Anyone use their oven for something other than cooking?
ereck44
Posts: 1,170 Member
As I was cleaning my oven today....(after cooking some bacon wrapped scallops that spilled onto oven floor), I remembered the first time I saw the oven in 2004(it belongs to my husband's mom), and it was spotlessly clean as if it were brand new. I learned that it had been installed in 2000. Later I learned that no one used the stove or oven and had in fact used the oven for storage. Most of what I cook is on the stove or in the oven. Occasionally I use the microwave to reheat left overs (usually when I am short on time). Just curious....who uses their oven and who uses it to store pots/pans or as decoration for the kitchen?
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Replies
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My mom (a caregiver) once worked with an elderly lady who used hers for storage. The thought terrifies me.....It seems an accident waiting to happen if the oven accidentally gets turned on.0
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I take it one step further and cook food in my cupboard.20
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My grandma also uses her oven for storage lol.0
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Lol my hubby's parents use the oven for storage but they are weird as hell.0
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When my grandmother retired at 60, she also retired from cooking. She had the gas turned off and would use her oven as storage.3
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I use my stove and oven for cooking every day. I do not store things in it ever. It is definitely not decorative.0
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We use the oven for baking, but they also store pans with oil in them while it's not in use. While I live by myself, the oven is never used for storage.0
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I can't remember the last time I turned on my oven. It's all storage for pots, pans, tupperware, and utensils hahaha0
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I use my oven for cooking, but I do make sure I have pans underneath everything. I really hate cleaning the thing. I don't have much to contribute, but your question made me think of this:
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Uhm..maybe I'm the only one that grew up poor but we used it to heat the house..???!..14
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At our old house the oven temperature was so unreliable it was useless for its intended purpose so I stored my cast iron pieces in it. Now my husband uses our oven to hot blue gun barrels for his business.2
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My ex's mom uses it for storage but she also likes to cook in it - and I swear it literally takes at half hour to empty it because it is so packed full of stuff (like old jars she saves for some reason - cleaned out of course). I used to have a huge plastic mixing bowl I stored in mine but once I turned it on to reheat the oven and forgot it was in there. Luckily I remembered before it caught fire but it did start to melt a bit so I had to throw it out - and I never stored anything in there again.0
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Since it is only my husband and I, I only use the convention toaster oven for cooking (got a new one for Xmas), not the big wall oven. But I do use it to store some oven roasting pans that are too big for the drawers or cupboards.
My oven is also very clean because if I remember correctly I only used it once a couple of years go to cook a pot roast. One of my sons and his family came over for dinner, so it made sense since we were six people. I don't recall using it again.
I had a friend that didn't like or trusted the dishwasher so she used it to store all the plastic bags from the supermarket. Not me, my dishwasher works always overtime.1 -
My former mother in law stores all of her pots and pans in the oven and uses it to cook. My ex and I were living there for a while. Once I started preheating the oven after clearing it out but had forgotten a tiny pan in the back. The smell of the handle melting was atrocious. For me I love knowing my oven is clean and empty and ready to go at a moment's notice.2
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I've got a double oven so I use one for plate-warming and dish storage, and one for cooking. The smaller oven is also a grill, but I don't use that.0
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my grandmother always stored her muffin tins, cookie sheets and cake pans in hers . . lids for pots went in the drawer underneath. nothing went in there that couldnt handle heat if they were forgotten.2
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I've used the oven for cooking and storage (pots and pans only). I also use it to heat up the kitchen sometimes. Took me a few years to understand the drawer underneath wasn't for storing pots and pans, but the broiler.0
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I don't use the oven often as its an energy hog and heats up the kitchen, stressing the A/C. I use my pressure cooker alot now, and stovetop. I have switched to primarily cast iron for cookware now, and do store some of it in the oven when not in use.
I guess I was well trained as a child because its ingrained in me to check the oven before turning it on and make sure the stovetop is clear before turning on any burner. It just comes naturally.
Safety first.0 -
I live in New York, the oven is my largest storage closet.
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Thanks for the replies. I have been amused by some of the answers, esp. discovering that someone used a dishwasher as storage.Too funny!
