This is a very new product, with very limited distribution. And , at it's price, it may be a while before you find a good sample of people to query.

I looked at this and was very tempted... I am cooking for a large family and the speed cooking was very appealing- but we went way over our budget on windows and floors and now I can't splurge on ab oven. The product is new, but I gather the company is well established in the commercial market, so I bet they would stand behind their product.

If you do get one please post and let us know how it is- at least I can drool!

The 30" Gaggenau Combi & Convention ovens I am waiting for have been delayed several times and now we are looking at November. The kitchen will be done way before they arrive.

I'm tempted to order the Turbo Chef ovens as it would be about the same price.

I saw it at the Builders Show in Orlando in February. I thought it looked gorgeous. They were doing cooking demos. I had to move on but the food smelled fabulous. They are not new totally - they have been in the commercial market for years - one of the ways restaurants get your food out faster than you could do it at home. That price is a killer though.

As was mentioned in the last post, the technology in these ovens has been used in the commercial sector for about 10 years by the same company (that's how Charlie Trotter got involved with these guys). If you go to a Subway Restaurant, the ovens they have there to "toast" their sandwiches are commercial TurboChef ovens.

I saw a demonstration of it at the KBIS show in Las Vegas in May as well as a local home show here. What's great about them, especially for meats, is that the cooking is so quick and thorough that the meats come out beautifully brown and very juicy (i.e. the oven doesn't dry out the meat).

Good luck!

I've learned that a very well-regarded appliance store about an hour from me in CT is now carrying the TurboChef.

Due to my frustration with waiting for the Gaggenau 30" product I'm going to go there next week to see the oven and experience a demo. If all is good, I will order the double ovens.

Right now the unit is paired with a regular convection wall oven but I was told that a single TurboChef is in the works.

Two retail outlets will be available soon in CT so I believe this item is becoming more popular since the store told me that 3 units had been sold in the last 30 days.

As far as cost, it is actually slightly less than buying a Gaggenau Steam Combi paired with a Gaggenau wall oven. I do like the fact that Gaggenau ovens open to the side.

If anyone is interested and lives near Norwalk, CT a demo with chef will be taking place on September 11 at Aitoro's.

I've ordered the TurboChef double ovens and expect delivery in 2-3 weeks. I'll report back.

(the cost is less than the Gaggenau ovens I've been waiting for endlessly)

electrolux has a similar technology in their icon high speed oven.

Congrats CTKathy -- I believe you're the first person on GW to pull the trigger on that bad boy!

Hoochie, the Icon high speed oven is more like an Advantium than a TurboChef...

Ok maybe I dont fully understand the units fully but from what I understand the turbo chef and Electrolux are more similair and the advantium is different. TC and eleclux use convection plus micro advantium uses micro plus holigen light (maybe also convection not sure??)
am I right? (though Im sure TC is better quality)

Merrychef has a commercial unit that is now being used by Subway also. They are part of Enodis group (Garland etc). Don't know if they are open to noncommercial buyers, and seem to recall the ovens need 3 phase power and deep pockets.

Here is a link that might be useful: merrychef usa

The turbochef and Electrolux use some sort of superheated air for browning/toasting (and convection and micro) where the Advantium uses a halogen lamp (with convection and micro). The superheated air system has been used in commercial kitchens for a long time and is just becoming available to the home users on a large scale. The few friends I know who have these (2 own Electrolux- one a fairly well known chef; and one has Advantium)would never give them back. They are all working families and use them for everyday cooking. Rather than throwing something in the micro, they roast chickens, veggies, etc in under 30 minutes with no pre-heating or supervision required. They're also great for toasting that meatball sub and melting the provolone!

maybe I just dont get it but isn't convection super heated air? How are the electrolux and tc different than a convection micro that can use both at once? Also does the 240 advantium use holigen micro and convection or just micro holigen? I know the 120 uses all three but heard the 240 does not

Okay, my interest in the TurboChef is piqued! How expensive are these things - then I'll know why I can't have it. Never mind the fact that my kitchen was done 4-5 years ago, I have no need for it, & I have no place to put it, LOL.

