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I'm in the process of remodeling a kitchen.
Is placing a toaster oven on the counter with upper cabinets 18" above ok? Do i need a heat shield of some sort on the underside of the upper cabinets to protect it from rising heat? For the 2 minute toast it's no biggie. But sometimes my wife heats up frozen food in there using convection feature. It gets quite hot. Should i plan to raise the upper cabinets to 24inches instead of standard 18?
I don't have the manual for it.
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If you've turned it up enough to need shielding, its probably going to destroy itself.
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Davester,
My family has used a toaster oven/broiler or countertop convection oven (that doubles as a toaster oven/broiler) of some kind for as long as I can remember. So, we're talking several makes and models for at least 30+ years. They absolutely _can_ produce a significant amount of heat and I'd be concerned about possible long-term damage to the cabinets, undercabinet lighting and spoilage of food stored in said cabinetry.
A bare cabinet may not suffer much. The underside will get hot and can even transfer through to the contents of jars, boxes, bags and such stored in the cabinet. No doubt because I've seen it happen more times than I can count. However, it's not going to catch fire. That has never happened in my kitchen or my family's kitchen. I'd definitely be extra concerned if you have undercabinet lighting. The plastics used on the covers of the lighting may not hold up as well as bare wood.
My method:
The depth of the countertop is greater than the depth of the wall cabinets. So, pull the toaster oven/broiler/convection oven to the edge of the counter. As the heat rises, most will rise in front of the cabinets. The cabinetry will still get warm/hot but not as warm/hot as they would if the toaster over/broiler/convection oven was directly beneath them.
Other suggestions... Always unplug toaster over/broiler/convection oven when you're not using it and clean the crumb tray regularly. Cleaning the tray is important because crumbs can burn up and/or attract pets over time.
Robert
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Thanks for the insight Robert.
Damn, so my wife was right :X
Lower cabinet is 24" deep.
Upper cabinets are 12" deep.
Microwave shelf in upper cabinets is 20" deep.
My original plan was to put the 12" high toaster oven on the counter under the 20" deep microwave shelf, which is 18" above the counter. I thought aesthetically it was a good spot to put both appliances there.
She says that because the microwave shelf in the upper cabinet comes out so much from the wall, putting the toaster oven in that spot would not be good because the rising heat is blocked by the protruding MW shelf.
I thought maybe if i put a simple heat shield like a sheet of stainless steel screwed to the underside of the MW shelf it'll be ok.
I just use it for toast. She uses it for cooking and reheating for longer cooking times and higher temps. I guess I'll listen to the wife and find another spot for the toaster oven.
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Ohh.. i forgot to mention, we were planning to get white painted cabinets. So that's why I sound concerned. I don't want scorch marks or anything on the brand new cabs if i can help it!
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no fire possibility from typicla woods, but I suppose it could melt some adhesives if they are nearby.
mine is on my counter (granite) and cabinets above (cherry) and near a painted surface and an elec outlet. It does get quite hot when I use it for broiling but I'd be more concerned about the wiring in the wall heating up in an old house (mine) than I would about combustion from the actual unit.
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Unless specifically noted on the instructions, toaster ovens are zero clearance devices, and many of them have the option of being installed as built-ins in wooden cabinets. That said, perishable foodstuffs above are going to suffer, and removing plastic light fixtures above is just a no brainier. They do get hot to the touch, and might affect the wood finish, but shouldn't be a hazard.
That said, if you want to install a heat shield, thermodynamic properties of materials say that it should be a piece of aluminum, not steel, and have an air gap both above and below to be effective. A piece of stainless screwed flush to the cabinets is not going to stop any heat transmission.
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A nice little white ceramic tile backsplash moving up under the cabinets would work, and look cute besides.
It's important to note that only kids, dogs, and drunks usually ever see the underside of your cabinets.
