O.k. I'll chime in 1st. We have a 36" gas oven, a 30" convection in the wall and a CSO above it. Without question the CSO is the most used oven in the house for a couple reasons. 1st is probably that we use ovens quite a bit and the CSO heats up really fast and re-heats way better than a micro. It's also so versatile we don't really even think about how to use it anymore (been about 18 months). I think rather than all the specialty food it will produce it's just the most convenient appliance in the kitchen. It's our go to rice cooker, veggie steamer and re-heater. It will go to 445 using any of the convection modes (that's max heat). so for pizza and some bread it's not the best. However I do pan pizza in a cast iron pan in it perfectly. I make our lunch bread in it (2 loaves a week) using steam convection but not the specialty breads as I like a higher heat for that. I always make cookies with it (I make a batch of dough and refrigerate it, then make 10-12 an evening), pies, muffins, etc. I like the big gas oven for big cuts of meat/poultry, pizza, some bread and when I need to put a lot of things in an oven. The convection wall is used the least, mostly for proofing, keeping things warm, dehydrating, and baking when it's too big for the CSO but not enough to heat up the gas oven. If you have smaller sheet pans/cookie sheets you can fit up to 3 of them in the CSO but no pizza pan, too big (though we do have small pizza pans that fit). It's a great slow cooker also, I've done pasta but you have to keep an eye on it as it's easy to overdo it in the steam environment. I could easily eliminate the wall oven as between the gas and the CSO we would probably have plenty oven. Micro is basically only used to heat water, soften or melt, re-heat coffee, defrost and make smores :)

Hi,
We have Wolf CSO and double convection wall ovens. We use all 3. I will say the CSO is our "go to" oven as there are just 2 of us and it is a perfect size. We entertain a lot hence the 3 ovens. When we were planning our kitchen the CSO was not considered until I visited the Wolf showroom and just had to have it! We don't regret it one bit. I agree with everything that Mistman wrote. Best of luck.
MJ

We've had our Gagg combi steam oven for about 6 months now. We got it at a discount. I feel like I am still learning how to use it. I've downloaded all the manufacturer cookbooks I could find (Miele, Gagg, Wolf, some European one). I find these are guidelines only and not really great on target directions.

For example, We've roasted 4 chickens and finally on the 4th try I've come up with a steam:roast ratio that makes a great roast chicken IMHO (20 min 100% steam @ 390F then 20 min 420F 0% steam, 3.5lb bird, presalted for 36-48 hrs). So I guess I'm still on the learning curve. For this reason, its not our go to oven. Its really serving as our second oven. And I'm happy with that. I do like its precision and the different functions (slow defrost, regenerate/reheat) which complement our range. Our range oven is small (its a Lacanche which have smaller ovens) so the time difference to preheat is not that big so maybe that plays a part in it not being our go to oven.

I'm glad we have the combi steam oven and its been great, but I have yet to feel that it is an essential. Of course I feel like I'm still just getting started with it so I may change my mind. And I'm an experimenter so I just couldn't pass it up.

I LOVE my Gaggenau fully plumbed combi-steam oven. My biggest use for it is steaming, or steam blanching, multiple trays full of vegetables. I also use it a lot for cooking chicken. No worries about boneless skinless drying out. It's great for roasting whole chickens too. No need for pots of beer or wine underneath. :)

I've used it for a lot of trickier things as well. I have yet to find one single thing that one can do in the steam oven that cannot be achieved in a regular oven with some technique and attention. You can put a ramekin of water (or beer) in a regular oven and make it all kinds of steamy. One expert baker recommends putting ice in the ramekin instead. :)

Assuming you can cook, you do NOT need a steam oven. It is an expensive toy.

It's worth every penny to me. I have multiple pierced pans, and can be loading some up while others are steaming. Perfect for processing green beans and asparagus, and and and all at once. Or for steaming tamales. SO easy. And nothing that couldn't be done in a regular oven if you're willing to handle the water, or on the stove top, ditto. Much much love. Not worth it if it's not at the top of your wish list.

Oh, yeah. The one unique thing it does--I don't know if the other brands have this setting--is "regenerate". You can put a dished up plate of cold food in, that's meat, starch and veg in the classic way, and it comes out with everything warmed through but not overcooked or gone weird. It's an excellent trick. Not one I do very often because I don't generally have stragglers. Superb when I do.

I have the Wolf CSO and agree with what has already been said. The Wolf has a "Reheat" mode and I use that all the time in place of a microwave. We have a Wolf L-Series wall oven as well as a microwave and by far the CSO gets the most use. It is very versatile and great to use.

A couple of things, I wouldn't mount it up to high if the door swings down, I am not familiar with the model you are talking about so I am not sure how that one opens.

As for cleanup it is easy on the Wolf. There can be some water on the walls or bottom, but I only wipe up big puddles, if they are there, on the bottom and on the door when I have that open (more condensation on the door). Other than that just leave the door ajar while it is cooling off, 10-15 minutes tops, and no problems with the water.

Do things splatter in this CSO, yes, there is still cooking going on and not all modes use steam. So you will have to cleanup the inside once in a while, but using a magic eraser sponge (Wolf recommended in user manual) it is super easy to clean up.

Now is it healthier or better to use than a regular oven. I think others have touched on this, I would say no to that, you can do everything this oven does in another way in a standard oven. Is it as easy to do in a standard oven, nope, but it can still be done.

My wife and I don't eat fish and don't steam veggies, so we have only used it that way a few times at most, so I can't comment on that. But it does amazing with chicken as others have stated on here, and I use the temp probe with it all the time, things just come out amazing. My boneless skinless chicken breast come out some moist and tender, after resting them and cutting in to them the juices almost flow out for us, best chicken we have ever cooked at home comes out of our CSO.

Phil

I love my steam oven and use it more often than my conventional wall oven. I purchased my appliances two years ago during a kitchen remodel. I have a 30" Wolf wall oven with a 24" Wolf steam oven (with trim kit to extend to 30" wide) above it.

I have made apple pie, chocolate chip cookies, and brioche in the steam oven. It's great for reheating pizza, heating frozen egg rolls, and steaming fresh fish and veggies. I cooked a chicken once - it came out great but made quite a mess. Otherwise, have had no messes.

I will make a comment about placement as I am getting ready to tweak the remodel and may be moving appliances around.

IMO, ideal height for steam oven would be at counter height. I am 5'1" and my steam oven is at 46" elevation (that is, the bottom of the steam oven is at 46" and the top is at 63.5"). I have to stand on tippee-toe when I remove items from the steam oven; otherwise, my elbows are touching the hot oven door. If below counter height, I would be at risk of having steam in my face when I open the oven.

The wall oven is below the steam oven at 17" elevation (bottom of oven at 17" with a drawer below it); which actually feels a bit low - since the whole point of having a wall oven is to not need to bend down.

I am thinking about re-configuring my ovens such that the wall oven is on a wall by itself, with two drawers below it. I'm thinking about having the steam oven share a wall with a microwave (with pullout door) below it. Steam oven at counter height and microwave at below counter height.

If I had a bigger kitchen, I would separate all the wall ovens and place them in parallel.

I don't have a steam oven but am a PT.
I gleaned the comment about occasional bad back and your pizza dilemma.

I have a wall oven and a speed oven above it.
The oven stack has a 15 inch drawer at the bottom which so I don't have to crawl on the ground to get things out of the oven.

My speed oven is above the convection oven and has a drop down door. I have it at maximum height for me but if I ever sell the house, the new owner needs to be tall.

I think your back will be happiest with the double ovens so you can pick the best oven for your back. My bottom oven is great for my back as 95% of the time, I don't have to bend over to reach the food. The speed oven works for my needs as our family is just the 2 of us but we do entertain. If I had a larger family, I would have gone with 2 ovens.