For me, it wasn't a matter of what was *in* the pantry, I just didn't want to waste valuable counter real estate on an ugly box that I use for maybe three things, that's all :)

I agree with rpets.
My microwave is in the pantry because I didn't want to waste counter space, didn't want to have to duck to use it and didn't want it exposed at eye level. Hence, it is hidden in the pantry and wouldn't have it any other way.
I only wish I had a bigger pantry to fit the rest of the stuff that do belong there;)

Ditto! We just finished building a walk-in pantry and are planning on removing our over-the-range microwave and putting one in the pantry. We mainly use it just to heat water, soup and the occasional hot dog. I'm happy to get it out of the kitchen proper.

I use my microwave for re-heating coffee, occasionally for melting butter, and even more rarely, for defrosting meat if I didn't plan ahead for dinner. Not much else. I could probably function just fine without having a microwave at all. So mine is going in my laundry/pantry area..,just a few steps from the kitchen. Can't wait to be rid of the ugly OTR micro and have a decent, quieter, more powerful, and attractive hood.

Well, my kitchen is small, my "pantry" is really just a 24" deep floor to ceiling cabinet next to the frig, not a separate closet or walk-in space. So having the MW in the pantry just means that it is not on a counter where space is at a premium. And, as mentioned above, it is at a convenient level, and out of sight when not needed. And not over the stove.

Even if I did have a separate, old fashioned pantry, it would make sense to me to keep it there if it were only a few steps away from the prep area.

I use my MW all the time, without even thinking about it, mostly to reheat, soften, melt. Although I have a small kitchen I have enough counter space for my MW. It's mostly hidden in a spot out of my prep/cooking zone that wouldn't be used for anything else.

My microwave is in the kitchen and we used it every day for something - vegetables or whatever. I don't think my microwave is any uglier than any other oven or appliance. I would not however, take up counter space with a free-standing.microwave..

I use my micro more than my stove. So it has to be OTR for me.
I have room in my pantry, but it wouldn't be handy. I wish they made smaller OTRs. I certainly don't need one that holds a turkey! That does go in the oven.

I use my microwave a lot. I work full-time and have kids, so I cook large batches of food that can be reheated over 2-3 days. Knowing that there are tasty, healthy leftovers that can quickly be served up at the end of a crazy day makes me VERY happy :-). Our regular weekday rotation include lots of stews and soups, with whole grain or rice side dishes -- things that reheat easily and well in the microwave. We installed an under-counter drawer microwave. If you also use the microwave a lot, then putting it in the pantry is probably not a great idea.

As others have said, I wanted my MW off the counter and out of sight, so it's on a shelf in my pantry. I also liked that I could place the MW at a height I liked with the adjustable pantry shelves. I do not microwave much - milk for coffee, sometimes potatoes, occasionally something frozen, that's it.

Hooray for Kitchens Forum where I learned about putting an outlet in my pantry. While the electrician was here doing other electrical work for my kitchen, I had him put the outlet in my pantry. Very convenient.

We cook large batches of food and then live off the leftovers for several days. This means most of our meals are reheated in the microwave, so we use our microwave often.

Our microwave is in our pantry cabinet (we don't have a separate room) for several reasons.

I don't like to have things that live on the counters. Those things look cluttered, they seem to create clutter babies, and they prevent me from cleaning up easily because now I have all these things to wipe in and around rather than a big flat surface that can be cleaned with one easy swipe. I find it visually and functionally bad to have junk on the counters. When I see big, wide open, empty stretches of counter, it looks like a lovely calm kitchen inviting me to cook.

One of the focuses of our remodel was creating a place for everything so nothing had to be on the counters. So putting the microwave on the counter was never an option.

On top of that, our kitchen is small enough that there wasn't a natural place for a built-in microwave. And those microwaves cost more anyway.

Our pantry cabinet is in the kitchen so it's not like a trek to the microwave. And it is just on a shelf in the pantry. Didn't have to be a certain color or anything because it is behind the cabinet door, no extra money to build it in, and no difficulty at all replacing it if need be.

So the microwave is in the pantry because it was cheap, easy, handy, and not on my counter.

Great point about outlets in the pantry. My DH (smart man!) made sure we had one on each wall.

I have 2 mw ovens. One is an otr and the other is on a custom shelf. We love and use them both. I, too, would find a big mess if they were hidden in a pantry. Like a kid is going to clean up splattered spaghetti? And what if all 3 of the kids warmed up the spaghetti and all of them forgot to use the cover? I don't have the energy to mediate that. Just an example. Haha. Mine are all grown!

My messmaker would leave the MW dirty wherever it might be, in a pantry or on the counter!