My understanding is that unlike convection which essentially keeps the heated air moving around the oven cavity to eliminate hot and cool-spots, the Electrolux and Turbo-Chef speed ovens use high-speed, super heated air jets in the oven roof. Advantium uses a halogen in the roof.

That isn't mentioned in the online cooking demo either....

I've seen a demo of the Turbo chef and made a video of it which the mods pulled, even though it was made at an NKBA new product fair. So email me through my page if you want to see the video.

I have no connection with this or any other appliance company; I am a designer and NKBA member.

The ovens are slightly over $8000. The top is the turbo; the bottom conventional. The technology is very fast convection jets through a system of holes in the floor of the oven mixed with microwave bursts. It is extremely impressive to see how fast it ocoks and the food I tasted from it was delicious.

However -- this is important -- the turbo oven (top unit) works by a food-driven menu system. You want to cook leg of lamb, you select lamb, leg, fresh.

There was an oven thread here where I explained that some of the newer ovens are moving towards a food-driven menu system rather than assumed knowledge and power/heat based cooking system.

There are basically no conventional oven settings for the turbol. So there is a rather steep learning curve even though it has a handy readout and counts down. The company says there are chefs on call to advise owners.

rococogurl - is it just the bottom oven that needs to preheat or is it the turbo oven as well?
Thanks!

Bottom is conventional oven so it preheats. The turbo is set for food and then tells you on the readout when the start temp is reached, if I remember correctly.

Both ovens need to preheat. Times are 15-20 minutes. For the turbo oven, the preheat is more like 20 because of the higher temps it uses for cooking. It uses microwave power and 60 MPH winds to cook. Does a great job. Takes a frozen $2.00 grocery store pizza and cooks it in 2 minutes 30 seconds. Amazing. The upper oven is for cooking only and is not a stand alone microwave...you will still need to have a microwave in the kitchen (though this can darn near replace it for reheating, defrosting, etc.)

When I saw the turbochef top oven I watched it heat up but also cool down by an ingenious method -- opening the door.

But the readout indicates when the temperature is reached (my Miele does also). The readout also tells you how much cooking time remains.

They pretty much downplayed the microwave aspect though it's there. The high velocity convection coming up in ports over the bottom of the oven are the "winds". I agree with ag, it does a great job (though perhaps all the "speed" ovens do).

I've been using my TurboChef often since it was installed about 5 weeks ago. As for the preheat issue, it is just like any other oven. At least what I have been doing is set the oven and then do the prep while the oven is heating. Most preheat times are about 10 minutes. Now for people who just want to primarily use it for prepared food then the preheating might be a pain.

Initially I was a bit worried about the learning curve for food that isn't on the wheel, but I just find something similar and so far I haven't had any problems.

The quality of the food that comes out of the oven is really great.

I just checked the metal edge inside my TurboChef oven and I understand what the poster meant, but my edge isn't at all sharp by any stretch of the imagination. Agree it could have been finished better.

Initially I was waiting for the 30" Gaggenau products and just tired of getting the runaround and bad service from the Gagg people. I love the TurboChef people--they give great customer service. I am thrilled with the ovens.

I saw these today installed at a store. It looked very cool. However, it was filthy dirty inside. They just didn't run the cleaning cycle but it was gross! Anyway, we got to see a mini demo and it was fun!

One thing I did notice, the cooling fan seemed loud but it was a very quiet store and high ceilings - maybe it just carried a bit more.

He said they haven't sold any. Price is too high. They sell many other brands speed ovens and he mentioned Miele, Dacor, KA, and one more I can't recall right now...GE maybe.

Anyway, he also said that many people don't like the retro styling (which I love!). They had a blue one on display - in black cabs with blue pearl granite - it looked great!

I told him if he needed a product test kitchen he could have mine! Tee hee - it was fun to look anyway.

He also mentioned how good the food is that cooks in it.

Do you have to purchase 2 ovens together? Or will they separate? I'd like to go for just the Turbo one...

Right now it is just the double oven but they will be offering the single TurboChef in the not too distant future.

