Designing Kitchens and Bathrooms - kitchen recessed lighting question

We are doing a total kitchen remodel. (moving everything sink, appliances, adding an island - gutting walls and ceiling down to the studs and joists) We would like to install some recessed lighting (pot or can lights) along the counter what depth should they be set at? How far out from the wall should they be installed in order to give appropriate task lighting for the counters? Should the light be over the counter or just at the counters edge? Really not sure. Does anyone have this in their home, where are your lights set?
All advice is greatly appreciated! THANKS :confused:

Overhead lights are for general lighting, not task lighting. The best task lighting for the countertop workspaces is under cabinet lighting. That could be fluorescents or halogen strip or puck lights. Fluorescents now have better color bulbs available, so it is no longer that cold white light, and are more energy efficient.

I can't agree with the statement that overhead lights are not for task lighting. I have recessed lights in my kitchen. They are on two separate branch circuits. One is a general lighting circuit and the other consists of 6 recessed cans that are used for task lighting.

The task lights are positioned as recommended by a lighting specialist although we played around a bit with location to get the best coverage. They are about midway between the cabinet faces and the edge of the countertop. There are no shadow problems and the lights provide all the illumination we need. We have had this lighting for 3 years and are very pleased with it.

We have 8' ceilings and used 4" cans with 50W bulbs.

Hey everyone;
I'm trying to do the same thing with my kitchen. I have 7.5 foot ceiling height. Do 4 inch cans really give off enough light; with enough spread?
I have a 12 X 12 eat-in kitchen. all appliances in an L- configuration along two walls. We're going to drop a couple of pendants over the table (on a separate switch), but we need general and task lighting in the kitchen work areas.
I'm thinking 6 inch ones, spaced 4 feet apart just at the counter top edge and along the outer walls again about 24 inches out from the wall.
I am concerned about the heat given off by 6 in 65 watt bulbs, but I'd like to ensure no shadows. Any thoughts, ideas or comments are appreciated.
Thanks, and have an awesome day.
Z.

Z- We used eight, 6" recessed cans with 65W flood bulbs on a separate circuit with a dimmer. They provide ambient light for the kitchen. Heat from the lights has not been a problem. We used the 4" lights with 50W floods (except for a spot over the sink) for countertop light. I have light colored cabinets and that may be the reason we don't have undercounter shadows.

I agree with CWBUFF, the lights should be somewhere between the countertop edge and halfway to the wall cabinets. My cans (5") are over the edge and I only get a little shadow if I'm really bent over the counter. But this is why I have undercabinet lighting. I had targeted 6 feet of spacing between the cans, but the location of the joist and my desire to keep things symmetrical had me space them at about 4.5 feet. To insure proper coverage and no "dead" zone, I rigged a light and measured the size of light circle on the floor. Knowing that the light "beam" forms a cone between the can and the floor, you can figure out how much coverage you get at various height (floor, countertop, etc). I used compact fluorescent blubs with a warm color. They get warm, but certainly not hot like ordinary incandescent blubs.

Hope this helps,
JP