Do the different drawers in the refrigerator actually do anything?

I don't think so. I put fruit in the bottom drawer all of the time, but I don't think it keeps it fresh any longer. I put a couple grapefruit and mandarin oranges in there last night just to get them out of the way!

Ferretti advocates liberal use of the crisper drawers when storing produce. In most recently manufactured refrigerators, the crisper drawers can be adjusted for temperature and humidity. "The crispers are usually marked 'fruits' or 'vegetables' or 'cool' and 'moist.'" He also recommends storing fruits and vegetables in paper or plastic bags with holes to slightly increase temperature and humidity. "Fruits and vegetables should never be stored against the back wall of a refrigerator," Ferretti warns. "The rear wall is the coldest area of any refrigerator, so chilling injury or light freezing may occur."

http://aginfo.psu.edu/PSA/fw98/chill.html

Refrigerator Meat Drawer

I went to view my own refrigerator and my vegetable crisper has a lever to regulate the air flow to that particular drawer. Another drawer, the meat drawer, has a little vent which allows in cooler air. There is a Handy Drawer, where the cheeses and puddings are kept, it's just as it says, HANDY. The Butter compartment is mostly closed, to prohibit airflow which would harden the butter's surface, or dry it out. My new gizmo filled fridge didn't have an egg container though, so I appropriated an egg holder from the previous refrigerator. I also like the ridges on the edge of the shelves that keep spilt items from going to the bottom of the unit. :P who'd a thunk it.

The drawers have different in the fact they expose the meat & fruit to different temps and humidity due to amount of air that is alowed to flow in each compartment. The crisper does not make the fruit or veggies more crisp, it just slows down the wilting process.

if the fruit has been left at room temperature, it will feel soft, when you cool it wheather in the crisper drawer or anywhere else in the fridge, it will crisp up a little.

Another reason for the separate drawer, it keeps the other food odors and tastes from permeating the fruit.

The same goes for the meat, you would not want fishy smells on your meat?

Absolutely. On each drawer there should either be a humidity control switch. Though each brand frig is somewhat different. On some top of the line there are different drawers for fruit, veggies, cheese and meat. Each needs more or less air to stay fresh. On lower end frigs that have this, they just have different size holes to allow air into the drawers without the switches.

The fruit crisper keeps your fruit fresh longer as does the meat. The chill factor per drawer is different than the open insides of the refrigerator.

Hi Mike...It really depends on your model of frig...Does your "crisper" have a humidity slider ? If not, then no, it doesn't really do anything...Does your meat chiller have a small opening adjacent to the freezer ? This will let more cold air in to that particular drawer and keep a cooler temp than the rest of the frig...

It's quite simple actually. The reason why there are separate compartments is because it's important to separate meats from vegetables due to spreading bacteria. Also, the "fruit crisper" does maintain vegetables crispier than just leaving them out in the open on the racks.

Try testing 2 same vegatables, leave one in the fruit crisper and the other out on the racks and see what happens.

12 ugly bacterias you should avoid: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/a2z-p.html#pathogen

Yes, the crisper drawer actually keeps the batteries I store there from freezing, while the freezer keeps the Ice cream at freezing point.

Actually, a fruit crisper doesn't make fruits more crispy, it keeps the fruit fresh for longer, in other words, your fruits are "crisper" for longer. So does the meat chiller, etc etc... The different humidity level in each drawer helps preserves your food better and for longer. It is actually useful to store your food accordingly. :)