Over the range, microwave ovens, etc.

[combo52]

Over the range microwave ovens were one of the worst ideas ever widely used in kitchens.

It’s a very dangerous place to put a microwave oven not only burn hazards from working over a stove, but when you have a stove top fire, the thing can catch on fire and the rest of the house can be lost when all the plastic starts melting and burning and dripping down on the stove top fire, for this reason they’re illegal in many countries in Europe and elsewhere. I read some years ago that US insurance companies were considering charging an extra charge to homeowners that had this product because of the high rate of damage when a kitchen range top fire occurs.

Best place for a microwave Oven is on a dedicated shelf built in with the cabinetry or possibly built-in to cabinetry possibly above a wall open etc.. Of course you can put one on the countertop but why take up all your nice countertop space and then you have this big heavy clunky thing on the counter that you have to move to clean around and under it, etc..

John L

 

[donprohel]

Best place for a microwave Oven is on a dedicated shelf built in with the cabinetry or possibly built-in to cabinetry possibly above a wall open etc.. Of course you can put one on the countertop but why take up all your nice countertop space [...]

For instance, not to take up all my nice cabinet space

 

[phillymatt53]

For instance, not to take up all my nice cabinet space

I don't have much choice in my small galley kichen, however I manage pretty well.
The microwave has its place just above the Kitchenaid DW.
And next to the fridge is my "prep" area.

 

[magic_clean]

Probably the "root" cause of the stove top fires can be traced to the I-phone and its non-stop distractions.

-LP

P.S. John, please don't give the Homeowners insurance companies any more ideas on how they can justify rate increases. It's a shake down already!

 

[phillymatt53]

Probably the "root" cause of the stove top fires can be traced to the I-phone and its non-stop distractions.
-LP
P.S. John, please don't give the Homeowners insurance companies any more ideas on how they can justify rate increases. It's a shake down already!

Oh my!
Blaming that wonderful and convenient cellphone and its endless "apps" that are so attractive and needed by humans.
Billions of humans across the planet depend on those things!...... in order to live!
Even the naked tribes in the African jungles are now learning the best way to split a coconut open or build a fire by using an "App"!

 

[parunner58]

I would never have anything else. My mom had the range with the two ovens Hi/Lo. I loved it. When I bought my first house in 1984, I got a GE Profile micro/convection when I needed to replace the regular countertop microwave in the early 90's, so I could have a second baking oven. When we remodeled the whole kitchen, I got the Profile range with the convection oven and smooth top. My second house I did the same. I never had any burn, spill damage. I believe it is just a preference and cooking habit people have. I do not like the microwaves that are now being put in the lower cabinets, being 5'11'' I would find that very awkward to try set the controls. Especially with bifocals.

 

[qsd-dan]

I used OTR microwaves for 26 years, never a problem except for microwaves dying on average every 10 years. Yay for modern junk!

 

[petek]

My issue with them is they aren't very good exhaust fans . I spent extra on getting a powerful hood fan with 600 fpm which handles any smoke or unpleasant smells, so long as I can remind the other half to turn it on . LOL.

 

[rp2813]

No fan of OTR nukers here. I'm stuck with one for the time being. There's so little clearance that I can't see into a pot on the back burner (the most BTUs) unless I open the door to the microwave and stick my head partly into its cavity.

 

[luxflairguy]

Lynn and I had an OTR in our first condo. It was a GE and had a flip-out glass panel to help capture fumes. It worked OK but the best way to capture fumes was to place a paper towel over unused side. Increased the airflow immensely! But it wasn't vented outside only re-circulating! Greg

 

[neptunebob]

I think it would be great to have a microwave oven built flush into a wall, but you would have to have another room or closet behind the unit. I thought I saw one like that in one of the photos here of Christmas dinner.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

well, can't live with, can't live without...

a microwave, period...

not everybody has that premium counter-space, me included...

the over range, over range,--somewhere over my stove top...,--if microwaves were meant to melt like lemon drops, mounted over those flaming burners and steaming cooking pots...

So, right now, as my microwave still works, somehow the part of the cord right at the plug in the single-outlet over it is a bit dangerously getting frayed, and the failure to sometimes cover our food has gotten the inside beyond crud-ily splattered, we'll see how a new improved LED-cook top light and missing out on the blue LED displays to the most-likely WHITE ones will be on the readout, while we're bearing with the tired and out of fashion green, eerily and wearily staring back at us after those started out in RED...

Aside from the occasional reheating, it is good for making rice, I dislike my wife cooking eggs, though she manages to nuke it without it exploding everywhere contributing to the perpetual mess, but she won't rub the remaining yolks off the bowl, very thoroughly with the two slices of bread, when I insist she use a spatula, oil and a pan...

(More later!)

