We've been cooking without a vent hood for 24 years. I wouldn't worry about it.

With cabinets directly above?

We've had a small hood and an OTR micro, neither of which vented to the outside. We rarely used the recirculating fan (noisy and ineffective).

While we didn't have a bare cabinet right above the stove, the opening was the same as the stove width (30"), so the adjacent upper cabinets were in the heat/steam path. How high is the cabinet above the range?

Use the front burners as much as possible, and open windows when cooking. Hopefully this hypothetical appliance shows up soon.

It's going to be an OTR microwave, not a hood (just didn't feel like getting scolded here), so the only cabinets I guess I'm worried about are those that would be above the "hypothetical" microwave.

It's not really backordered. I posted about this in the Appliances forum, but briefly, GE has updated its Profile line. Just finding this out days before the appliances are to be installed. The oven has been updated, so they are getting me the new oven, but the matching microwave isn't due to come out until September. I have agreed to wait on it so that I can get the newest models, but I wanted to make sure it would be ok to use the kitchen prior to the arrival of the "hypothetical" microwave. :)

Thanks, annkh!

Cooking every day, no I'd worry about the steam and heat on the cabinets. A couple times a week, yes I think that'd be fine.

You should be fine :-)

I have a range hood that's vented to the outside. It's as wide as my stove, so the adjacent cab sides are close by. I just realized that the only time I turn on my hood fan is when I sear meat, at most once a week. I never turn it on when I boil pasta or anything else that creates steam. It has actually never occurred to me to do so. So, I gotta add to the comments that no fan on during most of my non-hypothetical cooking has had no ill effects on my cabinets.

Same here, we bought a 30 year old house that has the hood that doesn't vent to the outside, we put a new one in because the old one didn't work (so P.O.s hadn't been using it for who knows how long. We rarely use the new one and the cabs are perfectly fine, I think you'll be okay until September (anyone remember that movie 'Until September', goodness that Thierry is adorable lol).

Here is a link that might be useful: Until September IMDb

I'm a little OCD about using my vent. I turn it all the time. Even when I open my oven.

It took me so long to get a new kitchen with real venting I use all the time.

Edited to say I just turned my vent on now before I even turned the burner on to start boiling water for pasta. (Rotini with alfredo sauce). I've scrubbed enough gunk off cabinets (my own and our rental) to last a life time.

This post was edited by debrak2008 on Mon, Jul 22, 13 at 17:55

My hood INSTALLATION was on backorder for months, and I used the gas range every day. I also complained to the installer (DH) almost every day. I did not have any lights except UC......

You will be fine.

Nancy

as others have said, you'll be fine. I cooked for 12 or so yrs on a cooktop w/o a vent fan over it. there was a small oven over it. About the size of OTR now. It was my only oven and I cooked/baked a ton raising my 4 kids there. I even canned during some of those years. No damage to cabinets above.

There was damage to the door of the cab above where I had the coffee pot tho. That cabinet was much lower. Never thought about it damaging the cabinet back then.

I think a couple of months will probably be fine. I think it would take longer than that to damage the cabinets, even with steam. However, b/f you install the OTR MW, scrub down the sides and top of the opening. You don't want even a light coating of gunk to fester inside the cabinet once the MW is installed.

As to cooking for XX years with no hood...my experience is so different from those that say they have no build-up etc. Do they wash down their cabs every day or week? That's the only way I can see that happening. My parents do not have a hood, just a cabinet above, a wall to the right, and counters to the left. You can definitely tell they don't have a hood! The upper cabinet's underside and front are covered with layer of "gunk" that you can't wash off. The ceiling above the range and the wall next to it are also coated. If I have anything to say about it, I will never be without an externally vented hood!