I don't think that's too far for reheating leftovers or doing snacks. In fact, if you don't use it for meal prep, it could be better to have it out of your way. We use ours for reheating foods, thawing meat, softening/melting chocolate or butter, and steaming vegetables, so it's most convenient for us to have it near the cooking area. One thing I wonder is if after you have one, you'll find uses for it that you don't envision. But in our last kitchen we had our microwave on the far end of the sink/dw leg with the stove and fridge on the other leg. Our kitchen was smaller than yours will be, but we never thought anything of it, because it was the only place it would fit and we were just happy to have a 'home' for it. I think if you have better uses for the space by the stove, this is a fine concession/compromise to make.

If you rarely use a MW to cook/warm up frozen or refrigerated foods and usually use it for snacks from items stored at the breakfast area, then that location will be fine. This is assuming it's still on the periphery of the kitchen...as a matter of fact, the periphery becomes even more important b/c you're not using it to cook with...so you don't want it where snackers will be getting underfoot. (It sounds like it will be...I assume it's on the end of the leg away from the corner.)

If you rarely use it, will it matter to you the few times you do have to walk over to it? Me, I'd rather have it closer to the refrigerator, but I use mine all the time for cooking frozen veggies, defrosting, and warming up items for meals. Yes, I also use it for making popcorn, but it's used mostly for cooking/defrosting/reheating.

Your kitchen should fit your cooking style & use...so, do what you think will work best for you!

I wouldn't worry about it. A friend in a multi-million dollar house put hers in the pantry because she didn't have another space for it,,,,and she LOVES it.

In my old kitchen I rarely used my MW for meal prep, preferring to defrost meats in the fridge and steaming veggies on the stove. It was used mostly for heating up coffee and leftovers. I hated the old location of my OTR MW, people were forever trying to reach past my face when I was standing at the stove. In the new kitchen I located the MW drawer in the island far away from my cooktop and near the fridge and snack area. I'm happy with the location, except I recently discovered the Glad steaming bags and for the first time I'm using my MW to steam veggies. It's several steps from my cutting board to my MW drawer but I don't mind it.

I think the micro should be where you will use it the most and most easily. Mine is near my cooktop and baking area because I will use it there for melting and warming things, but it is at the opposite end of my kitchen from the fridge -- which is contrary to a lot of the recommendations you'll see. My feeling is that, for things that are reheated or cooked, if they are going to make their way to the table, I'd rather carry them the length of the kitchen cold and the shorter distance to the table while hot.

If I understand your setup, it sounds like it will be close to the table for reheating and getting things to the table easily and keep snackers out of the kitchen. I would just make sure that it won't be too inconvenient if you want to use it for defrosting, melting, steaming some veggies (much faster to cook artichokes), particularly in the middle of meal preparation.

I prefer having the mw away from my range. It gets used by everybody in the family and I'd rather not have them getting in my way when I'm cooking. Having it across the room (13 ft wide room) from the range is no problem. We use the mw for a variety of purposes and it is extremely convenient for some of them and not-so-convenient for others. It would be impossible to have it in a perfect spot for all uses and it really doesn't bother me when I have to walk to it while cooking. I get tired when I stand in one place too long and I actually like to move when I cook.

We are installing ours closer to the dining area and to our peninsula that will also have a prep sink. Since our dining area is away from the cooking area, that made most sense to us, as we mostly use it for reheating. At the beginning of our renovation, we moved the microwave, so I am already used to taking extra steps to get to it, and it hasn't bothered me at all.

As others have said, it really is about the way YOU use it.

I didn't plan a spot for the MW when I was designing the kitchen (bad idea) so it ended up in the deep corner near the fridge. Not a bad place, b/c I still have a fair amount of countertop in front of it and to either side. I'd like a smaller MW since all I do is reheat small bowls/plates of leftovers, coffee cups, and steam veggies (love those Glad bags!).

I wouldn't like one by the stove since I think DH would be in my way (often he's the one who will put the veggies in and/or take them out while I'm finishing up the rest of the cooking, plating the kids' food, etc. over by the stove). Not to mention that I'd either give up a good portion of my prep space b/t the stove and sink (3ft). I have another 27" on other side of stove I don't use for prep, but no good landing spot and I like having the MW closer to the fridge.

If you use it for popcorn and coffee/hot chocolate and kitchen is near FR (with TV) then you might want it on that end.

Sorry for the delayed response, it took me a while to get the pictures together. I am glad that you guys don't consider it a big issue although I think there is a possibility of discovering new uses for the m/w. As of now, I rarely use frozen meats so that is not important. My new range's simmer works great for any melting. Cooking veggies may be an option, don't know about that, but I don't think I would mind a couple of extra steps because the overall time saving is obviously much bigger.

