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sophie0621

GE Advantium vs Elux ICON Speed Oven

sophie0621
13 years ago

Thought I had decided on Elux ICON ovens months ago but held off ordering until now and I'm waivering again. Plan is currently to install the Elux ICON Pro speed oven over a 30" convection oven from the same line. My biggest hesitation is the cavity/turntable size of the speed oven. Our other option right now is the GE Advantium, which has a 16" turntable vs. 13" in the ICON. The Miele also looks bigger but that's a budget breaker for us. The speed oven will need to serve as our second oven for holiday meals so I'm really having second thoughts about the ICON since it doesn't look like it will accomodate a full 9x13 pan. I also looked a little closer at the heating elements and see that the ICON has a "convection air opening" on the top but no broiler element. We do much more cooking (roasting, grilling, broiling, etc.) than baking so that is more of a prioriy. Does anyone have any experience with the Advantium and regular GE electric convection oven? Reliability is also a concern if anyone has any input on that.

Comments (13)

  • applianceguide
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Well if you're worried about broiling, the Electrolux is out because it has no broiler, but neither does the Advantium unless you get the most expensive Advantium which is around $2400. Between the lower price 120V Advantiums and Electrolux's there really is not much difference in reliability and cooking ability as they share most of the same parts, which are mostly sourced from Sharp. The Miele is by far the much better machine, I can attest as I own it in my own home. It is a true oven, and can be used as such. It's got an amazing broiler and the build-quality just feels superior. Also remember, both the Miele and the Advantium (which are the only ones with broilers) need 240V, so you may need an electrician to wire up a 240 output if you're just replacing a regular microwave.

    I did a review not too long ago on the Miele here: http://appliancebuyersguide.com/review-miele-speed-oven-h4082bm/

    Miele has the lesser expensive "Chef" version which forgoes the MasterChef menus and has less cooking modes, but it is otherwise the same machine and is around $2k. In my opinion this is a steal at that price and is the best choice out of the three. I would definitely look into it if I were you.

    Hope that helps!

    Anthony
    Appliance Buyer's Guide

  • captsmethwick
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We were in this market just 2 months ago. Despite the fact that we have an E'lux fridge and fridge drawer units, we went with the Miele MasterChef. And, yes, we had to call in an electrician to upgrade the line/plug to 240V.

    We don't regret it but are sure that we'd have found a role for either the Advantium or E'lux units.

  • dodge59
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Well, let's compare Apples to Apples here.

    As Anthony mentions, if you need to broil, the Elux speed oven is "out". We have never found that to be a problem as we can broil on our regular 30" Elux Icon oven, but those of you that know about the "Infra Red Broilers" will know why we prefer to do the broiling outside as we have an IR broiler on our BBQ---and there's "No Way"!!! Your gonna convince me that the miele speed oven with it's conventional broiler is gonna do as well as the IR.

    I read Anthony's review on the Miele. The Elux, just like the Miele is 1000 watts for the MW and is easier to use as an MW, just enter the time and hit start.

    As far as baking performance goes and times , I would invite you to look at "The Great Potato Race". You will see the Elux is a bit more automated than the Miele that does not have the "Master Chef" controls. With the Elux, you choose "Potatoes" enter how many, and ya done! It sets the preheat time, the temp and the baking time automatically.
    With the Miele you guess at temp, preheat time Nuke time etc etc.

    Sooooo, comparing "Apples to Apples".

    A 30" Stainless Steel Miele will set you back $4099.

    The 30" Elux Speed oven will set you back $1799.

    That's sure a lotta "Dough" just to have an extra conventional broiler in your kitchen?

    Not for me, for that kind of Money, I will take a walk outside and use a "Real Broiler"!!!

    Gary

  • billp1
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We went with the GE because of the cavity size. We did go with the high power model to take advantage of the speed cook function.

