Kitchen Designer In UK Has Never Added An OTR Microwave

Kitchen Designer In UK Has Never Added An OTR Microwave | 10 minute rant about OTR's

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Күн бұрын

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I think it's apparent by now that I am not an OTR Microwave lover. I did not realize the extent to which they are virtually unknown to most of the world.
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Пікірлер: 55

@MrKlawUK 6 ай бұрын

when we hear Americans saying they do this to save space then we look at our UK kitchens being the size of your pantry :)

@mickeyc3096 6 ай бұрын

I appreciate your views concerning the OTR microwave. My microwave is over the range and will remain there for space reasons. I’ve had no problem with reaching it nor with safety. I don’t mind the design look. I do agree about proper ventilation. Different strokes for different folks.🙂

@rjones3955 3 ай бұрын

1) In a household with more than one person, the OTR means anyone cooking on the range is blocking the microwave from everyone else. 2) If the OTR is to code, it's so high you're reaching up to lift hot food which could spill on you. If the OTR is at a comfortable level, it's too close to the range and makes it difficult to use the back burners. 3) I never thought the OTR looked particularly bad, but I just redid my kitchen without one. The open space there is beautiful and makes a nice focal point. 4) I'm sure people are still putting in the OTR, because every contractor I talked to was shocked, and all I heard was gasps of, "WHERE will you put your microwave?" They can't imagine a kitchen without it. I opted for a compact style sitting on the countertop. Works great, and now when the microwave breaks I won't have to call someone to help with install of the new one.

@hernar2 6 ай бұрын

North Americans feel the same way when we see a washing machine in British kitchens….

@wendycoyne2899 6 ай бұрын

We have tiny homes compared to most of the world, no room for laundry rooms.

@rjones3955 3 ай бұрын

I'm in the US and have my washer/dryer in my kitchen. It's one of my favorite things about my house. The key is the laundry is on the opposite side of the room from all the food prep, not integrated in the bank of cabinets/counter. I have full size machines in a closet with folding doors.

@keradee8742 6 ай бұрын

I've entertained alternate placement ideas for my microwave but when it comes down to it, an OTR it will remain. I have back issues that will only get worse as time goes on. Reaching up is less painful than bending. Good debate Mark.

@LDSW 6 ай бұрын

Here's something to think about -- An OTR microwave is usually installed over the range due to the size and the placement of the kitchen in the home (no external wall that allows installation of a ventilation system that vents to the outside). I first paid attention to this detail after I moved from home during the 1970s. To fast forward to today, this situation is precisely the same (and continuing) issue that I have with my current kitchen -- center townhouse that has an L-shaped 10'x12' kitchen with an external wall adjoining the next townhouse. The other walls in the kitchen include an external wall with a large window, an internal wall that separates the kitchen from the formal 10'x12' dining area , and another internal with a narrow pantry (the hall closet is on the other side of this wall). The construction of kitchens in these modern townhomes is nothing like the kitchen in the old rowhouse where I grew up in Washington, DC (the rowhouse was built in 1911). The small kitchen in my parents' rowhouse had both a stove (range) and sink that backed to an external wall.

@JackieofAllTrades 6 ай бұрын

@GammyTobin, I am sure the OTR in your kitchen is fabulous! ❤

@MTKDofficial 6 ай бұрын

really?! lol

@joemanzo4453 12 күн бұрын

If I remember correctly, the idea of it was supposed to be a “space saver” way back when microwaves first came out and they were pretty big, so if you wanted a microwave but your kitchen was small, this supposed to be the best option.

@GretchenSchaefer 6 ай бұрын

Despise! I spent the money to have an outlet installed in a base cabinet that has a drawer at the bottom and then a shelf to hold a standard compact countertop microwave. I don't find it too low (I think drawer style MW - in addition to being way more expensive, are lower than my setup) and if my mw dies, it's easy to replace. A friend had a finicky bosch drawer microwave that finally gave up the ghost a few weeks ago (after only a few years) and now has put a counter-style MW in the hole left behind - but it's MUCH lower than my setup, they will probably reconfigure the cabinet to raise it up.

@tricia8727 6 ай бұрын

Great video Mark. It sums up my beef with with OTRs in a nice concise way. Lol I can see why someone may like it if they are the only cook in the kitchen, and the microwave is rarely used. However, if there is anyone in the house that likes to reheat coffe, tea, hot chocolate, or any other beverage, the person using the cooktop or oven has to move out of the way. I think my biggest issue is 2 ppl trying to use 2 different appliances in the same space. I understand this may not be an issue for some ppl though. And some kitchens may have super limited countertop space.

