Well, the coffee maker lives under the cabinets, but when we're actually using it, we just slide it forward, so the steam doesn't affect the wall cabinets.
Once we've made the coffee and turned it off, we just push it back in place, so it's only pulled forward for the few minutes it takes to make the coffee.

I always pulled mine forward while brewing because of the steam. I never had any damage but it seemed wrong to me to have all that steam under a cabinet.

We switched from the Bunn to the Bodum that Bodum that Marcy has. It is really amazing. Comes in lots of sizes so you can do personal coffee and carry it in the same insulated cup in your car ! I love Bodum.

In answer though to your ? we never had a prob with the Bunn as it makes very limited steam and has no heating element to create more steam. So no our cupboards were not affected. c

You have to pull it forward to use it anyway. Yes, the steam can mess up your cabinets if you don't do that.

I would love to be able to put mine somewhere with no wall cabs above. Coffee makers continue to catch fire, even when they are not turned on. I know a woman whose entire newly-renovated kitchen burned down. Perhaps sitting on a stone top with nothing above it, it might have done less damage.

DH said he pulls the coffeemaker out to use also. Have to for the water. I push it back when I take out the grounds to clean (hours later when I get up).

I have mine positioned so that it is away from the uppers and it sets on a trivet. Permanant spot.

My cabinets are brown to start with. So I can't tell if they are coffee-stained.

Well my cabs are white, and I didn't used to pull it out and have had not damage BUT I now have LED light bars under the cabs and so I'm afraid steam may damage those. So I slide it a little sideways on the peninsula just to clear the upper cabs.

I use the Keurig coffee pot. No steam with this coffe pot so it stays part way under the cabinet. And we love making our individual cups of coffee.

Like many others - I pull it out to make the coffee then push it back in when done.

Mine produces a lot of steam, so I slide it towards me when I put the water it and then push it back when I dump the grounds out.

As others, we simply pull ours out a few inches at night to put in the water and coffee, and after brewing in the morning and removing the grounds we push it back in to its under the cabinet nook where it looks nice and out of the way all day. We also tend to store some of the newly brewed coffee in a thermal carafe, for a cup later in the morning.

Depending on how low/high the cabinets are hung and how tall your coffee maker is, you need to pull it out to be able to pull the top up to pour water into the reservoir. This was how mine was. It did not clear the space.

My coffee maker died. I have replaced several over the years. I got fed up. I did not replace it. I now use Bodum French press daily. I like using the ones with clear glass karaf. I like seeing my coffee. I have had stainless steel karafs before. Not for me.

My coffee maker is on a section of counter away from the rest of my kitchen, and it is also where we have an OTR microwave mounted. It sits under the microwave, so I wouldn't necessarily have to pull it out, while it's brewing, but I just leave it out after filling it.

We never used to pull our toaster out from under the cabinets, either, and when we were working on our kitchen, I noticed black burn marks exactly like toaster slots on the underside of the wood wall cabs.

Yikes and DUHHHHHH.

Hi everyone...

Thank you for sharing your experiences...

Yes, as you all said, I have to pull it forward to add the water....and I guess I could leave it there at the edge of the counter while it brews and steams away...

But I was concerned that even at that position, the steam may somehow damage my upper cab.

marcydc or trailrunner...I looked for your Bodum on their website, and didn't see one that looked like yours...Do you know which model you have...I like it! I agree with you that my old ugly Mr. Coffee should go!

marcolo...terrible to read of your friend's kitchen,but I appreciate you sharing it with us...I always unplug appliances that I'm not using..We had an incident with a hair blow dryer that was plugged in but not turned on, yet it started to smoke and spark. Fortunately our daughter was able to unplug it before it burned the house down..Ever since then we are careful.

weedmeister...LOL...mine are dark brown too, so maybe that's a plus!

I'm going to look into getting one of those pretty coffee presses...Who knows..Maybe my coffee will taste better.

KA:)

I keep the coffee maker on a tray along with the beans, grinder, the Aerroccino (get one if you love foamed milk!) and a cocoa duster.
The tray catches any drips, coffee ground spills etc and makes it easy to just slide the whole thing forward to fill and leave out there while steaming and then push back into place. I like having it all "corraled" together in one spot and the tray makes it look neater.

I must confess I switched to a French press after I got my instant hot water dispenser. Check Amazon for a zillion models.

You can take it camping, too!

I have the Frieling. Got it on amazon. My DH makes the coffee and i get to it later. It's still hot in the double insulated (but not see through) press.

Here's a link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Frieling coffee press

ooops...yep ours is different than marcyde's ! Sorry....we love it and the coffee stays hot for 2 hrs. c

Here is a link that might be useful: Bodum 8 cup thermal carafe press

I am similarly concerned about trashing my new cabinets from the steam of a coffee maker even though (or perhaps because) they are pathetic cheapo junk in the first place. I've had a simple Krups drip machine which makes decent joe but would love a new "stylish" coffee maker for the new kitchen and am excited to see the models used by marcydc and trailrunner! They are gorgeous, and I have always enjoyed French Press coffee. I was hesitant about press makers temperature for the second cup and didn't realize they had thermo carafe models. A few questions for press owners:

1. Presumably I can use my instant hot water for these press models, right?

2. Is it hard to get the right "grind" for press coffee? Drip models are pretty forgiving when it comes to grind.

3. How long does the press have to sit before it's pressed? Can it sit too long?

4. Are they messy for preparation/clean up? Cone filters are pretty easy, you've gotta admit.

tia.....sitting here with well-needed coffee this chilly morning.