  • dodge59
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    OOOPs. Goggle "Punted" when I did a search for Miele 30" Speed oven, and instead pulled up Miele's 30" regular oven.
    From doing searches, I can't even find a 30" Miele Speed Oven. AJMadison only list 24". And it's price is $2999.

    So we cant even compare "Apples to Apples".
    The Elux is a 30" Speed oven, (course we all know that a 24" oven holds more than a 30" oven, --right--???

    As a practical matter I did measure the inside of mine, and about a 12" wide pan is about the max size. A 13" will go in there, but it won't turn, doubt that would be a problem if one were convection baking, grilling etc, but not a good idea if one were relying on Speed Cooking or microwaving---in fact, I recalls complaints about food not getting evenly cooked in some microwaves that did not use turntables---seems like there was a gov't study of that.
    If anyone is curious, I can probably hunt up those posts again.

    Anyway, bottom line again (Alto apple sizes vary)
    The Miele 24" Speed oven lists for $2999.
    The Elux 30" Speed oven list for $1899.

    You can find deals on the Elux's, see several posts for $1799 but as most of you know by now, Miele prices are tightly controlled so doubt you will
    do much better than $2999.

    Sorry about the earlier post, I shudda caught it, but Goggle says, "Hey Dummy" we can't find any 30" Miele Speed ovens!!

    Gary

  • plllog
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Regarding reliability, I haven't heard anything much bad about any of the three (Miele, E'lux, Advantium). What I can tell you about the Advantium is not so much the tech (which I regularly forget), but the capacity. Mine is the really big 240 Pro (yes, one thing I chose for appearance was no black control panel). For oven mode: I have a big Pyrex baking dish that's more than 17" long including the handles. It fits in fine on the rack, with room for two or three 8-10" casseroles on the turntable. All heat evenly. The convection works fine in that regard. :) I haven't used it in there yet, but my 16" pizza pan also fits on the turntable.

    So far, I'm mot too impressed with the speed oven outcomes. They're okay. Can't beat the time. But they don't compare to what I can produce in a real oven. I'm no expert, and reluctant to use the speed feature unless I "have to" because why chance it on an experiment? The microwave works really well, including the first defrost setting I've had that really works on things like bagels without ruining them. The popcorn sensor is unnecessary, but it also works really well. Since it's my third oven, I don't use it for a lot of heavy cooking. As a holiday oven it's excellent.

    I don't know much about stacking ovens (my new kitchen has my first stack, and they were made to be stacked), but I'd think you should be able to stack two different makes of ovens if you have an inch or two of cabinet between.

    One piece of wisdom I learned here is to have a special, easy access place for the Advantium trays. I don't know if this applies to the other makes as well. My Advantium came with three metal trays (one with grill ridges), one glass, and one wire rack that spans the width of the oven. GE makes an accessory drawer, but it's expensive and I don't think it would even hold the rack. I had a shallow drawer made as part of my cabinetry that's right under my Advantium. It holds all the trays, the wire rack, a couple of MW dish covers, and some potholders. A section in a vertical tray cupboard would work fine as well. What doesn't seem to work, is a standard bottom, under-oven drawer, which is low, and usually has other things in it. What doesn't work is a tray cabinet in another part of the kitchen. What people say about the things that don't work is that they're so inconvenient the owners can't be bothered switching them. What I find most convenient, since I usually leave the glass tray in the Advantium, is to put it on my island across the aisle for the duration that one of the metal trays is in use. OTOH, it's pretty easy to take out a metal tray, leave the drawer open, switch the trays, close the door, and put the glass in the drawer.

    My tray drawer sits with its bottom at counter level, with my warming drawer just below that (at top drawer level), and the Advantium above. This puts the Advantium at perfect height for me (I'm 5'8"). I don't have to bend a lot to see in, but it's still low enough to be a good height for lifting things out (lifting things down is harder). You could do the same thing with your oven where I have my warming drawer. That would be about the standard height for a lower oven, right? And if you're tall, you could put the whole stack a few inches higher. Surely having a drawer between would be enough separation that you could put any oven you wanted under any speed oven you preferred?

