Combination ovens: traditional baking WITH a microwave; in the same box!
Because we are doing an induction cooktop, we’ll be doing a pair of stacked wall ovens.
The top oven will be a combination oven— it’s a traditional baking oven with a REAL heating element that can brown and broil… AND it has a microwave capacity! So you only need two boxes, rather than three!
BUT! Not many American brands offer an actual combination oven, and FYI: many times, Google AND appliance websites have shown me ovens that are NOT a combination… but rather JUST a microwave, OVER an oven… but the way the description is written is completely confusing.
Bosch and Miele are what we’ve we narrowed it down to… the stacked Bosch unit is the most affordable… but only comes in a stainless brick with some snazzy black glass. Miele comes in white.
But as I explained in my last post about our kitchen design tweaks, we are still mulling the color/visuals of this wall… we’re thinking white is a better fit– ALL the wall/window/trim/molding in the entire house is white.
Also, as I have explained in every single other post I have ever written about anything:
BRING ME FANCY OR GET OUT.
But.
All of the combination ovens in the American market look as you would expect them to… like ovens.
Sad.
But.
Turns out Europe has a non-sad oven-situation.
Officine Gullo… THESE ARE MY PEOPLE AND I WISH TO LIVE AMONG THEM… please let me know if you would like to buy any of my organs.
Also, you definitely do not want to look at their other creations, because they are GLORIOUS, and then, like me, you will be forced to grapple with the full realization of how subpar your own existence is.
THE HANDLES GIVE ME FITZ.
fitz<– fancier than regular fits.
But guess what?
The Europeans… they also want the poors to have nice things!
Below is Lofra, Dolcevita… as of writing this, I can get them on eBay for less than $900 each.
The smaller oven is a true combination oven, so it is ALSO a microwave.
But.
The United States runs on 60 hertz.
LITERALLY EVERYWHERE ELSE IS 50 hertz.
The OVEN hertz we could make work… but the microwave is a no… unless we do an industrial-type converter thingy? And I cannot get anyone to ASSURE me that the microwave will work. The best answer is: maybe?
Which brings me full circle back to American availability. Because the thing we MOST want, is that it should work.
Miele gets the best reviews, and a number of you have recommended their wall ovens specifically… Paul was in Princeton for work and they have a showroom there. He said they are REALLY nice– the entire front is glass; so you do not have seams on the oven window… details are the good stuff!
But.
The list of things I would like to spend $6,000 on is… long… and fancy… and does not include boxes of electronic heating elements.
You understand.
But.
Seeing as how this is a realm where fancy lives.
Perhaps the electronic boxes should be observant of the general aesthetic.
View this post on Instagram
Or.
We could keep our 15 year old microwave and put the money towards a VERY FANCY MICROWAVE TABLE.
logic + financial planning = VEB.
The end.
epilogue/faq/in case you missed:
our full kitchen is in our basement– stove, fridge, workspace, sink, all of it.
here is our current plan. we have added extra deep countertops…here are our possibilities for countertop/backsplash: antique marble shower wall slabs or pool table slate
We are doing an induction cooktop in our antique grand piano kitchen island (that post is where we drilled through the piano leg to add electric! and with NO RANGE HOOD BECAUSE I HATE THEM.
If you ever wonder why bloggers repeat themselves, it’s because whatever we DON’T repeat is the thing we should have repeated.
November 15, 2018 @ 12:21 pm
My friend had the oven/micro combination thingy and hated it; when the microwave broke they were stuck with a combination that only 1/2 worked. Not trying to talk you out of it necessarily, but to think a bit about it. When you don’t have a combo it’s much easier to replace one thing.
November 15, 2018 @ 1:01 pm
SOOO TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
November 15, 2018 @ 12:24 pm
Could you just change out the handles to something fancier?
November 15, 2018 @ 12:36 pm
That is what I was thinking. FANCY HANDLES.
November 15, 2018 @ 12:38 pm
Why don’t you build a cabinet that matches your other cabinetry. Said cabinet would house your oven and microwave and would have a door or doors that closes in front of them. The door would be one of those that retracts to the side(s) such that when the oven or microwave is in use the door is open and slid back beside the units. When they are not in use the door is closed and it looks just like the balance of your cabinets.
