If that is the only place you can put it, it's not a big deal, seen quite a few people have them there if tight on space, not to mention how often do you really use it and how far of a walk to get in and out?

We have ours there and it’s fine but we use a microwave pretty rarely. Our pantry is accessed from inside our kitchen so it’s very close.

It's definitely a personal preference. For our family, we love it in the pantry! A small countertop fits our needs and didn't want it taking up valuable real estate in the kitchen.

https://www.younghouselove.com/let-the-pantry-party-commence/

I follow YHL and that's a link to Young House Love's panty with a microwave and how it was accomplished.

I don’t like walk in pantries but this depends on how much you use the MW, if rarely put it there if often IMO a big PITA to use there. I make bacon every morning I would never do a built in one they just don’t long enough so do what works for you.

It gets used multiple times a day. I have to choose between putting it in a weird, less aesthetically pleasing place in my perimeter lower cabinets or in the pantry where it will look better but be more inconvenient.

Could you sketch out where your placement is? Our microwave is a drawer, lower cabinets, in the perimeter.

We use ours multiple times a day, too, and having to go into the pantry would be a real pain. (We eat leftovers for bfast and lunch.)

Patricia, what does PITA mean?

PITA = Pain In The <butt>

cd7733 Ya I’m considering a microwave drawer in my lower cabinet perimeter. I just don’t like how it will look. But I may need to sacrifice form for some function here.

You don't have to do a built in. This piece of crap broke when it was less than two years old and had to be replaced. Easy enough when it wasn't built in.

My microwave is in the pantry, but it's just around the corner from the fridge, so it isn't at all inconvenient. I do appreciate it not taking up space in the main part of the kitchen.

We ended up getting a speed oven instead of a traditional microwave. That way, we at least gain another oven in exchange for the real estate that we had to give up.

We are very happy with this choice, as we use all of our ovens quite frequently. But I have to about that this is not a very cost efficient solution. A speed oven is a lot more expensive than a basic countertop microwave oven. So, this only works if you wanted an additional oven anyway

I have one in my pantry now and it’s fine. It’s a little out of the way—on the other side of the island, but it’s no big deal. We use it multiple times a day. We will soon remodel and I will replace the microwave with a speed oven like I have in my other home because I need the second oven and I don’t have wall space. But if we were not redoing the kitchen, I would be happy to keep it in the pantry.

I would walk across two rooms to get to it before I would put a microwave on a counter!

I have my MW in the pantry, and love its location there. Out of the way, and out of sight. We are not frequent MW users. If you do decide to keep your MW on a shelf in the pantry, make sure you have landing space very close by to set down the hot dishes after they’ve been microwaved.

The drawer MWs are a great idea, but are more expensive than a countertop MW placed on a shelf. The drawer MWs are all made by Sharp, so if you decide to get one, don’t pay up for a different brand, because it’s really just a re-badged Sharp.

I am not a fan of the slow-close and slow-open of the MW drawer, so that would be a drawback for me.

I am currently playing with placement of the microwave for a kitchen/pantry renovation.

I have ruled out the drawer style or built in. My options are the pantry, over the stove/hood or shelf in upper cabinets.

I loved the placement of my microwave in my last kitchen - actually I loved my last kitchen. It functioned perfectly for me. The microwave was next to the pantry and not in my workspace.

My sister's microwave placement also seems to work well.

I currently have a microwave over the range and it is a space saver - leaving me with additional usable counter and cabinet space, but it seems that when I have a second cook in the kitchen we are both in the same space at the same time since the oven, stove and microwave are all together in one 30" space.

I don't see a reason to spend the extra for a built in vs placing a counter top version on a shelf and don't like the idea of having it below waist level. Cooking may be okay at that level, but I would hate cleaning the inside of the microwave at that level.

BTW - if your pantry is located behind one of the kitchen walls like my sister's pantry is I think her version of an appliance garage is spectacular. The wooden backsplash area are actually doors. Her counter top extends onto a shelf in her pantry that holds all of her small appliances.

Mine is a cheap micro that is on a shelf in a deep reach in pantry. Its slightly below chest level so no bending or reaching. Its roughly 3 ft from the counters, so for me no issue to just pivot and set down a hot dish. I mostly use it for heating up leftovers, heating soup, melting butter

I origiinallly had planned and bought cabinetr and short door for a built in micro next to fridge. After reading the reviews, decided to try a cheap one in pantry 1st to see how I liked it. So luckily I was able to order a full length door for my cabinet next to fridge since the micro in pantry is perfect for me .