Hello.

After an experience I had in a rental property I would say absolutely no! to the idea! Nothing to do w/$ but we stayed in a rental w/the set up you describe and the person/family who had rented previously did a LOT of frying. EVERYTHING including the microwave was coated in oil. The microwave handle had literally broken off due to the excess heat from the stove and there really did not seem to be adequate ventilation. Maybe there are others who like this setup but I personally would think twice!

I currently have a microwave over the range and I hate it. If I ever get enough money to remodel the kitchen that is coming out. Reasons:

1.) We have to bring in a countertop microwave when my wheelchair bound mil visits.

2.) If a person is standing at the range cooking, another person has to wait to microwave.

3.) It is a ridiculous reach to get in there and clean.

4.) The vent is nowhere near as effective as a real hood.

5.) The door swings open and nearly smacks me in the head.

Ugh.

We used one in a rental as well and it was useless for venting and very noisy!

As Houston70sRanch, mentioned, it was also a pain to work with when others were trying to help make dinner - having to move out of the way and having the MW cooking in my face. It was also discolored due to the heat and it looked like there might of been some heat damage.

We're a tall family, so the height wasn't an issue but if my kids had been younger (and smaller) or any of our short family members were there, it would have been an issue.

If your kitchen is very small and there's absolutely nowhere else for a MW, then sometimes you have no choice. However, if there is any way you can avoid it, do so!

As to cost - you don't have to pay an arm and a leg for a vent hood. Look for one that's 300 to 600 cfms and that is big enough to cover the entire cooking area - side to side and front to back (6" wider is best, but if you cannot afford it, go with a 36" wide hood). I recommend checking on the Appliances Forum - they may be able to direct to you to low-cost but effective hoods.

Oh, and a countertop MW mounted on a shelf (over/under the counter) or sitting on a counter is much less expensive. Keep in mind the MWs don't last as long as they used to, so you won't have to buy another expensive MW if/when the MW you select dies.

Yes, a countertop MW + hood will be more expensive, but they will both be good at the job they're really intended for.

Here is a link that might be useful: Appliances Forum

BTW....you don't have to have a built-in MW in an oven stack. You can have an alcove built into the stack that would allow you to put an inexpensive MW in the alcove - no trim and no fancy markup for a built-in.

I agree with the above comments. We had the microwave over the range for years, and it was too high to be comfortable. And as Houston said, it was not nearly a powerful enough vent. We are building in the microwave under the counter in our remodel and getting a separate hood.

We had an OTR MW too, and I was thrilled to get rid of it in our remodel. The others have all made excellent points. I'll add that if you have a problem with the vent portion or MW portion, you have to replace both.

You can tuck a small MW in an upper cabinet shelf, under the counter, on the counter, in a pantry. Over the cooktop is the very least convenient place for it, and should only be done when space is at a premium. If you have room for a 36" cooktop, you should be able to find room for a MW.

I agree with the other posters that you should opt for a hood. However, if you nevertheless decide on a OTR MW for a 36" cooktop, you will have to buy one of the few MW models made that are 36" wide. You cannot have the standard 30" OTR MW over a 36" cooktop. That would be a serious fire hazard. The OTR MWs that are 36" wide are actually 30" OTR MWs with wings to fill out the 6". Eh, you are better off with a hood.

If your home is still in the building stage, try to get them to install 8" exhaust duct for your kitchen - it will give you more options in hoods. If the duct is already installed, find out its size, and buy a hood that specifies that duct diameter. The specs for hoods are listed on the manufacturer's websites.

Agree with what has already been said. Hood is much better, performance-wise. If your cooktop is 36", hood should be at least 36", better if slightly bigger is what we were told when we were looking for appliances. Be careful when buying the hood though. Where we are, "make up air" is needed with hoods that have very high cfm, and it is lots of money (thousands) to have that done. So make sure to check on that if you haven't already. Good luck!

Hoods don't have to be expensive to look good and function decently. We have a $300 SS chimney hood and it is just fine. NO mw over stove. It makes me crazy to see a finished kitchen with one. I always look and see other places it could have been placed even in small kitchens.

Counting the days until we get rid of our OTH microwave.

No only is a 36" OTR MW visually a beast, it costs almost $1K. You could get a 36" hood and a countertop MW (maybe put in an alcove as buehl suggests) for that much or less, and it'll function and look much better.

Had it before. Ugh. Enough said....

Just adding one more vote for hood only. I went with a hood/microwave combination (why didn't I check here first???) and the bottom of the microwave gets really hot, and the hood suction is "meh". However, the one thing I do like is the extra space. That was a big thing for me.

Ok, here's the vote in the opposite direction. We love our otr microwave. I dont think anyone uses an otr if they had plenty of space elsewhere for a mw. Well, actually, I have two microwaves and use them both, once in a while at the same time. We find it handy. Our second mw is on it's own shelf under upper cabs in the 48"wide 'baking center'. Standard large size mw.

An otr over a 36 " cooktop will have problems because the 'capture' area of the mw is 30-standard width of otr. The rest is filler--to make it 36 wide. It would be an exception and expensive otherwise.

We have a 30" induction cooktop with a 30" otr, both Bosch. Induction is cleaner and cooler than gas or electric.

We rarely fry. No greasy cooking. Saute with a touch of oil or butter or spray. As little as possible. Your cooking may have better mouthfeel but that's our tradeoff.

Our vent is hooked up through the roof and it is a straight run. The house was built in 1960 and had a stick built kitchen with a vent over the coil cooktop. The vent leaked cold air and we stuffed it with plastic bags. Never used it.

Just saying that in certain circumstances, an otr works better than a space hogging hood vent. Lack of space, greasy cooking, make up air, costs, microwave usage--these are factors in this choice.

Btw, we have 2 full size microwaves, double ovens, a full size fridge and undercounter fridge drawers and one dishwasher- all in a 10x 18 kitchen with 3 windows and 3 doorways. Sorry, no pics. It is stuffed with custom cabs, however. Stuffed, to the ceiling cabs to toekick drawers.