I put my microwave and a second wall oven in my walk-in pantry.

We use the microwave a lot but it's still just steps from the breakfast area. And it's not using up counter space.

I also use that second oven a lot. It's much smaller than the oven in my 36" range and, so, it's more efficient.

I can speak to option 4. I've had a Sharp 24" micro drawer for about a month and really like it. I'm tall and have no problem operating the controls. The start button pushed once gives you 1 minute and each successive push gives you add'l minutes, so quick taps is all it takes for an easy reheat. It operates very quietly, looks good, was very easy to install once the power outlet was installed behind it and best of all it solved a design problem for me too.

{{!gwi}}

I ordered mine from an ebay retailer, bates_marketing_group. I paid $580.00 and shipping was $129.00 which was a better deal than $750.00 local price + 7% tax.

I have seen some very nice installations of microwaves behind pocket doors inside cabinets though too. I'm sure someone here will chime in on that option as well.

A few weeks ago, we tried moving our microwave oven to the walk in pantry. My husband is still upset about the smell created when cooking frozen Indian food without ventilation in the pantry! If your pantry has a fan or other ventilation, go for it. Otherwise, beware...

It depends on what you use it for, I suppose. Ours is only used for boiling water and popcorn. It is located in a walk-in pantry. After popcorn, we just leave the door open for a bit. No biggie. I love having it out of sight, along with the toaster.

I love my under counter MWO shelf. I almost always use the sensor heat, the button for which i know instinctively (without reading). Bending over has not been a problem (yet) :)

I dont like OTR or on the counter set ups.

Ours is under the counter, and the only time I have a problem is when I need to check the instructions inside the
door, to see which combination of numbers to push. Otherwise, it works just fine. I love having it out of view, as do most of our house guests. I don't have a problem with our kids trying to use it. (They're 4 and 2, so I was a bit concerned.)

I thought we were getting an open shelf, but we've got a face-frame around the microwave. You can have that recut if you get a larger model in the future. Also, our unit is raised a bit (the hole is in the upper 2/3 of the face frame ), so there's a gap between the microwave shelf and the bottom of the cabinet. If you go this route, I strongly advice rigging your frame to be removable, or hinged, so you can use this space. Also, there's room to have a drawer under all of that.

All that said, I'm fairly young, with no back or knee problems to speak of. I don't mind a minor squat to pull a bowl or cup of coffee out after they've been heating.

Hth - Cate

I have my microwave and a second oven inside my walk-in pantry. I love having them out of sight so I have a much simpler kitchen. But we leave our pantry open as it's an extension of the kitchen and the exterior door is at the end of it. It has a pocket door, but I only use that when I want the animals not to get something that's cooling on the counter.

If it were a matter of having to open and close doors all the time just to get to it, I think I'd go for the drawer microwave. ...if you can spare the storage space that a couple of drawers would provide.

We put our MW on a shelf in a base cabinet in our island. I had the shelf built to the specs of the smaller Sharp MW drawer, in case I decide to get one down the road. In the meantime, I put my cheapo MW on the shelf. It's not designed with the controls on the top or anything, but it has been very easy to operate there, even though I'm 5'11". Perhaps it's easy because I was already used to it since we had it for a couple of years before the remodel. I also don't use my MW every day--maybe three or four times per week, so it really hasn't been an inconvenience at all. And I LOVE having it off my counter!!!

Last month at a summer rental we had a standard microwave under the counter and all the adults in the house hated it. We hated having to stoop down to operate it. I think over time if I got used to the keys it would move from intolerable up to just bearable, but personally I wouldn't want it.

Anita

jakabedy, sounds like we're in the same spot. Two adults, no kids, same micro use frequency (gotta heat up the wet cat food a wee bit!). While our kitchen is not done, we are planning on putting the micro in a pantry. Like you it is not a walk in pantry. We plan to put the micro at about the same level as it would be if it were on the counter. For years it's been sitting on top of our awful fridge and I've HATED that set up. Meeting with the cabinet maker this week so we'll figure out then what type of door will be in front. Keep us posted! Eliz

imrainey-Glad to see your pantry is functioning as you planned. You were the inspiration for my pantry (still a work in progress). My wall oven in the pantry will be my only oven, but like you I want a simpler looking kitchen.

Jenn

We rebuilt our existing pantry to include a space for our microwave. It's just a shallow closet (about 18-inches deep), not walk-in. We pulled out the old pantry and drywall above to create a space that went nearly to the 9-foot ceiling. We replaced the original door (a standard 36-inch-wide, 7-foot-tall door) with three sets of double doors. Below the second set of doors -- just slightly lower than counter height -- we have an open shelf: that's where the micrrowave is. It's a bit out of the main traffic path of the kitchen but only a few steps away from the main activity zones.

We debated putting the MW behind some kind of doors (either swing up or down) but decided we use it often enough -- probably 3-4 times a day, mostly for reheating -- that having to open doors each time would be irritating.

So far I'm loving not having the MW on the counter (where it was before). And access and usability have not been a problem.

Thanks for the input, everyone. Things would be so much simpler if we had a walk-in pantry! But, alas, that is not to be. And now you've got me thinking about hiding the toaster, too. Thanks a lot! I also never considered the ventilation issue of a microwave closed up in what is essentially a closet . . .

I like Holligator's plan, using the existing micro but having the space prepared for the micro drawer should she decide to install one. Although there are a few of you who have no problem with the standard micro in an under-counter shelf, I'm still afraid that may not be the solution for the squinting pair of us.

I'm thinking we may wind up splurging on the drawer.

Thanks again, everyone!

We have our microwave and toaster oven in the cabinets with our built-in refridgerator. We have custom cabinets and have openings on each side. We also have a pull-out shelf just under the openings to use for a landing area.

Here is a picture:

Our microwave, toaster, and coffee maker are in a "breakfast station" where they can be hidden by "pocketing" doors. Works great for us. They're in a handy location and can be hidden when not in use.

jtsgranite and chipshot.

Thanks for your responses, and I love your kitchen, jts. The thing is, we won't have anything but base cabinets -- no wall-unit-type area to build in a pocket door or tambour door for a small appliance area.

Oops. My bad, jakabedy; I forgot about that detail. We removed the uppers from one side of the kitchen (now occupied by the hood and double ovens - OK there's a cabinet over them) but left them on two others. We have an extra microwave (a Panasonic purchased before we committed to a full kitchen re-do) that we're trying to find a home for; we'll probably leave it in its box for the time being.

There are cabinets (base only) in the eating area side of our kitchen's peninsula. While they're not large enough to hold a microwave (except, perhaps, one of those mini "dorm room" ones), a toaster should fit nicely and might help cut down on traffic in the cooking area.

We did option 3 (standard micro on a shelf in base cabinets) but with a twist: The base cabinet has pocket doors to hide the microwave while it's not in use.

Doors open (notice how they slide in so they're not in the way):

Doors closed:

We liked that we could just tuck our old countertop model in there and replace it cheaply when it expires.

For 15 years I lived with a MW down low, but without the doors to hide it. Frankly, after about 10 years I was tired of it down there - all that squatting. We decided not to go with a low MW during the remodel, as we could see ourselves having trouble with it down the line (knees, backs, etc). Watching my mom and dad, both in their 70s, dealing with an OTR MW, we went that route.

We do use our MW a lot, though.

DonnaR/CA