Okay, if there really are 60MPH winds used in the turbo chef couldn't the food get blown around? Thin pieces of cheese could just be blown onto the side or door couldn't they? Or am I totally clueless on how this works?

We went to a demonstration a few weeks ago and this oven is pretty darn awesome. They cooked a variety of food.Rack of Lamb in 12 min that was better than I have ever tasted as well as vegetables, potatoes and more. My husband especially loved the frozen pizza. They cooked it right on the rack and it was quick and came out just like it was from the Pizzeria with a crispy crust. I don't know about 60mph wind but they did open the door and it had a very good seal that was hard to open with a strong suction and you could hear a big wind sound when it opened but nothing was flying around in there. This oven is high on our wish list.

bzt8fs, I would very very much be interested in seeing that spreadsheet! My email is footflash1@yahoo.com

No spam you crazy spamers!!! LOL!

:-)

ctkathy please update on your turbo chef expieriece. Recipies ,hints and any tips appreciated. Mine arrives in just a few weeks and I am getting excited.

I had to have my first one replaced. Now I'm having trouble with the 2nd one. When it is working, I love it.

I had to have my first one replaced. Now I'm having trouble with the 2nd one. When it is working, I love it.
Ctkathy, may I please ask the specifics regarding why you have had your unit replaced two times? My wife and I reviewed the unit yesterday, and we both liked it, but even with what little knowledge I had learned regarding it I still knew more than the salesperson so they were of little help! It has made our short list, but I do have some concerns that I will air in a new thread.

applianceguru wrote: "Both ovens need to preheat. Times are 15-20 minutes. For the turbo oven, the preheat is more like 20 because of the higher temps it uses for cooking. It uses microwave power and 60 MPH winds to cook..."

when i tested the turbo chef this past week it took all of nine minutes to preheat to 500 degrees for a cook time of four minutes for a single rack of lamb. simple.

I'm about 4 weeks or so from moving into my brand new house and my TurboChef was installed last week. I've been looking at wall ovens for over a year and was intrigued by the TC, yet hesitated because of the price. It came down to either the TC or the GE Trivection/Advantium. Though we are WAY over budget, I chose the TC and am thrilled with my choice.

We are living in a rental just ten blocks away and the day it was installed, I made two of the recipes in the included TC cookbook. A Lemon-Rosemary Whole Roasted Chicken, and a Poblano-Corn Casserole. It took about 8 minutes to preheat the oven for the chicken and rather than placing it in a roasting pan, I put the chicken onto an aluminum stand that is basically a round tube, about three inches in diameter and 5 inches tall. It's welded to a flat, square base and was designed to produce a beer-can chicken without the beer can. I filled the inside of the tube with about three inches of beer, and set it with the mounted chicken into a pyrex casserole dish.
I set the lower unit on warm when I began the preheat of the upper oven. On warm, the lower oven maintains 145 degrees. That way, I could keep the chicken warm while cooking the corn-poblano dish.
Watching the chicken cook was amazing. It reminded me of my first microwave oven and the fascination of looking in as it cooked a couple of hot dogs in less than a minute.
The chicken browned quickly and beautifully. When the oven paused at the 80% point, we chose the "Brown More" option for a crispier skin. After 21 minutes, the oven chimed and I checked the temperature with an instant-read thermometer. I was a bit concerned because the probe indicated 219 degrees but I must have touched a bone, because when we pulled the chicken apart it was PERFECTLY cooked. The skin was crispy and both the breast and thigh was succulent and incredibly flavorful. One of our best chickens ever.

The corn-poblano dish also turned out perfectly. We let the chicken rest in the warming oven below while the casserole cooked. I think it took all of eight minutes and finished with the top a beautiful golden brown and the inside was steaming hot, creamy and perfect.
The next night I cooked a couple of rib-eyes. Each steak was about an inch thick and just under a pound. I placed a cast iron grilling pan in the oven for the pre-heat and after about 14 minutes, the oven chimed and it had reached 500 degrees. I placed the steaks on the griddle, closed the door and pressed the start button. The only prep for the steaks was freshly ground pepper and kosher salt. I had some butter standing by to place on top at the 80% mark.
I opened the door at 80%, put a couple of pats of butter on each rib-eye and continued cooking. When they were done, I wrapped them in heavy duty aluminum foil after pouring the butter and steak juices over them.
When I got them to my rental about 10 minutes later, I was amazed at how perfectly done they were. I forgot to mention that I did flip each steak just over halfway through.
The exterior of the steaks was a dark, crusty brown and just a millimeter or so into the steak, was a beautiful red that didn't vary in color. In other words, the outside was seared and the interior was rare all the way through.
I believe the cooking time after the preheat was about 5 minutes.

