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caitlinmagner

Why the heck are Bertazzoni ovens so small?

caitlinmagner
11 years ago

Sheesh. I printed out some comparisons of 48 inch AR, Wolf and Bertazzoni. The BZ ovens are like 1/2 the cu. ft. of the others. What the heck?? Having said that, if I'm just a regular gal kind of oven user (casserole here, sheet of cookies there) would these ovens be big enough?

Comments (14)

  • deeageaux
    11 years ago

    First,I would take your bakeware to your local Berta dealer and see what fits in what cu ft. Even if they don't have the 48" you are looking at you can probably see the 36" or 30" range oven or the 24" wall oven and get a good idea for yourself.

    Second,Berta owners will tell that the ovens are sized for normal regular residential use. That Americans are obsessed with "bigger is better and way too big is just right."

    Fans of American pro-style ranges will tell they prefer to have the ability to bake on full size professional baking trays,sometimes they have several dishes baking at the same temperature so can use all that space,and there are no worries no matter how massive a turkey one buys for the holidays.

    The best approximation to an objective truth is probably somewhere inbetween. Italians/Europeans do cook turkeys and poultry larger than a chicken but not generally the size Americans prefer. The "I want a pseudo-professional kitchen" trend is not present in Europe outside of France. And in France they want a pseudo French commercial kitchen not an American one.

    North Americans have bigger refrigerators, bigger dishwashers,bigger laundry washers,bigger houses,bigger cars and yes bigger ovens too.

  • sara_the_brit_z6_ct
    11 years ago

    Energy costs are much higher than the US, so it would be wasteful to have a larger oven than strictly necessary - the running costs of heating that wasted space would be prohibitive. The idea of buying a large oven, simply to accommodate one meal in the year (Thanksgiving) would be thought very strange. So, a smaller oven for economy and efficiency - and a smaller turkey at Christmas (18lbs max) to go with it.

    Someone gave us a 'bar fridge' a few years ago. It's exactly the same as the under-counter fridge I had in my London apartment. No-one understood why I was laughing so much at the idea that this was simply for beer.

  • dodge59
    11 years ago

    The Bertazzoni ovens were made for "ET".

    Do you recall him?

  • EATREALFOOD
    11 years ago

    and because energy costs are so high the refrigeration is not excessive(and obsessive)like here. No massive quantities of meat are roasted, so no large quantities leftovers. Especially in rural areas meals are cooked fresh everyday, leftovers go to rex or fluffy. Our bigger is better mentality will change by necessity.

  • Cavimum
    11 years ago

    Most UK, Irish & European home kitchens tend to be smaller than a typical USA kitchen... at least, the ones I have seen. All their their home appliances are generally smaller, as they are to scale with their surroundings and architectural space allotments.

    Cars are smaller over there, too, because the majority of roads are narrower than North American roads. And parking! (ugh...) I have a lot of gray hair from driving on those narrow roads. Well, maybe also due to managing it on the opposite side of the road... We don't have their lay-bys on our country roads here in the U.S., either. A Lexus LS430 or typical American SUV looks ridiculous out of place in most towns & villages in the UK, Ireland & Europe. (I don't see how Doc Martin tools around Portwenn in his big Lexus!)

  • dodge59
    11 years ago

    "ET" = Emaciated Turkey!

  • ae2ga
    11 years ago

    Having used a Breta several times, the oven is not too small for all of the necessary party and holiday cooking including a 23 pound turkey and two cookie sheets at a time.

    Going to check one out with your baking pans would be the best way to see this for yourself.

  • mulchie
    10 years ago

    AE2GA- What size Berta do you have?

  • mulchie
    10 years ago

    Thanks. We are looking at the 30" pro. A little put off by the crushingly poor Consumer Reports report (24 out of 100!) and some negatives online. But some of this seems to go to the adjustment that you refer to here which I think is not always happenings at the installation phase.
    Still mulling it all over. The Verona seems nice, too, but they are just penetrating the US market.

  • rococogurl
    10 years ago

    Yes, you will see negatives. You will read that the burners click and the oven fan exhausts from the top and the oven dial is very imprecise. There's not really any temperature below 275 or 300. But Bertazzoni has made stoves in Italy since 1882 and are still selling them.

    There are negatives posted about every stove. And you don't see the same negatives posted about the "consumer ranges" people buy because there are low expectations for those. It's a stove not an upgrade or a kitchen style choice.

    The issue with the Berta is that it looks like a high end range. But it's basically a mechanical gas oven with convection. In our apartment the Berta replaced an mid-80s Magic Chef with gas oven and no convection. They were about the same except the Berta had more top power and better burner grates, smaller oven but with lights, no self clean, convection and looked way more expensive. And it has a nice storage area on the bottom. Plus I could clean under it. And it was gorgeous vs hideous.

    NXR makes a pro style range at a popular price point. I think it's really ugly and don't like the burner arrangement -- but some love it. Verona remains a mystery although it has been a lurker brand for more than 10 years it has never been well distributed or caught on. Perhaps appliance folks like weissman, xedos or deegeaux can explain. Then there are the other Italians -- Ilve, Fratelli Onofri etc.

    Before I bought the Berta I combed through old threads and emailed owners who had been using them for some time. Everyone liked theirs and were very realistic about pros/cons.

    The thing with Consumer Reports is that they like Kenmore. If you're going for Kenmore, it's reassuring. If not, you're over here because they don't do a balanced job.

    This post was edited by rococogurl on Sun, Jun 16, 13 at 13:34

  • User
    10 years ago

    Hey, come on back you guys and tell me the interior dimensions again. I know I have it here somewhere, but need it to order some half-sheet baking trays for my 24" Berta that is soon to be installed. It's been long enough sitting in my Teahouse waiting for our remodel to begin. Now I cannot find the notes I took.

    EATREALFOODS, sure do miss hearing what you are doing these days.

  • mulchie
    10 years ago

    Bert 24" oven dimensions are here: http://www.bertazzoni.com/freestanding/professional-series/ranges/24-4-burner-gas-range#specifications
    But for us.... after flirting with the Bert, and after months (!!!) of research we settled at last on a 30" Blue Star RCS. It has a huge oven that I thought I wouldn't care about, but it totally rocked over Thanksgiving. I never thought I could love a stove so much. I agree with the posters above about the European cooking habits. But for us, to be able to do a big turkey and various other things all at once and have everything cook perfectly>.. wow. It's proving great for smaller meals, too. Sorry. I've become a total BS fan.

  • glenna
    10 years ago

    I tried a Berta last weekend and concluded that the oven venting continually from the top of the oven door would drive me crazy. It was like cooking with a fan blowing on my waist. That was the deal killer for me.

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