13 minutes ago, Smithy said:
Thanks. I figured, based on earlier reading, that it needed to come out from under the counters for steam operation. Do you think that will also be true for convection cooking or toasting? Also, I wonder whether it gets so hot underneath that I'll need to protect the countertop. The manual suggests that.
To my eye, it looks like you have enough clearance for non-steam applications. I have granite countertops and have never put anything under the unit. I move it to clean underneath and there's no evidence of any damage that I can see or feel. I was able to put mine at the end of a countertop so the steam vents aren't directly under the upper cabinets but that doesn't look possible in your location.
Edited to add photo: