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nycbluedevil

HELP choosing between the Chef and Master Chef Miele Speed Oven

nycbluedevil
11 years ago

I was planning to get the Miele Chef Speed Oven but now I am starting to obsess again and am worried that perhaps I am making a mistake and that I should go with the Master Chef. Last week's obsession was the dishwasher and I decided to upgrade from the Dimension to the Diamond, so my obsessions are getting expensive.

Anyway, my concern is chiefly about the ease of using the microwave. Now we have a Bosch MW that has a sensor reheat button and a 30 second instant cook button. The sensor cook button is great for heating up leftovers and the instant cook button lets me press itfive times in a row to get a two and a half minute zap for a big bowl of oatmeal.

I know that the Master Chef version of the oven has a minute plus setting and I know that it must sensor cook. What I can't figure out is how easy it is to use the mocrowave.

I am pretty familiar with the differences between the ovens otherwise. The autoroast feature seems nice on the Master Chef and the temperature probe is convenient. But I am not sure it is worth the $1,000 difference. And regarding the knobs on the Chef--frankly, I sort of prefer the knobs. I was thinking that they might be easier to use than dealing with the program touch pads since I am installing the unit below the counter.

This will be my only microwave. I will have a 36" BS range so I anticipate using the oven a lot, especially in combination mode to roast chicken.

So I am torn between the two models and need some help. Any advice out there GWers?

Comments (15)

  • Kathryn N
    6 years ago

    Do you mind if I ask what you ended up doing? I am making the same decision! In addition, do you find the Miele speed oven sufficient as your only electric oven? Thank you!

  • Fori
    6 years ago

    I can answer your second question. I use the Miele speed oven for most baking. It heats up faster than my big gas range oven, plus (of course!) it's more conveniently located. It does oven stuff just like a proper--if smaller--oven.

    The range oven is reserved for things like turkeys, sheets of cookies, and pizzas.

  • DrB477
    6 years ago

    Agree that the miele speed oven is very a good oven. Even heat, many modes, etc. It is smaller so if its your only oven you would need to be sure its big enough for your needs.

    I have the m-touch. It's stacked underneath a coffee machine. I took one look at the knobs... no way. The m-touch isn't quite as easy to use/simple as a standard MW, but its fine given all the different things the oven can do, it works pretty well and is reasonably intuitive in how to do things. It has a minute+ button which with one press will set the MW to cook at full power for 1 min increments. Unfortunately, far as I can tell, while you can change this default duration, it can't be less than 60 seconds (far as I can tell at least) which seems dumb. I really wanted it to be 30 seconds. It is also a bit finicky, it won't let you use the minute+ button if you were on another setting first. If you can pick up and use a iphone/ipad/smart phone intuitively you should be fine. If you struggle with things like that, you probably will be frustrated by the oven controls. My parents and in-laws have not visited since our remodel, but I'm 100% sure they will have problems using it.

  • Kathryn N
    6 years ago

    Thank you, Fori! That is great to hear. DrB477, I was deciding between a Lacanche with a larger gas and smaller electric oven or one with a larger gas oven and warming cabinet, so I would have had a gas oven either way, but wanted to know if the Miele would work as my only electric oven. At the end of the day, I decided on the range with the gas and electric oven (it goes down to 135 degrees, plus the Miele goes even lower, so I figured I can use either to warm rather than having a designated warming space), so I'll have one gas and two electric ovens.

    Was the one with the knobs just aesthetically unappealing to you, or was it the use features that you didn't like? Would love to know! It's such a significant price difference, and I think I'll mainly use it either as a microwave or an oven, not in combi-mode frequently, so I don't see myself really taking advantage of the Masterchef programs.

  • DrB477
    6 years ago

    Controlling a MW with knobs seemed like a total PITA. Plus looked not so great imo, but more the thought of controlling it that way.

    The Miele SO can do a lot, the touch screen is really nice to access all the features.

    Masterchef modes seem like more trouble than they are worth so far, but haven't played around too much. For example, I need a frozen dinosaur chicken nuggets setting which doesn't exist, just regular chicken setting. You can manually do the MW combi modes. I can get the dinosaur nugs done in about 8 minutes with a combi mw/bake rather than 12 with just conv bake. Kids don't seem to notice a taste difference on the faster setting.

