste test for you. :)

The difference between moist and crisp is a lever which opens and closes vents in the front panel. Mine does have that feature. I just can't remember right now what I've put in there to stay as crisp as an eggroll. OTOH, they all sell this as a feature for recrisping crackers. The thing is, eggrolls are so moist in the middle, I don't know if just venting the steam would keep them crisp or not. My guess is not.

Okay, I did a Google search and found a post from someone who worked for a caterer who couldn't do it, so I think the answer is no, eggrolls are best right out of the pan. The caterer dried them thoroughly then reheated in the oven, which was okay but not as good as fresh.

Agreed about the position across the aisle from the cooktop. It should be fine.

Thanks Phoenix. I haven't tried an egg roll either, but Ive been happy with everything I've put in there for the past 3 years. I tried to take some pix tonight with measurements. My cabinet is a 30", which means I had to go with a 27" warming drawer. It is a regular 24" deep drawer. Here are some pix.

I have the KA 30" WD. One thought about placement that we read was that WD could be used as a warm buffet server rather than having to rely on heated trays when entertaining. Ours ended up near the range, just below countertop and where the traffic flow would allow guests easy access. Note on the egg rolls, the only crispy solution I've seen is what restaurants often do--a partial fry and then a quick fry just before serving. Helps solve the internal moisture issue mentioned above. Any other solutions for the soggy egg roll dilemma would be greatly appreciated!

Crispy Egg Rolls. It's a science problem. The internal vegetables are filled with water/steam. The coating is crispy wrapper fried in oil. The steam has to escape. As it escapes, it causes the wrapper to get soggy. There really isn't a way to hold them for more than a minute without them losing the crisp.

To help mitigate this issue, you will have to cook them using the same technique as French fries. Fry in hot oil until about 3/4s done. Usually, just beginning to brown. Remove from oil. Allow to sit out of oil for a few minutes. This allows steam to escape from French fry or eggroll. Drop back into the oil until brown. The French Fry and eggroll will stay crisp longer. But, only for a short time.