In the past, I have gotten burned because my husband continued to use the oven as storage, and I forgot to check when preheating the oven only to discover pots and pans heated to 375 degrees. Getting them out was tricky, and a few times I burned my hand. My husband and I had a few discussions about it , and we found a compromise for storage.
I still bake in the oven and use the stove burners every day. I use the broiler for pork chops and barbeque chicken.0 -
Thanks for the replies. I have been amused by some of the answers, esp. discovering that someone used a dishwasher as storage.Too funny!
In the past, I have gotten burned because my husband continued to use the oven as storage, and I forgot to check when preheating the oven only to discover pots and pans heated to 375 degrees. Getting them out was tricky, and a few times I burned my hand. My husband and I had a few discussions about it , and we found a compromise for storage.
I still bake in the oven and use the stove burners every day. I use the broiler for pork chops and barbeque chicken.
My ILs love to leave pans in the oven, usually with half a roast in it or maybe a leftover pizza. I learned fast to always check to see if the oven is empty before turning it on.0 -
I've used the oven for cooking and storage (pots and pans only). I also use it to heat up the kitchen sometimes. Took me a few years to understand the drawer underneath wasn't for storing pots and pans, but the broiler.
While touring apartments a leasing agent had several stories of her residents lighting kitchen towels and things on fire in their broiler drawers. I don't think ranges are built that way anymore. I thought the broiler was broken on my range when I moved into my current house. I put some garlic bread in the bottom drawer, set to broil and the bread only got slightly warm. My husband who had only had electric ranges looked at me like a crazy person, moved the bread to the oven, and had toasted garlic bread ten minutes later. He never believed me when I told him gas ranges typically have the broiler under the oven.
I have never heard of storing things in an oven before. That sounds like a terrible idea. I get annoyed enough when I discover I forgot to take out the baking stone last time I used it. I use my oven almost daily. I can't imagine having to clear my pot and pan collection first. Besides, where do you put all that stuff while you are cooking?2 -
My grandma, born in 1907, would dry her hair in the oven. That was a startling sight to behold for the first time.
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RestlessinNYC wrote: »I live in New York, the oven is my largest storage closet.
Carrie Bradshaw kept sweaters in her oven0 -
As a kid, I used to take out the racks and create my own dream theatre.
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Uhm..maybe I'm the only one that grew up poor but we used it to heat the house..???!..
We had an old Roper gas oven when I was a kid (80s-90s) where the gas inside had to be lit with a match. We used it for cooking not storage, but once or twice after a blizzard knocked out the power/heat, we curled up on the kitchen floor near the oven to stay warm.
My parents used the dishwasher for storage. My brother and I were the dishwashers. All my adult life all I truly wanted was a dishwasher and a garage. Still working on the 2nd one.5 -
jennybearlv wrote: »I've used the oven for cooking and storage (pots and pans only). I also use it to heat up the kitchen sometimes. Took me a few years to understand the drawer underneath wasn't for storing pots and pans, but the broiler.
While touring apartments a leasing agent had several stories of her residents lighting kitchen towels and things on fire in their broiler drawers. I don't think ranges are built that way anymore. I thought the broiler was broken on my range when I moved into my current house. I put some garlic bread in the bottom drawer, set to broil and the bread only got slightly warm. My husband who had only had electric ranges looked at me like a crazy person, moved the bread to the oven, and had toasted garlic bread ten minutes later. He never believed me when I told him gas ranges typically have the broiler under the oven.
I have never heard of storing things in an oven before. That sounds like a terrible idea. I get annoyed enough when I discover I forgot to take out the baking stone last time I used it. I use my oven almost daily. I can't imagine having to clear my pot and pan collection first. Besides, where do you put all that stuff while you are cooking?
Oh I am the same way with the broiler - until the oven I have now the broiler has always been the bottom drawer. And honestly I am still paranoid I am wrong (even though I have broiled before in the oven itself) so I only store the broiler pan in there.0 -
I once read that experienced home inspectors check the oven prior to turning it on.1
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We used to store baking pans and stuff in the oven. I pretty much stopped because taking everything out anytime I wanted to use the oven is a PITA0
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