November 15, 2018 @ 1:44 pm
Virginia, We’re doing our kitchen right now and that’s our plan. Just hide the microwave in one of the cabinets. Actually ours is going in a french armoire which is our pantry cabinet in the hallway next to our kitchen. We just had to get the smallest microwave to fit but whatever. We don’t use a microwave that much in the first place.
November 15, 2018 @ 12:40 pm
We had the Bosch combo and really loved it. Never failed. We also took a 60 hertz microwave with us when we moved to Germany. Used a transformer. The microwave portion worked; the clock/timer did not. Also realized the transformer sucked power all the time, even when the microwave wasn’t in use. One electric bill and we started warming things up on the stove!
November 15, 2018 @ 12:43 pm
Girlfriend… start doing sponsored posts! Seriously, we want you to have that fancy-pants Eye-talian one, and will happily deal with whatever it takes for your blogging to provide it.
It’s the least we can do, for all the amazing VEB GFT posts that bring us such joy.
Also, sponsored/affiliate links, etc. I for one would deeply appreciate a few cat care type videos ( what carriers you like, toys, food, treats, so forth) and you could link them through Amazon, etc
Just a thought and yes I vaguely remember years (?) ago you said you didn’t want to write about all the glory of lightbulbs or whatever, but it may be time, damn it!
November 15, 2018 @ 7:24 pm
I second this. I would upvote this response mega-times if voting were an option. You could totally advertise and make some money here Victoria! This is one of only 2 blogs I bother to read, you’re so fabulous!
November 15, 2018 @ 8:44 pm
Ditto, I read you and karen bertelsen- the art of doing stuff- and I would just as soon click on a fund me button. I have been your fan for years,ever since you stood in the middle of a street(looking very chic) holding a sign. You were priceless then and even more interesting now. Thanks for all the joy and wit.
March 8, 2020 @ 2:27 pm
Judy,
I agree Victorias blog & the Art of doing stuff are my favorites and only two I try to keep up on.
November 15, 2018 @ 12:46 pm
I have a Sharp Carousel combination microwave/convection oven that I love. The stacked electric wall ovens that came with our home died on us shortly after moving in. The matching microwave died later. I had owned a Sharp Carousel combo previously and loved it so we found a used one on Craigslist to hold us over until we are ready for a kitchen remodel. I have been using that combo as our only oven in the house for about 4 years and it works fine. If I need a bigger oven, we have a full kitchen in our party barn with a vintage Roper with 6 burners, double ovens, and double broilers. Someday we will get around to the kitchen remodel, but our Sharp combo will do as our only home oven until then. Thank you for sharing your research on vintage appearance appliances. Our farmhouse was built in 1884 and I would love for our kitchen remodel to honor its age but with modern appliances.
November 15, 2018 @ 12:53 pm
I have an old kitchen, but it’s really big so I am ok with it. I had an old microwave on the counter… I HATE that look. I moved it to the basement, plugged it in and had every intention of using it – I just didn’t want to look at it. I don’t cook with it, ever. If I need to melt butter, I do it on the stovetop. If I want to reheat pizza, I do it in the oven. And so on and on… Don’t bother with the microwave. You don’t need it!
November 15, 2018 @ 3:19 pm
I agree. Plus they emit radiation and have been said to alter the chemical composition of food heated in them. That could be a Luddite unscientific claim—haven’t researched it. When we did our kitchen remodel five years ago I had a cubby made in the island for the microwave. It faces the stove, so you don’t see it unless you’re looking for it, and we didn’t have to spend extra for a door to conceal it. But I never use it.
November 15, 2018 @ 1:00 pm
On the counters and backsplash, choose the slate, not the marble. As a former licensed stone care professional, I can tell you that the marble will be destroyed from any acid based spills and cleaning solutions for marble are limited, slate is much more durable and easy to care for. Also invest in a top brand penetrating sealer for your stonework.
November 15, 2018 @ 1:15 pm
I know you’re not seriously considering the Big Chill oven, but I have to point out that they take really really cheap appliances made by other manufacturers and then slap a face and a huge price tag on them. And while the price may really be what it costs to fabricate that fancy retro face, I have never been able to get past the idea of paying, say, $3,500 extra for a bottom-of-the-line Amana refrigerator just because it’s been souped up with a retro shell.
November 15, 2018 @ 1:36 pm
I have to say, I have never cared more about the choices someone else is making about their kitchen. I am so invested in how this comes out it pains me that you can not have all the fancy things you desire. Those ovens actually made me take in a breath and now everyone at the table in the coffee shop is looking at me like I just found they’d cured cancer.
