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 16, 2018 @ 10:22 am
People struggle everyday with what they want and can what they can afford. I wanted soapstone and decided that I couldn’t afford it so I went with matte finish Silestone look-a-like soapstone. I still was only able to buy 2 of the 3 pieces of what I wanted, so I am living with plywood counter top on my island. For me , I couldn’t do something I would grow to hate (like ugly countertops) . Hopefully, you can come to terms with your want vs afford, build the kitchen and go on with your other projects, kittens and life.
November 16, 2018 @ 10:35 am
I was just this morning thinking that I would GLADLY take my 20 year old Frigidaire washer/dryer back over my fancy and expensive Samsung ones we bought when we moved. The new ones are all electronic and I can never get the clothes dry and the washer has it’s own problems due to them being made by someone else who wants to control my clothes cleaning. Might want to keep the old micro if it’s working for you. Also, some of the new built in ones have a door that opens and shelf slides out with a push button. I have found these to be a nuisance. Just a little feedback for you on the microwave thing. (See Giana above)
November 16, 2018 @ 5:41 pm
I would scrap the microwave. We did. I have heard bad reports on them, anyway. I now use a pot on the stove, or our toaster/convection oven to reheat. Both are quick and easy. Actually, the food tastes much better! Growing up we didn’t have microwave ovens and I am so glad mine was blasted by our electric company.
November 16, 2018 @ 7:15 pm
Microwave in the pantry!!
November 17, 2018 @ 8:39 am
IKEA used to make beautiful white glass wall ovens that looked like Gaggneau or Miele knock-offs. They don’t make them anymore, but I see them on CL from time to time. Here’s one in NYC for $250:
https://newyork.craigslist.org/stn/app/d/ikea-in-wall-microwave-oven/6742857301.html
November 17, 2018 @ 1:17 pm
Hi VEB!
Heard that convection oven must cool down before using the microwave function?? Could be an issue to research. For a busy holiday meal I would need that second oven and the microwave. It hurries warming/prep of sides, so it must be available at all times for my sanity and speed cooking! Love your kitchen so far!
November 18, 2018 @ 5:19 pm
You are the reason I can’t settle for a new kitchen, I now have a hunger for GFT’s. I will not settle for something that won’t give me what I want. Unfortunately I married a man who received a work bench for his 21st birthday and thirty years later it is still in mint condition.
This doesn’t help you with your equipment search, sorry.
November 20, 2018 @ 12:30 pm
Victoria – where do you find these amazing over-the-top products?! Seriously. They are absolutely to die for. You would be a fabulous kitchen designer: you do thorough research, you’re focused, detail oriented, and a perfectionist. (I started an interior design program in the San Francisco bay area, where I live, but real life stepped in and I took care of my late father until he passed away.) I would love you to design my kitchen, (if only I had the money.) I can’t wait to see the final reveal.
November 22, 2018 @ 6:24 am
Long time reader first time commenter- I love your writing and your house and your Paul! I’m based in the UK and we have the Miele double ovens, one combination and one regular, and I absolutely love them. I’ve never raved about kitchen appliances before but this is one vote of confidence for Miele, hands down! They work flawlessly and keep a low profile, design-wise.
November 23, 2018 @ 10:12 am
I, too am a lover of GFT, however, after learning from many expensive GFT mistakes, I now employ a combo GFT/KISS practice.
Long story short, redid my kitchen 5 years ago- longed for the Le Corneau range- ended up with a gorgeous Fratelli Onofri range that was in my price range. I did inquire about repairs and parts prior to purchasing. Then shortly before Christmas last year the oven door hinge broke. And the 75 year old company has folded. And globally- GLOBALLY!!! There were no replacement hinges. Thankfully we have a fantastic Maker’s Space here in town who fixed my hinge. If I could not have fixed it, I was looking at least the cost of a new range, plus possibly retrofitting the surrounding custom cabinets as well as the soapstone counters. Can you say cha-ching?!? All because of the want of a simple hinge…and my need for GFT”s (I’ll own that!)
I vote with the previous poster Vigrinia- put your time and money into a GFT that will hide a run of the mill microwave and oven. Then when- not if, but when- one of the appliances break, it will be an easy, affordable replacement or repair. Especially if you leave some literal wiggle room in the area in which they will be installed. Because in our last home we had a wall oven and when it was time to replace it we literally didn’t have the room to install a new one because dimensions had changed since the original had been purchased and installed! Had to reconfigure the kitchen to make space for a new oven- yuck!
Honestly, you’ve already put so much effort into figuring out how to attractively integrate the frig that it should be fairly easy for you to apply that knowledge to camouflage/integrate a wall oven. The microwave is easy- make one of your drawers into a swing up/slide back cabinet instead (that’s what I did- hides the run of the mill cheap micro fabulously!!) Trust me, in the long run it will leave you more time and money for tracking down/acquiring more needless GFT’s like urns, spool cabinets, etc. and you will not regret it!
And, if I ever re do a kitchen again, I would seriously consider putting the micro, wall oven, and frig in a working pantry adjacent to my kitchen. Problems solved! 🙂
November 23, 2018 @ 7:48 pm
I don’t know if you are still looking for a kitchen faucet, but I would check out the Jaclo 1012 – it is the only classic wall-mount gooseneck faucet with an integrated pull out spray I have seen on the market, & it comes in a wide range of finishes (including unlaquered brass). I mean, it’s really expensive ($2000 ish?), but if you’re really committed to that exact faucet design and have the money, it seems like it would work!
November 28, 2018 @ 12:31 pm
But what about the fancy ovens from the Great British Baking Show? Where the door SLIDES IN so you don’t have to lean precariously over the door? Or, if it’s a wall oven, and you’re short, you wouldn’t burn your side boob trying to get a cake out of the oven?
Oven oven oven.
August 1, 2019 @ 11:48 am
The photo of the stainless shelf between the ovens is my design/project. How did you get the photo rights to use this photo on your website?