Ours is built-in to pantry cabinet next to fridge, which seems perfect for us. Our microwave is used many times per day by everyone in the house, so it would be a significant inconvenience if we had to go to the walk-in pantry to use it. I also wouldn't want food mess in the pantry. That being said, I'd probably consider it if the only other options were countertop or OTR.

After our kitchen reno last year, our microwave ended up staying in the basement laundry room, lol. That's where we put it temporarily during the reno and we realized just how little we used it....honestly, maybe twice in the 9 months it took to finish the kitchen. That is not near enough use to give it space on the new counters so it stayed on the laundry table. I would be perfectly happy getting rid of it and wouldn't even notice it but DH is afraid he will get a wild craving for microwave popcorn the day after we toss it!!!

My MW lives on the counter. It's a cute little thing, with a rounded back so it fits neatly in a corner. I don't have a separate pantry (food and appliances are in the cabinets in the kitchen), and I don't have enough cabinet space, either upper or lower, to devote to a MW.

We use it for heating water, cooking veggies, melting butter (for popcorn, which we cook on the stove!), and reheating leftovers. I moved a lot of things off the counters during the remodel - knife blocks, toaster, canisters - so having one little appliance on the counter is still a lot less clutter than what I used to have.

I'm another seldom micro user, couple times a week maybe. Only appliance I use less is the warming drawer.
If I had a pantry, they both would definitely be in there. ... chris

We did this. It is built in to the pantry but faces out in to the kitchen. The island is right behind it if counter space is needed to set something down. Works perfect for us.

If I ever want a microwave, it's going in my pantry as well. I think they're an eye sore and somewhat of a nuisance, not worth the real estate in the kitchen.... that said, I like what JDez did even though it's in the kitchen.... it would be a great place for books if they were like me and didn't want a microwave.

I'm curious as to why people think a microwave is more of an eyesore than any other built-in or countertop appliance. I doesn't look better or worse to me than a toaster, toaster oven, coffee maker, soda stream, etc.

I agree - why is a microwave an eyesore? Granted, if I had my druthers, I'd have an old style stove in the kitchen - a wood stove designed to be used for cooking. But I don't have the patience or skills to cook much using wood heat...at any rate - why is a MW any worse than, say, a range?

I cook with our MW a lot, especially since it's usually just the two of us. It's faster than using a stove/range, doesn't dirty up as many dishes, and doesn't heat up the house in the summer. So - our MW has a place of its own, tucked under a counter. Very convenient. I don't know why I would want to hide it in a pantry - am I missing something here?

Honestly, until I joined GW I never even considered NOT putting a mw on the counter. Where else is it gonna be? I've had 2 OTR micros and they got in my face while trying to cook.

To me, it is a countertop appliance, just like a toaster, coffee maker, toaster oven, stand mixer, blender or food processor.

I have a large walk in pantry with a full size fridge, I have my kitchen proper with a toaster oven and stand mixer and I have a wet bar/beverage station area that has my coffee maker, espresso maker and microwave all in a line, all on the counter.

My microwave is used to reheat leftovers (honest to goodness question here, how did people do this before MWs?!?!?) reheat my coffee, melt butter and make microwave popcorn.

I don't really use it for "cooking" but if I'm not home and my husband is making dinner, he will use it to heat frozen vegetables instead of steaming them on the stove like I do.

I guess what I'm trying to say is I've never seen a reason to try to "hide" it anymore than I've tried to "hide" my coffee maker.

Yes, you are missing something. The fact that some of us use our microwaves much more rarely than you do. I could easily live without one at all but do find it handy a few times a week so it's worth keeping around, just not out in the open.

Personally, I don't like the looks of any smaller appliances. If I couldn't have a microwave hidden, I would only have a built-in or one that sat in a cabinet and was made to look built-in. The only appliance I have out in the open is my KA mixer and I'm planning my remodel so I can hide that even though, as far as appliances go, it's pretty darn nice looking. I just can't stand countertop clutter in general and appliance clutter in particular. And I can't wait to replace my OTR microwave with a nice hood that will function better and be more streamlined which will be more pleasing to my eye.

I also don't like the looks of refrigerators and am glad my remodel will make mine look built-in and, thus, less of a visual monolith. While others are proud to show off their fridges. That's fine. We're all different and viva that difference.

And I'd wager that most people aren't putting microwaves in pantries located in Outer Mongolia but in spaces close to their kitchen so it's not an inconvenience to walk a few steps to use it.

I don't think there's a right or wrong answer with microwave placement. Whatever fits someone's functional needs and their aesthetic inclinations is fine.

And I'd wager that most people aren't putting microwaves in pantries located in Outer Mongolia but in spaces close to their kitchen so it's not an inconvenience to walk a few steps to use it.

