These cabinet-mounted models help clear your counters and increase your space for heating food Over-the-range, or OTR, microwaves boast larger capacities than their countertop counterparts, even ...

Over-the-range microwaves In general ... have lower wattages (our budget pick has 600 watts), so they save counter space but lose the ability to heat large meals and cook dense foods from scratch.

But most microwave ovens have less usable space than advertised, according to our tests: In fact, both over-the-range (OTR) and countertop microwaves have a usable capacity of about 50 percent of ...

These countertop and over-the-range models top CR's tests in heating and defrosting Countertop microwaves are often cheaper and easier to install, while over-the-range models save you counter space.