Sorry for the semi-OT, kitchenaddict, but I have another question for all you french press users: Doesn't the coffee get awfully strong and bitter if you don't pour it all at once, with the grounds still in the water?

I think it all depends on your cabinet construction, but I can attest that the cheap, pressboard-side cabinets that our previous owner put into my kitchen are swelling from years of exposure to moisture.

I pull the coffee maker and electric kettle out when brewing or boiling, but the damage is done with these cabinets (one of many reasons they're being replaced rather than refinished.) Even with nicer cabinets (perhaps especially so) I would pull any appliance that creates steam out from under upper cabinets.

I moved my coffee maker to the peninsula precisely to avoid the steam damage. It lives there now.

However, I will also soon be switching to a French Press, for all the reasons above mentioned.

10k,

1. Yup, that's a great use of your instant hot water thing. I don't have one, but my induction cooktop gives me hot water quickly.
2. You use a coarse grind. We get ours from Peets and they know what to do for French press. If it is too fine, you'll get some grounds in.
3. 4 minutes is recommended. It's usually DH doing it. He hasn't screwed up yet and I don't think he is all that accurate about watching a clock.
4. Super easy to clean. I just take a paper towel and wipe the grounds out of the bottom and dump to the compost bucket. Then just rinse. I don't even feel the need to get it all soapy since it looks so clean :)

It's a nice little pitcher for serving ice tea since it's double insulated - no condensation.

I've never been able to drink black coffee, but this is really nice with so little bitterness that I've cut the amount of milk (soy for me) down to just a couple of tbsp.

It does get a little thicker as it sits, but we generally do one giant mug a morning so it doesn't bother us too much. I have a 12 cup insulated Bodum and it's not super great insulation but better than my glass model. (Since we dirnk our coffee fast, I was more interested in its not-breaking properties than its thermal ones.)

You can use regular grind coffee, but it's harder to do the pressing. And it gets chewy at the bottom of the pot. ANd the bottom of the cup. Didn't bother me but bothered the spouse so now I have a burr grinder. So much for having fewer appliances. I use the dishwasher or wash by hand if it's not already clean in the AM.

Thanks, fori. On reflection, although I think they make great coffee, this just isn't for me. First thing in the morning I'm doing very well to remember to put both coffee and water into the pot, without having to time things, boil water separately, etc. I want to flip a switch, go off and read the paper a little, and come back to coffee, and I'll trade a little quality for the convenience.

We love our Aeropress. Actually have several, they are great for boat, camping, etc. Best coffee, quick easy cleanup. Watch this quick video on utube; I just eject the grounds right into the compost.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9siQ2y_sM9E

Here is a link that might be useful: Aeropress on Amazon

I never really worried about it but it sits just out from under the upper cabinet right next to the sink. Since I set mine up at night for the auto start start before I get up, I think I'll just leave it pulled forward at night and push it back in the morning. Better to be safe then sorry I guess.

I have never thought about this issue (I'm the tea drinker, DH does coffee). He uses a Keurig (one cup at a time) brewer, sometimes 2-3 times per morning. We have brand new almost white cabinets. Do you think that he needs to pull the Keurig out for brewing? I don't think he used to do that in our old kitchen. I may have to train him to pull it out now (along with the many other new "rules" for the new kitchen!

I'd watch him make a cup, feel for heat or moisture, and if it's not there, don't worry about it.

"But I was concerned that even at that position, the steam may somehow damage my upper cab."

mine did that. it discolored the cabinet door above it. the cabinets were a dark wood - left a whitish discoloration on the door.

I had the same concern.
I do have a little coffee station that my Dh
built. It was a consolation prize because I really wanted
the Bosch built in coffee maker. And he said it was too
much and that our Coffee maker works just fine.

I have no idea what you should do. I wish I had a
suggestion.

Here is my coffee nook.
I love it, but keep in mind I did not spend lots on
cabinetry. I would have rather had new cabs.
~boxer

Here is a link that might be useful: E-How coffee makers and cabinets

No to the question! A big priority was getting stuff off my counter for both looks and function. So I made a little coffee niche next to the fridge, out of all lines of sight into the kitchen, and it sits on that counter. Never thought about it staining cabinets above, frankly, but molding keeps the "ceiling" of the niche out of sight.

I had the "priority" above as well, but my coffee pot still managed to end up on the counter/under a cabinet/next to the sink since I use it every morning (it's the only thing on the counter.) I pull it over to the sink each morning and let it do its thing with the open space above the sink. When it's all cold and dry later, I put it back in its spot.

hi everyone..

shelayne..who would have thought the heat from a toaster would leave marks!

desertsteph...thanks for addressing my concern with your experience. (Sorry to hear that happened to your cabs..)
I will continue to schlep it over to the peninsula rather than take a chance...

boxer..Your coffee nook is sweet looking..all nice and tidy...and your cabs are very pretty..Someday I hope to see all of your kitchen..as of today I've only seen bits and pieces!

Thanks all!

KA:)