@dorothy1138 6 ай бұрын

I like my microwave over my stove complete with the fan. Love it that way. Sorry.

@lynnrose7562 6 ай бұрын

I like that cooking is all in one place.

@PeloquinDavid 6 ай бұрын

Function! Function! Function! An OTR makes it IMPOSSIBLE to properly ventilate the area of the kitchen (the cooktop/stove) that is MOST in need of ventilation! This is especially true if you have a gas appliance (it's likely not up to code/illegal regardless of jurisdiction) but unless you cook nothing on the cooktop/stove that splatters or steams (i.e. you don't cook at all!) it's true of its induction and electric versions too...

@---ey6hj 6 ай бұрын

I feel like otr started with late 90s apartments being built, as a way to save space. It functioned and worked back then

@trinaroe5132 6 ай бұрын

I agree that when they were first invented they were often the only way to fit a microwave into a tiny galley apartment kitchen. They also offered the benefit of venting even if just recirculating through a filter which most apartments I rented or toured back in the days before OTRs came out did not have. Apartment dwellers may not have cared about no vent hood. But as microwaves became more popular there was absolutely no where else to put one in older apartments or newer apartments with the same ubiquitous kitchen layout. And as codes changed requiring ventilation they killed two birds with one stone.

@user-if7uj6ls2r 6 ай бұрын

When we lived in Spain, we had a single wall kitchen that was basically a hallway to the yard. There was a washer and a sink…no cupboards, no fridge, no stove. The tenant had to provide those. There was no room for a microwave. Now we have an OTR and I’m too short to really appreciate it…but it came with the fifth wheel.

@mavisjones4750 6 ай бұрын

I've never lived in a house that had a OTR. When I redid the kitchen last year, I came close to adding one. However, the one that I wanted wasn't in stock, so I ended up just putting in a recirculating hood, again, which ironically doesn't come out as far as the one that it replaced. This summer, I visited a relative that has an OTR in her kitchen. While I was there for only a few days, it made me thankful that I did not go the route of the OTR. Made me even further aware of all the issues I had with an OTR. I'm short and I'm a klutz; therefore, me reaching and leaning over a hot pot to access an OTR is a recipe for disaster. I still remember when I bought my house back in 2004 and my realtor told me that I needed to add an OTR because it would help when I got ready to sell the house. I honestly looked at her like she was crazy. In my head, I'm thinking it's a fricking small appliance, how the heck is that going to help resale.

@MTKDofficial 6 ай бұрын

100% Mavis!

@luzy 6 ай бұрын

🤦🏻‍♀️ that says it all

@TMB62 6 ай бұрын

I haven't ever lived in a home with an OTR. I have been in a lot of other homes that have them. So many people hate them but I don't think they can see past that particular design though.

@kimherben7866 6 ай бұрын

I think people are used to them from apartments or condos, then when they move into a house, they think that's where they should go. I am so short, it isn't practical. Plus, I use our stove daily, so I have a strong vent hood to the outside. Our RV has otr, but it is shorter, so I can sort of reach it and the vent goes to the outside.

@darlene19668 6 ай бұрын

Now I don’t have a microwave by choice, I think people do try to space save…yet in the same way I think people open kitchen walls to give the effect of larger kitchen. Separate kitchen still my choice ❤👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

@ninaotan7811 5 ай бұрын

Agree on separate kitchen. It is mostly place of work and I personally prefer not to see my stove when I want to relax or to be a kitchen tap a central feature of my family/living room.

@cindystuder9090 4 ай бұрын

I like that it clears my countertop of an ugly appliance, all the ugly is in one space. I hate that it's so high up. I'm just barely over 5 feet tall. Annoying to use and especially clean.

@cakedupkevin 6 ай бұрын

I'm helping design my parents' kitchen remodel and my mother has mentioned the OTR multiple times but I have told her that there are much better options. We will see...

@MTKDofficial 6 ай бұрын

Stand your ground. lol

@simplelifesg3459 6 ай бұрын

I live in south east Asia and OTR microwaves aren’t sold here. Maybe because we need better cooker hoods to ventilate the kitchen for the type of cooking we do, and because we are generally shorter than Americans. 😂

@jerrymcgee4452 4 ай бұрын

Good opinions that I really thought of, but the OTR microwave was the option to not having a microwave at all. My sink got bigger and so did the fridge and with the addition of a beverage fridge I had no more room to lose so I had to go OTR or not at all.