  • sophie0621
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks everyone for your comments. Yes, we are already wired for two 240V circuits to the oven cabinet. We are purchasing the speed oven to serve as our second oven when we need it so we knew a 120V unit would not be acceptable. As far as nominal size, it really is confusing. The Elux ICON speed oven is labeled as 30" but if you look at the specs, it has a 30" face to eliminate the need for a trim kit and the box itself is only about 24" wide. The Miele speed ovens (both versions) are 24" ovens and then you need to purchase a separate trim kit to install it in a 30" or 33" oven cabinet so even the lesser expensive model ends up costing about $400 more than the ICON. When you factor in the price difference for the full size oven that sits beneath it in our kitchen, it ends up being a couple thousand dollars more. That's what I can't swallow. The Profile Advantium is a few hundred more than the Elux but their full size oven is a couple hundred less so for the pair it's not much different. Haven't priced out the Monogram line yet but expect that may be too much although I really prefer the look.

  • captsmethwick
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sophie - it does sound like the E'lux or Advantium are your solutions and I would emphasize that, if you're looking for something with controls more akin to a MW, the E'lux is the way to go. It is an impressive unit.

    We're still adjusting to the loss of MW menu features and the lack of turntable in the Miele - it doesn't make that much of a difference to be honest but it's a learning curve after a decade and a half using a MW.

    The Miele MasterChef is indeed considerably more expensive than the E'lux and the controls on the base version just didn't impress me. And yes, the cost differential goes even higher if you're looking for a Miele wall oven to match.

    And you're right on the size of the ovens in question: at 1.3 cu ft, the Miele oven cavity is actually a little larger than the E'lux's 1.1 and measures 15 1/2" deep and 17" wide.

    Finally, we installed our MasterChef without a trim kit (IOW its face sits flush against - but proud of - the cabinet) and, although the face is well finished on all sides, I am not happy with the look. Still, it's my wife's kitchen and she's fine with it...

  • amyktexas
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I've had the 240V Advantium for a year and love it. The microwave controls do involve more levels of menu to get it going, which irritates my husband. The speed cook feature is wonderful, we love it for heating little mini tacos and other things that need to crisp. It also works very well for cooking meatloaf and roasting chicken.

  • plllog
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I can't compare to the Microwave menus you're used to because I've never used anything like that. Paging through the Advantium menus is a bit of a pain while you're learning what's there. What I never found specifically in the book, however, is that once the microwave is running you can adjust the time by turning the wheel. Therefore, if you want 34 seconds, you can just press "Express" which starts microwaving for 30 seconds immediately (press Express again to go up by 30 sec. increments), and turn the wheel up for another 4 seconds.

    Tonight, I just learned that the vegetable sensor works as well as the popcorn sensor does. It's not a probe or anything. Just something the Advantium does. I was down to tomatoes, onions, garlic, avocadoes, apples, and dried peppers, plus a few kinds of pickles. I mean, guacamole isn't exactly a dinner vegetable! This wasn't looking promising until at the very last moment I remembered I had frozen baby peas. I don't generally use frozen vegetables and hadn't even tried in the new kitchen. I just dumped the bag in a Pyrex dish and put it in to zap, found "vegetables--frozen" on the menu, and it told me it wanted to use the sensor. I thought that sounded great since I'd be guessing. They came out perfectly!!! Next to tomato salad, while a bit meager, it look like vegetables!

    That sensor thing is awesome!

  • aliris19
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    plllog, they should send you a thank-you note at GE! All your helpful, enthusiastic posts about the Advantium are really timely for me and much appreciated. I'm still trying to decide between speed ovens and I appreciate all this good info.

  • dodge59
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We will just add an e to the last letter of her name here, and "maybe"
    circle the last 2 letters?

  • plllog
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    LOL!!! I learned about the Advantium here, from many enthusiastic owners, and am just trying to pay it forward. I make no claims about its superiority to other speed ovens. I've never used any of the others.