So here are my three options illustrated with a floor plan and a 3D (I just recently bought a copy of the BHH software on ebay and now spending too much time with it). I am playing with the colors and backsplash also, so don't mind the work-in-progress please. Also, my corner cabinet will be cut to fit the wall, I just don't know how to do it with this program yet.

Option 1 is the original - MW drawer next to the stove

Option 2 is MW drawer in the island flanked by 2 shallow cabinets. Visually I like this one the best. However, I am one of those neurotic people who worry about the m/w radiation, so I am not sure I feel safe about standing within 12" from it when it is running. If anyone is in my "camp" on this issue, please share your opinion.

Option 3 is a regular M/W at the very end. I had to modify the plan a bit to put a 27" cabinet there (enlarged the corner cabinet and shrunk all other wall cabinets). It can be by itself, with a trim kit around it, or hidden behind a door (the later is very tempting but I wonder if that means everyone will be opening the door and I will be the only one closing it :))

Options 1 and 2:

Option 3:

Small correction: the m/w depth in Option2 is incorrect on the floor plan, it should be 24"

Mine is completely out of the cooking area, and closer to my beverage sink. Out of all your plans, I like the location best which is next to the back door, with the microwave counter height.

It makes a lot of sense to have it in the bfast/snack area, considering how you want to use it, but do you still have room for the toaster and other things you want in that area with it situated as shown?

I do prefer it there for comfortable height for using it...Also prefer that you can easily use almost any regular microwave in that spot. I wouldn't put the doors on...for the reasons you cite. They'd end up being a hassle somehow. I thought about doing some kind of doors over the counter where the toaster oven lives in our house, but figured they'd always be open anyway, so why pay for them?

As far as your fear about being too close to the microwave, I've always had that nagging in my brain after reading something scary about the radiation many years ago. I don't get nuts about it, but feel it can't hurt to be cautious and avoid standing in front of it while it's going. But do you think someone would really have to stand that close to that spot if it's in the island facing the bfast center?

My undergraduate degree is in physics.

In general, the strength of microwave radiation falls off pretty quickly as a function of the square of the distance from the source. That is, for 2 inches, the drop off is a factor of 4 (2 x 2=4). For 12 inches, the drop off is a factor of 144. And that's measuring from inside of the box, assuming it is running while you're holding the door open (which they are made to not let you do.)

Then there is the whole paneling of the microwave cabinet itself that stops the waves.

To be candid, I would worry more about the light radiation you are getting on the left side of your face when you drive in your car. Remember to wear your sunscreen every day.

Ours is in the butler's pantry (a small hallway between the kitchen and dining room, near the walk-in pantry). The location works fine for us. I was at a friend's last night and hers is in her walk-in pantry.

Thanks la-koala, the information you provided is very helpful!

We don't have a butler's pantry or a walk-in pantry but it is nice to know that some people put them so far away (although they probably don't have kids, can't see a child using the m/w in a pantry and walking around with the hot food or milk)

claire and rhome, I like that location too, except after going through the threads about installing a microwave into an upper cabinet and using/not using a trim kit, it is still not very clear to me.

My biggest questions are the following three:

1. do all countertop models have the door hinge on the left side? In our case the landing space is on the left so not sure if the left hinge is ok.

2. If we do go with a countertop model in a 27" cabinet, I wouldn't want to have "air gaps" around it because my house tends to get dusty and we can hardly keep up with the dust in easy reachable locations, let alone such a narrow space. I really like how perqqderqq's or jtsgranite4us's is installed, with wood trim around them almost with no gap. Their photos are in this thread:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg1010264129049.html

So I called GE customer service today and asked about installing the GE Spacemaker this way and they told me it is not an approved installation (no room for venting) and would void the warranty. I am guessing it might also void the homeowner's insurance if there is ever an issue which they can blame on the mw. So, is there a trick to making it an "approved" installation without using a bulky trim kit?

and lastly, #3, what are the rules which would make the m/w behind a door to be an approved installation? Would it need even more space around it for venting because it would be recessed more into the cabinet?

bump

Big debate on this topic during on kitchen remodel. I didn't even want it in the kitchen but compromised on its presence if I didn't have to see it. It is now in a cupboard under our bar height center island hidden behind a pop-up, airline hanger style door. Just make sure the door clears your counter overhang. My 6'3" husband doesn't love the stoop-and-look move he has to make to start it up or take things out but we use it rarely so the trade-off is so very worth it.

thanks Lauren, do you know the width of the cabinet inside and the width of your microwave? I am trying to figure out the clearance requirements but not having much of success so far