I understand that there are some people who don't like anything on their counters, including small appliances. Obviously, I'm not one of them. I'm just curious why the microwave in particular gets so much vitriol - but not the toaster, toaster oven, coffee maker, mixer, blender, etc.

Ha, now that's a good question! I have no idea. I dislike them all equally. Maybe it's because microwaves tend to be bigger than the others?

In all fairness, this is completely about personal preference. There's no right or wrong. I wouldn't want a coffee maker or toaster or mixer permanently on my countertop either.... but I've never jumped back and gasped in horror at seeing it in other people's kitchens :). Part of it may be that my kitchen is on the smaller side, and it could look cluttered very easily if I wasn't choosy about what goes on the counter and I'd feel claustrophobic if it was above the range (I don't have many upper cabinets for the same reason). Also, I'm very fond of my countertop choice and I'd hate to hide it with appliances.

Texas_Gem, I reheat in the oven (either small convection or range oven depending) or on the stove top, drink my coffee while it's hot, or just consider it ice coffee after that (never reheated it when I had a microwave either) and I make my popcorn on the stove top (it's SOOOO good)

but I've never jumped back and gasped in horror at seeing it in other people's kitchens :)

Exactly!

Mags- Doesn't that take a lot longer to reheat than 30 seconds in the micro? I grew up with a MW so to me, its just the normal way you heat leftovers, I've never known anything different, hence the question.

As far as popcorn goes though, trust me, hubs is the one who eats microwave popcorn, not me!! I grew up with a dad pulling out an air popper every Friday night to make popcorn to watch movies. Pretty sure the first appliance I bought when I moved out was an air popper. If I want popcorn, I make it that way. :)

I melt the butter and drizzle it on as it pops out, yum!!! Excuse me, I need to go make some now, haven't had any in a month or 2. ;)

" I'm just curious why the microwave in particular gets so much vitriol - but not the toaster, toaster oven, coffee maker, mixer, blender, etc."

That is curious isn't it? lol.

I suppose part of the reason is that micro's not only take up the equivalent counter space of 2 or 3 small appliances, they also visually take up a block of space. Can be annoying for those with limited counter space, and those who prefer to keep their counters as clear as possible.

Mine sits on a shelf 14" above a counter. Works well because there is landing space for the hot bowl/plate directly beneath. Someone else might prefer the upper cab storage instead.

I like the idea of a micro in the pantry in theory. In practice I wouldn't want to walk too far carrying a hot bowl of soup from the pantry to table. So I think micro placement really depends on how and how often the appliance is used. In some households, on the counter may well be the best spot.

Hi Texas_Gem. It does take longer than the 30 seconds that it takes to heat in the microwave. It's just my preferred method of heating. I enjoy being in my kitchen so it's not that big of a deal to me, and convenience has never been part of this equation for me b/c I don't find it inconvenient to heat it on the stove. I prefer my hot water to come from a whistling teapot on my stove (shout out to my Simplex tea kettle, made in England), b/c it feels like more of an experience to me (childhood memories and all).

I can honestly say, the ONLY thing I miss about a microwave (which I didn't miss enough to make me get one) is being able to put a bowl of ice cream in it for 15 seconds to get it the tiniest bit melty. Now I have to patiently wait for it to heat by room temperature, which means I don't get alot of melty ice cream. lol.

I don't think the microwave is an eyesore....but it does take up a lot of space on the counter (I even have a purportedly small one). We put ours around the corner from the kitchen in the dining room on a sideboard. Looks fine, out of the way, we only use it to heat leftovers or melt butter.

I'm with SJ and Gladys. If you allow small appliances on your counter (I realize some don't), why is a MW considered unworthy? I get it if you don't use it much. It might not be as cute as my yellow stand mixer but it's nestled in a crook of my G-shaped kitchen and you don't even see it until you're right in front of it.

Someone asked what did we do before MWs. They weren't commonly used when I grew up. My mom was a fabulous cook and a careful person, but I cannot tell you how many times the smell of scorched food wafted through the house as she tried to heat leftovers. Ugh, I'll never forget that smell or when she told us never mind, the food wouldn't taste of scorch.

Besides, I have no extra room in my pantry because that's where I store cats.

{{gwi:2136479}}

Our microwave is the most used appliance in our kitchen. I have a built-in GE microwave that is 20yo. If I could, I'd put my regular oven in the pantry!

I find it amazing that it has taken almost 20y for most manufacturers to have built-in microwaves in their line-ups. My current plan is to nix the regular oven entirely and get a convection/steam oven and a MW/speed cook oven. That combo severely limits my choice of manufacturers though. In 3q, Wolf is coming out with a not-undercounter built-in MW which looks awesome, but it won't be speed-cook. Bummer.

Mine will be out of sight in a drawer.