My only disappointment with the oven (other than cost, of course) is that I was expecting to have the upgraded software. I was told that the oven had a microwave-only feature but when mine arrived, it wasn't there. I called Atlanta and spoke with corporate. It turns out that the software upgrade is about 30 days or so away and I will be e-mailed the update when it's released. It's a simple matter of moving the file to a flash drive and then transferring it to the oven via a USB port on the top of the oven. Pretty cool.
By the way, the oven is HEAVY! About 410 pounds so it's probably not an appliance that you want to "slide in" yourself. It took two of my trim guys, and a couple of big electricians to get it into the cabinet. Consider professional installation. My local dealer charges $150.
All in all, I'm extremely pleased with the oven, and can't wait to actually move in so that I can begin to create my own recipes.
It's one of the coolest kitchen appliances I've owned.

My other appliances are:
30" Thermador Freedom Column Refrigerator
18" Thermador Freedom Column Freezer
Sub-zero 427R Wine Refrigerator-holds 70 bottles and has two refrigerator drawers.
30" GE Monogram Warming Drawer
Meile "La Perla" Dishwasher
48" BlueStar Cooktop-4 Burners/1 Griddle
GE Monogram Ice Maker
54" Vent-A-Hood w 1200 CFM Blower
Insinkerator Hot/Cold dispenser
Nikken PiMag Water undercounter filter

I'll post some photos once it's all complete in about a month.

I don't always follow this board, so it would be ok if anyone wants to email me directly through my page or Lindroth@aol.com. I think I was the first one on the board to have this actually installed in my kitchen.

This oven seems to be working ok, although I need to test the lower oven because it seems to be running hot. I have had numerous problems including that sometimes it just stopped working--totally. However, the service is great and very responsive even coming out on weekends!

In spite of any problems, I would still buy this again in a heartbeat. 2 reasons: 1 is the service from TC. 2 is the alternative was the Gaggenau combi steam oven and my interaction with the Gagg people was not pleasant as they do not seem to know the meaning of customer service via phone.

I had this problem before with the lower oven of a previous Turbochef. Also, when I recently used it there seemed to be a lot of chiming of the oven for no reason.

However-----Saturday I was having 8 for dinner and had planned to grill a whole fillet roast. The weather did not cooperate and I did it in the TC--perfect. I use the lower oven for a warming oven so do not need a separate warming oven.

My techie UM grad son loves it and does not pass up an opportunity to do a pizza or any other food he thinks will work in the TC.

My other appliances are the 48" Bluestar with the grill (love it but have also had problems). The Sharp micowave drawer and the 48" Liebherr fridge which is very energy efficient but doesn't make much ice. Bosch dishwasher X 2 works for me. Prestige hood--love it. All pricey stuff.

I ran the self clean cycle and it did not seem to do anyting to clean the oven. However, it did a lot to raise the temperature in the kitchen and lower floor of my house.

I also noted that the lower oven IS running 25 degrees hot. As I recall, this is one of the previous problems and when a repair was attempted the entire oven shut down.

Maybe I should just live with the 25 degree issue---I'll give them a call tomorrow.

We just moved into our newly remodeled house and we have a TurboChef. The TC cooked food perfectly once, then displayed a fan error and a door open error. TC service says that this is indicative of either too little or two much power to the oven. The electrician says that the power to the unit is running exactly to spec, with the proper breaker applied. We restarted the oven נand the exact same thing happened again. (It cooked food perfectly once, then started displaying errors.) Has anyone else had this problem? Would love any advice.

Can you buy Turbo Chefs in Canada?