@MTKDofficial 4 ай бұрын

And that's a perfect reason!

@user-if7uj6ls2r 6 ай бұрын

I prefer a small microwave in the coffee bar because reheating coffee is what it’s best at.

@bc5441 3 ай бұрын

I get the rant, but what is the solution? I think it’s a space issue in many North American kitchens. Drawer microwaves are a great accessibility solution, but they steal storage space that is often at a premium. When we built our home we were surprised to learn that venting the OTR outside was an upgrade, but we immediately chose to add it.

@ChiefExecutiveCat 6 ай бұрын

OTR is an absolute NO-GO in Germany. 🙂

@1979royalknight 6 ай бұрын

I have never been a big fan of the OTR because I feel they get in the way of using the range and most times if they are vented properly you lose space in an already small cabinet above the OTR . I have however decided to try the low profile version on my first kitchen remodel. I decided to vent it out of the wall and not into the cabinet. Also there is a custom 18" from the wall outand 13" from the soffit above cabinet. I have a small kitchen so this is why I decided to do this (first time OTR for me). If this does not work out I will get a countertop microwave and a mobile stainless cart to put it on and put a regular exhaust hood in place of where the OTR is now. Also I have an Induction range so do not need 1000 cubic feet per minute to vent my kitchen, 400 CFM works fine. I have been using this for over a year now and it is definitely not blocking me from using the range in any way. The plater in my microwave is just below eye level for me and I do not use the microwave every day.

@karencap1690 2 ай бұрын

Vegetables are boiling on the hob, you get burnt trying to lift food from the microwave which is also hot!!!!

@audrey5941 6 ай бұрын

So… genuinely curious here, if OTR is not good, base cabinet is not good…what are we suggesting is good? Countertop? I have a beast of a microwave squatting on a sizable chunk of countertop real estate in my small kitchen. I intend to renovate the kitchen in the next few years, and I was looking forward to getting the microwave off the counter. Where am I going to house the microwave? I don’t think this video addressed where it is acceptable,

@MTKDofficial 6 ай бұрын

Hey Audrey. This video breaks down my thoughts on microwaves. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hpTaf6JslsaKqK8 In your case, if you want it off the counter and you have space for it, a microwave built into a pantry cabinet is probably the best option. It can be designed with a pullout landing surface too. I do think that countertop height is the best placement, but I realize you need to devote countertop space for that. So it's a nasty trade off. Personally for me, the OTR would be the last option, but lots of others love them, so it comes down to what works for the homeowner. My microwave is in a base cabinet, but we hardly use it so it's not an issue. Hope that helps a little. sorry for the long reply.

@jamesmacintyre1415 6 ай бұрын

Yup had one itvdied now it sits there covering a hole behind it from previous owner. Am going to redo kitchen so not replacing it that being said. 3 years later now lol

@veronicastollar433 6 ай бұрын

I've never had an OTR microwave and I wouldn't want one. I can't imagine taking out some hot soup and dropping it from that height. Could lead to some serious injuries. I'm in the US and wish people would stop doing this. 😊

@MTKDofficial 6 ай бұрын

I'm with you!

@5610winston 4 ай бұрын

Not a big fan of the OTR, but in my small galley it is the only place it makes sense.

@MTKDofficial 4 ай бұрын

Yeah sometimes it’s the only way.

@klosettreat 6 ай бұрын

It doesn’t work effectively. I’m looking to change mine out and replace it with a regular range

@JeanneKinland 3 ай бұрын

We installed our own OTR and yes it's a headache. My dilemma is the stove exhaust would have to be facing the front of our house and I don't want a vent on the front of my house. We have a two story house so it can't go up. The other option is putting it in an island and how do you vent an island cooktop in a two story house. The other option is to vent it into the garage. I'm designing the kitchen now and I could place the cooktop anywhere. Any suggestions?

@MTKDofficial 3 ай бұрын

It's hard to say without seeing the layout. A down draft is an option, but as a last ditch solution.

@karencap1690 2 ай бұрын

How can you even see if the food is cooked in the microwave- it’s so high!

@micahsmom1883 4 ай бұрын

I am not a fan at all of the OTR, I am have been talking about safety concerns for a long time and people think I am crazy. We are putting in a new kitchen and I refuse to have a microwave above 4' and I want it built into my cabinets. I also am a hard sell because I only have a microwave so my husband can heat his water for coco.