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frogster_gw

Oven and Micro to go with BS or CC

frogster
11 years ago

My wife and I are redoing our kitchen from top to bottom and are considering a couple of options for the cooking appliances. One scenario would have us getting either a BS or a CC range. If we go that way, we need some help picking a stainless wall oven and a microwave that will go above the oven in the wall. From a dollars and cents perspective and from a usable size perspective, we think that a countertop microwave that we will use a trim kit for is the right way to go for us.

Having considered how we cook and what we bake, we have determined that we do not need a steam oven or speed oven. In fact, we need something reliable, not spectacular. Much of what we do is roasting, with a limited amount of broiling and baking that is normally brownies and doctored cake mixes. We want a good, regular 30" electric convection oven. And, because the oven in the range will be limited in features, we care about an auto start or delay start where we can set the oven to start cooking at a set time. And, a keep warm or proof setting would be nice, as would a probe in the oven. We do not need to have an oven that has preset programs for particular recipes or types of food.

We want the oven and the micro in the trim kit above it to look good together and presumably that means the same brand. Does anyone have any recommendations for a brand and models that meet these requirements? Your help would be much appreciated.

Comments (3)

  • deeageaux
    11 years ago

    All the ovens in the more expensive half of the market have the features you are looking for the difference is quality and how well these features perform.

    My ratings from best(and most expensive) to good(and least expensive) are....

    1)Gaggenau
    2)Wolf
    3)Electrolux
    4)GE Cafe/Profile

    The Gagg does not have slide out racks but a side opening door. You just grab the pan or sheet because you are not reaching over a hot oven door. Additionally it has an air catalyzer that evaporates grease before exiting air into the kichen. Controls are not intuitive but easy to learn with half our reading of manual. Also has motorized rotisserie.

    In oven stacks the MW generally goes on top of the standard oven. Since heat travels upward, the oven slowly damages the MW. And the oven generally last twice as long as the MW. So some people move away from combo units and use a built-in countertop that can be tossed and replaced.

    Another option is the Microwave Drawer. It can go underneath the standard oven. Heat generated by MW will do nothing to standard oven.

    I picked a 36" CC range,24" Gaggenau oven and placed a Sharp MW drawer underneath. Sharp makes drawer MWs for Wolf with Wolf doorskins too. I get a kick out of getting something out of the MW and bumping with my hip to close the door. It is a little luxury convenience.

    Good Luck!

  • frogster
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks deeageaux. You have hit on exactly what we are trying to accomplish. We are planning to use a "throw-away" countertop microwave above the oven that utilizes a trim kit. We would prefer something wider (and simpler?) than the 24" gaggenau and a countertop microwave that is bigger than the drawer.

    Is your drawer the manual open/close or the mechanized one?

  • deeageaux
    11 years ago

    My drawer is the new model that has both mechanized and manual open/close.

    It has an open/close button. You can also pull it open or tap with hip and close it.

    It fits a standard caserole dish and/or Starbucks Venti cup. The only thing I don't see it fitting is a whole chicken. I just use to reheat never to actual cook in.

    They do make a 30" Gaggenau convection oven and a 30" Sharp MW drawer.

    Gagg reliability is top notch. I don't see why one would "want" less features. All the features you want already requires a computer circuit board which is the main cost to repair a "complicated" oven.