The Kitchen Appliance Trick The Property Brothers Use To Give Clients More Counter Space

When it comes to renovating houses, the Property Brothers are full of useful ideas, such as removing kitchen doors to enhance the flow of an open-plan area and flooding family spaces with plenty of natural light via windows and skylights. However, there's one easy trick they often employ to give their clients more counter space when remodeling a kitchen: installing a microwave drawer.

If you haven't seen one of these nifty appliances before, it's essentially a built-in microwave that sits under your counter and slides out like a pan drawer. Instead of the door opening to the side, you simply pull the drawer out and place your food inside from the top. Some versions of this device don't have a turntable, which means there's often more space inside to fit larger containers or unusually shaped dishes. But of course, the best bit about installing a microwave drawer inside lower cabinetry is that it blends in and frees up your counter, creating a kitchen with a cleaner, streamlined look. 

Classic countertop microwaves tend to be bulky and unsightly, which can ruin the vibe of a considered kitchen that's otherwise been designed with intention. And while an over-the-range microwave declutters a loaded counter, its higher position makes it tricky for those with mobility issues to access. A microwave drawer is the perfect solution because it's easy to open, has plenty of internal space, and you can give your food a stir without having to remove it first. Better yet, any space that's freed up on the worktop can be used for chopping veggies or stowing a stylish coffee machine instead.

Microwave drawers cost more than regular microwaves so you'll need to factor this extra expense into your budget. Plus, they aren't portable and will likely need to be professionally installed (costing you more money!). However, this one-time outlay is absolutely worth it if it maximizes counter space and enhances the sleek aesthetic of your kitchen. Just make sure that you're super happy with the positioning of the device because you won't be able to move it around later like a run-of-the-mill worktop variety.

As always, bear in mind that some everyday items should never be put in the microwave. While it might be tempting to place that styrofoam box containing your restaurant leftovers straight into your appliance to avoid getting extra dinnerware dirty, it can leach chemicals into your food as it heats up. Single-use cutlery or repurposed yogurt tubs can also leach microplastics into your food, so always decant leftovers into a microwave-safe dish first for the best-tasting (and safest!) snacks. Experimenting with the power button on your microwave makes for better meals as well. Reducing the power encourages items like cream sauces to heat up more evenly, which prevents them from splitting.