Product Review: GE Spacemaker 1.7 Cu. Ft. Over-the-Range Microwave Oven

I can't think of anything bad to say about the GE Spacemaker 1.7 Cu. Ft. Over-the-Range Microwave Oven. This OTR microwave oven met all my expectations and more. If you're building a new home or remodeling you're existing kitchen, this is the microwave oven to install over your range.

To be honest, I didn't know what to expect at first. I was excited to have a microwave over my range, but I thought it would be just like all the other microwaves I've used over the years. Once I started using this oven, I discovered that it was like no other microwave oven I've ever used.

I used it on almost everything you can think of that needs cooking, heating or thawing. It's great for thawing! If you forget to take the meat or poultry out of the freezer, it's no problem. The GE Spacemaker 1.7 Cu. Ft. Over-the-Range Microwave Oven can have it thawed in no time at all.

I have used it to cook corn, rice and all other fresh, frozen or canned vegetables. I have also used it extensively for heating food. This oven is super fast and super hot. Depending on how hot you want to re-heat your food, 1 to 2 minutes is about all it takes. Any longer and you start to cook your food again.

It's easy to keep clean and the turntable can be put in dishwasher or you can hand wash it. I normally just wash it off with one of the moist Clorox wipes you use for the kitchen. You will need to clean the vents above the oven, but I use the Clorox wipes for this also.

This particular model comes in either black, bisque, white or stainless. Stainless or black is more popular and upscale looking these days, but either way, there are plenty of colors to choose from that will match your kitchen decor.

The GE Spacemaker Over The Range Microwave is a good looking oven that has a 1.7 cu. ft capacity comes with convenience cooking controls, auto & time defrost, removable oven rack and full-view cook top lighting.

Features:

• 1.7 cu. ft. Capacity
• 1000 Watts
• Convenience Cooking Controls
• Auto and Time Defrost
• Turntable On / Off
• Two Speed, 300 CFM Venting System
• Removable Oven Rack
• Full View Cook Top Lighting
• Child Lock
• Clock
• Digital Display
• Delay Start
• One Touch Cooking

Some Feature Details:

Convenience Cooking Controls - This will allow you to cook and reheat at the touch of a button

Auto and Time Defrost - This automatically allows you to defrost for a specified amount of time

Turntable On/Off - This feature is ideal for all your over-sized, oblong-shaped dishes

Two-Speed Venting System - This quickly removes smoke and steam from the cook top

Removable Oven Rack - A feature for multi-dish cooking

Full-View Cook top Lighting - This feature lights up the cooking surface below

Size and Weight:

This particular GE Microwave Oven is 29.88 inches wide, 16.19 inches high and 15.16 inches deep and it weighs 51 pounds. It's not a light microwave oven, but it is meant to be mounted over your range. So someone else will be doing the mounting. All you have to do is pick out the color oven you want!

Price And Model:

This is a GE Spacemaker 1.7 Cu. Ft. Over-the-Range Microwave Oven, and the model number is
JVM1740DMWW. You can find these ovens for about $269. They aren't very expensive for what you get, but you may be able to find it at Lowes or Home Depot for less.

Something to remember about this model is that they come in black, bisque, stainless and white. The door has a pull handle that opens to the left, and if you don't have a vent that leads to the outside, you will need to also purchase the recirculating charcoal filter, which is extra.

If you are going to install this yourself, then you may also want to look into purchasing the over-the range-microwave filler panel kit that gives you a custom built-in appearance. It fills in the space that is left when you replace a 36 inch or 42 inch range hood.