Avoid number one. For a below counter microwave, don’t do a drawer, just do a regular one. We’ve had them in a few houses and love them bc easy for kids and no risk of an adult spilling something boiling or whatever. We’ve had a few brands. Wolf has been the best but Samsung and KitchenAid are also fine.

We did #3. My parents did #2.

I will say that it's complicated finding a small microwave for a walk in pantry. And technically I think it's supposed to be on it's on circuit. We like my parents' microwave drawer a lot. We have a dedicated outlet in one of our drawers and we'd intended to put a microwave drawer in, but we wanted the drawer for storage space (we had babies and lots of bottles/plastic plates and cups). In the future it would be an easy swap.

I think either a counter top microwave or a below counter drawer are the safest options. Microwaves that are high up aren't safe for kids or short people like me. Microwaves in hoods are an okay option for an apartment kitchen, but they are pretty cheap looking in a sfh.

Anonymous wrote:I would opt for a countertop microwave or one that could fit on a shelf (hopefully in an out of the way place). Personally, I only use a microwave to heat up a plate of food so why are they SO big?

Choice 3: Microwaves should remain stand-alone.

1) Microwaves break easily/die early (even the expensive ones). Don't get trapped like my mom trying to repair a not replaceable microwave because it's integrated above the stove.

2) Overhead microwaves are a burn risk for spilling hot liquid from a higher level than your chest onto yourself.

3) Counter-height has the most appropriate ergonomics even though it consumes counter space. Good for shorter kids and teens who are ready to cook.

I haven't seen a microwave drawer installation. However, I would be careful about venting (moisture/mildew) and ergonomics of bending below counter-height. Also, people who rarely use microwaves for cooking might rather have a full drawer or cabinet for storage instead of a microwave.

2 or 3. We chose 2 but if we had a larger pantry we’d probably have done 3.

I would opt for a countertop microwave or one that could fit on a shelf (hopefully in an out of the way place). Personally, I only use a microwave to heat up a plate of food so why are they SO big?

We’ve had 1 for years and it’s okay but not great. We do adore that microwave (he profile). We use a Dyson fan on the kitchen counter and open windows when the weather is decent. We are remodeling now and are going with 2. We don’t really have a good butlers pantry space. I guess the question for me with 2 versus 3 is how bad the microwave will be with 2 and how much you use it. We have a small shelf microwave in our basement and it’s so terrible. We use the microwave a far amount for things like warming milk for coffee or water for tea, defrosting, softening butter for baking, steaming vegetables, reheating things like tamales or soup, warming muffins, etc.

We did 3. The microwave is an appliance tower that sits on the countertop. We have a coffee station and the (very inexpensive) microwave is above it, both hidden inside a cabinet. Before that the only possibility was to have it on the countertop.

Agree to avoid #1. Choosing between 2 and 3 is personal preference. How often are you going to use your microwave? Will walking to pantry be a pain? Will you appreciate the cabinet space more in the island than the use of the microwave?

For our kitchen remodel we relocated our microwave under the counter. We ended up not using a microwave drawer, as we didn’t prefer a drawer, but used this instead:

https://zlinekitchen.com/products/zline-24-convection-microwave-oven-stainless-steel-mwo-24

It was $1000. Yes that is more expensive than a $400 microwave but when you factor in a trim kit that usually runs $300, it was only $300 more total. The fact that it fit in a 24” base cabinet was worth it for us as we didn’t want a typical 30” base cabinet allocated for that.

Definitely not 1.

FWIW, we like our drawer microwave but I’d put the microwave in a pantry if that was an option for us (assuming it’s not too far from the food prep area).

Proper venting for sure.

We have a small kitchen and built a wall-mount microwave into a bank of cabinets: https://www.geappliances.com/appliance/GE-Profile-1-1-Cu-Ft-Countertop-Microwave-Oven-PCHK11S1WSS

3 !

You can always figure out microwave later. I've seen a normal microwave placed where a cabinet used to be, maybe the door was removed and shelf can be used above it. Could improvise. Or put tiny one on counter

3, no question

Can’t speak to 2 vs. 3, but I would avoid 1. My first house had no external vent over the stove and I spent every night cooking with the door open just to avoid the fire alarm going off. It was a nightmare.

If you had the choice, which kitchen setup would you prefer?

1) Stick with an over-the-range microwave that doubles as a hood—cost-free but not great for venting. Feels a bit outdated, like an early 2000s setup.

2) Install a proper kitchen hood and upgrade to a microwave drawer. Estimated cost: $4-5K

3) Install a kitchen hood and relocate a smaller microwave to a walk-in pantry or butler’s pantry. Estimated cost: ~$1-2K, avoiding the higher cost of a microwave drawer (which gets mixed reviews).