 

[vacerator]

Our GE has a 5 speed exhaust. It's very adequate. My only gripe is the door is wide because the controls run along the bottom. If you have a tight galley or a U kitchen footprint, don't get this type of door. Glad we have a wide open gourmet kitchen, being cooks and bakers.

 

[DADoES]

The trick to keeping a microwave oven clean is wiping it out after each cooking operation that generates spatters or moisture. I keep a cloth beside mine for that purpose, and I regularly change to a fresh cloth from the supply in my rag-drawer. It's an interesting concept. Sometimes I even wash the glass turntable.

 

[pstehle]

I hate ours in general, however I like it's location over the range. There's no meaningful amount of exposed plastic that would light off from a stovetop fire. It has a MISERABLE vent system and a mediocre light. The cooking performance is acceptable, though there's a door switch that's failing, so you have to slam the sh*t out of it from time to time to get it to come on. The same model was used in a local retirement apartment complex, and they get swapped out each tenant change, so I have a couple spares... The house will go up for rent in a month or so, the noisy, weak fan will be someone else's issue. There's adequate counter space for another one if they hate the thing!

 

[combo52]

Over the range microwave ovens

Bear in mind I’m not criticizing anybody for having or buying this product I’m just pointing out the problems with them.

And if you have an existing kitchen that you’re not remodeling and want to add a microwave this is a good way to do it. I put one of these in for my mother about 20+ years ago because she wanted the big countertop microwave off the counter because of limited counter space.

That said you’ll never see a really nice kitchen that was designed from scratch or a high-end kitchen that puts these in as it has too many problems as people have mentioned most of all poor exhaust performance.

We replace one of these about every week. It’s a great profit builder. It’s also an expensive way to have a microwave oven because unless you’re handy, you have to pay someone to replace it and it cost about twice as much as a good countertop microwave or more.

Like nearly all microwave ovens these days these are really cheaply built now, normally when we’re consulting on a kitchen design we have the customer build a space or shelf for a microwave oven. If it’s a busy active family we suggest they buy at least two microwave ovens so they have one in the garage in the box as a spare. I even had one customer the other year that bought three of them so we wouldn’t have to worry about getting one to fit the space.

The over the range microwave ovens have about half the life over a gas stove as they do over an electric stove as gas stove puts out 2 to 3 times as much heat as an electric stove, and the combustion products are also hard on the electronics in the wiring, etc., and the plastic door etc of a microwave oven.

The best uses I’ve seen of over the range microwaves is not installing it over the stove. I’ve seen a couple of kitchens where the sink is not in front of a window and they put the microwave over the sink, which was a great location. Gave you a nice work light even, we also did a commercial kitchen in an office building where they’re not allowed to have cooking equipment, but we put three over the range microwaves under the cabinets over a countertop. The other advantage of not putting it over the stove as you don’t have to put it quite as high when you’re not worried about the heat from the range, causing it to catch on fire. It’s also really neat to not have it over stove because the things last forever compared to having it over all the grease from the stove.

We probably replace at least a dozen glass cooktops on electric ranges when they’re under and over the range microwave because people pick up that hot mug of coffee or tea and drop it on the range not realizing how hot it is and end up breaking the cooktop glass, another reason not to put them over a range, of course, in addition to the burn hazard of warming things up if the stove is in use.

John L

 

[phillymatt53]

well, can't live with, can't live without...

a microwave, period...



So, right now, as my microwave still works, somehow the part of the cord right at the plug in the single-outlet over it is a bit dangerously getting frayed, and the failure to sometimes cover our food has gotten the inside beyond crud-ily splattered,

The thing is, if splatters and crud are left on the cavity walls, it robs some of the microwave energy and efficiency to cook the food.
Because the crud absorbs the microwaves, resulting in heating the cavity walls.
Those microwaves bouncing off the cavity walls are needed to spread the waves towards the food.

 

[combo52]

Dirty inside of microwaves

Actually, the food will not heat up that’s splattered on the walls. That’s why it doesn’t burn on even if you leave it there for extended periods of time, for one there’s no moisture in it and because of the way the microwaves reflect off the metal it won’t penetrate thin little splatters enough to heat them for the same reason it also won’t burn the paint off the walls, but if you put a cup full of liquid paint in the microwave, it will heat, lol

John L

 

[vacerator]

My mom must have cleaned one of their countertop microwave interiors with a used dish cloth because the paint bubbles and it rusted. Then they got a Panasonic invertor type and it lasted a long time.

 

[Chetlaham]

My advice to those getting a lot of splatter is to buy a commercial microwave oven like a Sharp R21LCFS. They splatter WAY less and the stainless steal interior won't rust, chip or peal. Also Sharp models have enhanced cavity exhaust which reduces internal moisture buildup during cooking.