November 19, 2018 @ 11:29 am
This. Totally! LOL
November 15, 2018 @ 2:00 pm
Since I don’t use a microwave very often, ours went in the cupboard behind pretty doors above the wall mounted oven.I recommend a side opening door for long term practicality (not fancy, I know), but not having to bend over a hot door, hoist heavy dishes up and over, or worry about my clothing or hair swinging into the food or the hot parts of the oven was worth it.
When I was searching for the oven, I was very disappointed in the US offerings. Europe’s has many more options.
November 15, 2018 @ 2:12 pm
How often do you use your oven? If you lurve baking and roasting (vegetables, of course) then i guess a miele is worth it? We had a bosch (all bosch appliances) and loved them – well made, mid-range price (as nice appliances go). I second hiding a microwave. Or just don’t have one. We moved and left our old one behind and haven’t had one in three years. I rarely miss it.
November 15, 2018 @ 2:21 pm
Why not get a wall oven with a microwave that matches and build in the microwave above the oven and save a fortune?
November 15, 2018 @ 2:38 pm
Oh, Victoria! I agree with Tina and Amy about the combo. My friends complain about theirs constantly. Nice idea, if it actually functioned. The Euro designs are exquisite, the retro models might be fun in a second home, but I would be afraid to trust them for day-to-day use. ‘Tis so refreshing to see a young couple pursue keeping their kitchen design in line with the era of the house. You are to be commended for all of that and more! Your aesthetic sense of these things is remarkable, BUT as a practical, older woman with a Scottish heart, I gently caution you that these pretty boxes must work, and work properly. They must work for you! And, heaven forbid, should one or more break down, you will need a local appliance service that has access to parts! I do not think you or Paul would be satisfied having to wait weeks for a parts shipment from Europe? Just my two cents. Maybe this time next year, we will be reading about the sensational Thanksgiving diner you will have planned to cook and host?!? Happy Thanksgiving.
November 15, 2018 @ 5:34 pm
Forget the built-in microwave! When our second $700.00+ KitchenAid built-in microwave failed, we replaced it with another, strictly for resale purposes. We did not use it—ever! After investing $2,100 in microwaves in 12 years, I was done. Instead, we bought a $50.00 countertop microwave, put it in the pantry, and used only that until we were ready to downsize a few years later. I will never again invest in a built-in microwave. The $50 countertop unit performed as well and lasted as long as any of the $700 microwaves.
November 15, 2018 @ 5:56 pm
All whites are NOT the same – Looked terrible. Now have SS cooktop in island (4 x5 ft), stainless DW, sm black MW (reheat coffee & warm dog food) & my joy blk & SS convection wall oven. The oven is a ‘used’ Kitchenaid found at Habitat for $50. (They were just starting up & stuff was cheap! Peeps here remodel, upgrade unused appliances?!?) Left the original 1930’s wall cabinets, put in narrow open shelves for base cabinets under the wall the chimney is on. Left original deep base with flour & veg bins built in. Above them is original built in bread box with orig glass fronts above. Everyone loves the kitchen, lots of sweat equity but kitchen specific stuff so far is under 2000. New floors new countertops, repaints, new floor etc. Since I had whole house rewired & re-plumbed I didn’t figure that in. Yes I still don’t have new fridge and haven’t figured out where to bury MW, I don’t bend anymore so not putting it on lower shelf. Base cabs in island are either drawers or pull out shelves. If I were buying new oven would have gotten side hinged doors but tripping over a great deal is pretty good too.
November 15, 2018 @ 8:09 pm
Victoria, have you found the children’s book series Fancy Nancy? Every time I read them to my granddaughters I think of you…you would love them!
November 15, 2018 @ 8:18 pm
My twin daughters are in the room while I’m reading this post, and one of them just said, “See that?” (while looking at the Miele stack). The other responded, “It’s building a meal.”
November 15, 2018 @ 11:20 pm
Check out AmyBeth Cupp’s website. She has a Lacanche oven and actually has had videos made at her home for the company. I don’t know options or costs, just that they are gorgeous.
November 16, 2018 @ 8:34 am
Any room for the Sharp microwave drawer? We’ve had ours for about 10 years with no problem and no visible unattractive microwave.