  • rych
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    I have the cheaper Miele Speed Oven with a Miele MasterChef plumbed Combi Steam Oven. they don't look that bad together. I was going to get the Bosch speed oven for a few hundred bucks cheaper, but at the end, we wanted everything matchy-matchy, but I was not willing to spend the extra $1000+ for the Masterchef SO, so we got the cheaper one instead. We use the Combi steam oven almost everyday, only used the speed oven for popcorn and as a warming drawer. I love the combi steam oven, if the speed oven ever break, I might just replace it with another combi steam oven and a cheap table top microwave.

  • Bill Purcell
    6 years ago

    We are deciding between the Miele M Touch and Sensortronic interfaces. The M Touch interfaces are everywhere since they are the most expensive. However, I might lean towards the slight discount and the slightly simpler interface of the Sensortronic model. Does anyone have experience with this model? I only read one post from several years ago on here about the Sensortronic. It seems to have almost all of the same features as the M Touch.

  • Fori
    6 years ago

    I got the one with the knobs because I like knobs. :) I also knew I would never use any of the programming options of the other models. When I purchased (a few years ago), you could get the same handle with anything, so you could match ovens from different series and make them look good together like Rych's.

    Whichever you get, play with the interface first. I'm old enough to remember that microwaves have knobs.

  • DrB477
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    "In the Masterchef model, can't you program in, say, a frozen dinosaur chicken nuggets setting?"

    Yeah you can make your own programs like that but it's not really any easier than pressing the combi bake setting and setting time to 8 mins manually... So I have not really bothered much so far.

  • ostrich
    5 years ago

    rych, I really appreciate your post above, because I am considering the same here (Miele CSO + Speed Oven!).


    May I ask if yours is the CSO with XL or XXL capacity please? Also, with this combination, have you ever wished that you had something larger, like a 30" single wall oven, just for its larger capacity?


    Also, do you have the plumbed in or the non-plumbed version of the CSO please?


    Thanks!

  • rych
    5 years ago

    it is XL plumbed version, XXL was not available at the time, it came out soon after my kitchen remodel. I also have their induction range, so for me, the 24" is a good size for a second and my go-to oven. I actually prefer the CSO over the range oven, preheating on the CSO is much faster due to smaller size. if I can fit whatever I am cooking inside the CSO, that's what I'd use. I rarely use the range oven anymore. I also wanted to point out that the more expensive Speed Oven has the wired temperature probe, where as the cheaper version does not have that, in case this feature is important to you.

  • ostrich
    5 years ago

    Thank you so much, rych! Since I will not have a range oven, these will become my primary ovens, so I think that I will go with the XXL. But the silly question that I have is, would people expect me to have a 30" oven when I sell the house years later? I know, I should just get what I want and need, rather than the resale needs, but it is on my mind...


    BTW, how do you like the plumbed in version? If you were to do it all over again, would you still go with the plumbed in version, rather than the non-plumbed version?


    Thanks for pointing out that about the Speed Oven.... the probe is probably not that important to me. The fancy one has the Master Chef menu which looks nice but I don't think that I will use it much either.... for a difference of CAD$1500 I am wondering if I should go with the cheaper one.... hmm.....


    BTW, how do you like the induction range? If I am not incorrect, Miele's induction range does not have the bridging function - does that matter at all? How do you like the Miele induction system overall?


    Thank you again!

  • rych
    5 years ago

    you should get what you want and enjoy it, stop worry about resale. I love the plumbed version, you should get the plumbed version if the extra cost isn't an issue. I doubt that someone that got the plumbed version wish they got the non-plumbed version, but I am sure out of all the people that got the non-plumbed version, at least one wishes he or she got the plumbed version instead. I'd have picked the XXL if it was available. Oven space is better to have and not need than to need and no have. The induction range is nice but has its own quirkiness and not all induction ready pots and pans are created equal, some will barely work and some will get hotter faster than others. The first one I got was DOA, but they replaced it with another one within 2 weeks. It only has 4 burners, no bridging function.

  • ostrich
    5 years ago

    Thank you, rych! Very helpful comments. I probably will get the XXL plumbed in version then. Now I need to decide if I get the Speed Oven or not...


    I appreciate your comments about induction cooking. I don't think that I am quite ready for it, so I probably will stick with a gas cooktop then. Thanks again!