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mwrede

Help deciding for or against getting a speed oven!

mwrede
13 years ago

I am so sorry I know this has been discussed before. I had finally come to the decision to go with a rangetop and double ovens when I came across the concept of the speed oven. I am intrigued by the concept of having a speed oven + a regular oven but I am not sure if it's for us and if it's worth the additional cost. It would solve the issue of the extra microwave as we don't have any good above counter spot to put it (I really don't want it below counter).

I usually use the second oven about once a week to make side dishes that need a different temperature than what's cooking in the main oven. We've been using the microwave for defrosting mostly and occasional reheating or making popcorn. There's just the two of us with a baby on the way and I plan to be home with the baby.

I know some here have the speed oven and love it and I am sure some have considered it and decided against getting one. Could you share your thoughts with me? Is there a learning curve in terms of learning to cook with it? Other than the smaller cavity can you use it as a regular oven or only as a speed oven?

I am looking at the Electrolux Icon and the Advantium as the Miele is out of our price range - leaning toward the Electrolux as I was planning to use the Electrolux Icon double ovens (not really finding much info on any other speed ovens i.e. the Jenn air).

None of the stores around here have any of the icon appliances on the floor to see including the speed oven (just the regular Electrolux ovens) so I'd have to buy it sight unseen. I have seen the Advantium and was wondering if the interior oven dimensions are comparable to the Electrolux.

I would really appreciate any input. I am so afraid of making the wrong decisions but I know I have to pick something asap. We really need to get the kitchen started so it's done before the baby comes in Dec. I am also still trying to finalize our rangetop pick and find a hood but I'll try to post those questions separately.

Thanks in advance!

Comments (7)

  • mojavean
    13 years ago

    If the decision is between a standard oven and a speed oven, then get the speed oven. It will become the primary oven for just about everything unless you are roasting a turkey every week. (Speed Ovens are typically smaller, suited for caseroles, small batch baking, etc.) The oven cavity in my Miele is only 8" tall. That's great for a casserole but you are not going to be baking any whole hams in it.

    Getting a real speed oven frees up the space for a microwave (the speed oven is a microwave) and a toaster oven if you use one of those (the broiler in the Miele speed oven makes an outstanding toaster/broiler)

    The downside is cost, but regular convection wall ovens aren't cheap, either.

    Whatever you do, make sure that the "speed oven" you choose operates on 240V. The little combo microwave and convection units are fine for heating up snacks, but they will not do the job of a speed oven.

  • sportsrx
    13 years ago

    Mwrede,

    I can't speak to your budget, however when we decided to go with a range top & dbl wall ovens& the difference bw the wolf e series (1 convection vs L series-2convection) saved us about $800 the speed oven became the obvious choice to replace the microwave &toater as moja points out.....we were limited to advantium or miele due to under counter install.

    We are installing our appliances in a few weeks but all speed oven owners that I read here be it elux, advantium, or miele were all very very pleased

    Hth, good luck

  • Britt
    13 years ago

    I've had the 220v Monogram Advantium for 2 years and I love it. I would never be without it again. It's an awesome microwave but the speed cook is amazing - we use it all the time. I often use it as an oven if i don't need the full space in the regular oven. I also use it as a broiler and warming oven. I can't believe how well it cooks - I use the programmed features all the time and even figured out how to create customized settings for foods not listed (you can control the halogens upper and lowr, microwave and convection for a custom speedcook setting). It's a wonderful appliance.

    I should say that I also went to the appliance store and tried out the Miele and Electrolux too. Frankly they couldn't hold a candle to the Advantium. The Electrolux controls were confusing and took time to use - not nearly as well thought through as the Advantium. I tried to cook a few things and got annoyed and gave up. The Miele didn't have the halogens so it was slower and didn't brown as well.

    I really don't think you can go wrong with a speed cook. It was really worth the splurge for me.

  • mwrede
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks mojavean it sounds like you really love your miele speedoven. Yes I was planning on 240v. One of my fears is that the cavity of the speed oven will be too small for some things. Can any other speed oven owners share what's the largest pan they can use?

    sportsrx that's helpful to know thanks.

    brittu thanks so much for sharing your experience. I wish I could find a place that carried all of them to compare in person. It does seem from the specs like the advantium is more spacious inside. I was set on the electrolux because I wasn't crazy about the look of the regular advantium but the monogram version looks much nicer - although it's probably pricier. It's just so hard to get pricing on Monogram products. Do you have the matching Monogram single oven? I had been planning on an Electrolux icon oven but would want the two appliances to look ok together.

    Another question before we order cabinets: For those with the speed oven over a regular oven did you get a tall cabinet with one large opening and built a shelf for the speed oven or two separate openings?

    Thanks again for any input!

  • Britt
    13 years ago

    Let's see... I can fit a 9x13 pan easy. I actually use the Advantium as an oven unless I need to use the probe in my main oven or two racks.

    I do have the matching Monogram single oven and I love it too. There are 3 different versions and I got the one with electronic controls because it also had the dehydrate feature (I make home made beef jerky).

    The sliding racks in the oven are fantastic and so is the probe. I can do much better meat with the probe than I ever did before - just did amazing pork chops last week that my husband said where the best he ever ate. Roasts come out perfectly.

    If I remember correctly it was a few hundred more for both ovens than the Electrolux. I thought the Electrolux was beautiful but just not as nice inside or with as many features. And if I remember correctly it did not have the probe which was really important to me.

    Monogram also makes a Trivection oven. It's got Microwave assist for it's own speed cooking. So a big pan of frozen lasagna in like 13 minutes instead of 70. You can't use it as a microwave though. And it was just enough more that I figured the Advantium was all I'd need.

    Our cabinet already had a single unit stove and microwave in it. My contractor fashioned a new face board for it since it got ruined when it was yanked out. Then he built a shelf inside as per the installation manual for the advantium to sit on. And lastly he just cut down the drawer face on the drawer under the ovens since the Monogram stack was a few inches bigger than the ovens I had before. No big deal, it all worked great.

    The lower the better with the oven stack since the Advantium door opens down like a regular oven.

    Oh the other thing I should mention is that Monogram still employs their own dedicated service staff. My oven was damaged in shipping from an online retailer who refused to take responsibility. I called Monogram at 4pm that night and the tech was out at 8am the next morning. The phone person said they believe in complete satisfaction and that GE would make it right. They completely took care of me and even reset my warranty They were fantastic. The service tech had worked for them for 20 years.

  • hpxmirage
    13 years ago

    brittu,

    Since I'm contemplating purchasing some of my appliances online, it would be useful to know which online retailer wouldn't stand behind the purchase. Please email me through my GW page link if you don't want to post it.

    Pretty much decided on the Miele Master Chef Speed oven and accompanying Miele convection warming drawer for our kitchen.

    Thanks!

  • kaysd
    13 years ago

    I had an OTR 120V GE Profile Advantium for 6 years in our last house. I really miss the Advantium, and plan to include a wall model when we re-do the kitchen in our new house. It was the best microwave I ever used. The speedcook function was great for small meals in a hurry: a few pieces of fish, baked potatoes, casseroles, etc.