OTR Microwave Versus Canopy Rangehood
So you are faced with a dilemma in your kitchen design of a smaller kitchen: find a spot for microwave and a rangehood or save space and money and use an OTR (Over the Range Microwave) with ventilation and microwave together above the cooking surface. This posting is meant to show reasons why a dedicated rangehood over the cooking surface would be much better than buying a OTR combination.
Safety - This is the number one, top of the list item, the safety of putting an OTR microwave over the cooking surface. The number one user of microwaves in most homes is children. The little one wants to heat up their mac and cheese in the microwave for example. The problem with an OTR microwave, how does a child get to the microwave? Perhaps they prop a chair against the stove and climb on top of the chair to get to the microwave door. This is truly a recipe for disaster. Not to mention the safety of an adult is compromised when trying to lift a hot casserole dish out of their OTR microwave over a hot cooking surface. The potential for hazards involved with the microwave so high off the ground is quite possible.
Ergonomics - Let's say a 5 foot tall person is trying to lift a heavy dish out of the OTR microwave which is about 56-60" from the ground (36" high counter + 20-24" from the stove). This could be quite challenging & awkward to lift a dish from the microwave with arms out stretched and above his or her head. A simple yet important consideration to think about is how tall are the household users of the microwave? Also think about trying to cook with a large, tall stock pot on the back burner and maneuvering a spoon while trying not to hit the OTR which is not very high off the cooking surface.
Design - A rangehood in a kitchen can instantly add flair and make a dramatic statement about the kitchen (see canopy hood photo below). An OTR microwave doesn't really make a statement. The microwaves look a lot nicer these days due to Stainless steel accents, but does anyone ever hear a customer say, "Wow that OTR microwave looks so awesome over the cooktop!" A designer rangehood can add so much more to a kitchen design by becoming a focal point in the kitchen and a real conversation piece.
Effectiveness - The OTR (rangehood / microwave combination) is really making compromises and concessions on both appliances. You could always find a more powerful, larger, more functional stand alone microwave that could fit on a counter, under a counter, under a side cabinet, integrated, or microwave drawer, etc. As for the ventilation portion of the OTR, there is a definite compromise. The coverage over the stove front to back in terms of the OTR depth will be lacking versus a rangehood. A typical canopy hood will be about 19" deep, an OTR will be about 12" deep. This 12" depth will cover the back burners basically as opposed to having better coverage with the rangehood. A dedicated rangehood will cover the back burners and at least half of the front burners.
Most OTR microwaves use a 300 cfm fan (cubic feet per minute of air movement) for venting over the stove. A typical canopy rangehood would be at least 500 or 600 cfm instead, almost double the fan strength. The quality of the grease filters, motor and fan blades / impellers in the OTR would be a major difference also. The motor spins the impellers which draws the air and contaminants off the stove, pulled through the grease filters and then pushed outside. A rangehood will have better, high quality fan blades, more powerful motors (see the motor & impeller photo below) and higher quality grease filters (see photo) that will absorb more grease. All of this equals a cleaner kitchen at the end of a day since the rangehood ventilation is much more effective.
A final point on the effectiveness of OTR's, the charcoal filters used in combo microwave/ventilation units are fairly ineffective. When you cannot vent to the outside of the house because you live in an apartment or condo, or it would take 100 feet of ducting to get outside, then recircualting the hood back into the kitchen is the only option. Typically an OTR will have grease filters for absorbing grease, and a small, thin carbon / charcoal filter to absorb odor before reintroducing air into the kitchen. These charcoal filters are perhaps 1/4" - 1/2" thick, and not very effective at absorbing odors.
Conversely, Here are 2 photos above of two types of rangehood charcoal filters which are and have a much wider area of coverage. Recirculating your hood may not be the best option, but if left with no other choice, the rangehood will reintroduce cleaner air back into the kitchen better than an OTR.
Just some points to remember when you design your next kitchen: safety, ergonomics, design and effectiveness will all be enhanced when using a dedicated rangehood versus a combination microwave / hood.
For more information on ventilation topics, please visit our website faberonline.com
