Help selecting double wall oven

14 days ago

We are having a heck of a time selecting a double wall oven for our kitchen reno. Some thoughts:

- House is midcentury modern. Husband and I both cook and bake a ton.

- Budget is not really an issue. I am fine spending $12k for the right high end oven (fridge will likely be subzero and induction cooktop is Bosch). But the more I dig in, the more I seem to find serious issues with all the expensive brands.

- Wolf: We like the look, can -tolerate- the interface (not our favorite but not the worst), but super scared of the dreaded blue chipping

- Viking: We LOVE the looks of these for our midcentury home. And quite like the manual/knob interface as a counterpoint to all the terrible touchscreens on other models (more on that below). But Viking has such terrible reviews. Some online chatter says their cooking appliances are good, but I think that is referring to their gas ranges. The guy at the appliance store said he really doesn't sell a lot of Viking wall ovens, and those he does sell are because people specifically want the french door - though he assured me their cooking devices are great. But this seems like this could be a gamble?? For a lot of money!

- Thermador: Like the modern look, which would also work well for the MCM vibe. But can't stand the touch screen interface. Spent a minute trying to make it work in the store, and hated it.

- Bosch - In past homes, we have owned the old 800 series oven (12 years ago - a couple models back) and 500 series (current model). Hated the old 800 series touch interface. Liked the 500 series well enough, but it wasn't perfect. Didn't love the preheat on either.

- Beyond that, I kind of hate all these new touch screens that are used on 99% of wall ovens today. We've tried a million of them, and the touch screens we tried all are so frustrating compared with the interfaces of 20 years ago. Having to press buttons three times to finally get it to recognize your finger, can't use touchscreen while oven mitts are on, scroll features results in constantly over-scrolling and then trying to get back to where you wanted to be, have to press a bunch of buttons just to get to basic bake functionality. All these screens seem like (a) they were designed by people who NEVER cook and (b) are going to have a super high fail rate.

- Even though I'm prepared to spend $10k+, it seems like a crazy risk for products with serious issues (see above) and where I may end up hating the interface.

- Part of me thinks I should just buy a $2500 model that functions fine and looks minimalist and modern. And if I hate the interface or if it fails, I can replace three more times for less than the Wolf. I've had/used a lot of big brand ovens in my life, and honestly, they are typically really reliable - quick preheat, even temps. That's pretty much all I want in an oven, right?

With all that said.... is there a luxury wall oven that isn't a gamble? That doesn't have a high likelihood of issues and has a good interface?

Or does my plan of buying something lower price make sense? And if so, can anyone recommend a run of the mill double oven where the interface is good? That a cook will actually enjoy using?

Thanks!

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Comments (12)

awm03
14 days ago
Fisher & Paykel?
https://www.fisherpaykel.com/us/cooking/ovens/professional-ovens/double-oven-30in-10-function-self-cleaning-wodv3-30-82946.html
H202
Original Author
13 days ago
Thanks! i love the look of them, but in the one minute we spent playing with the interface, it drove us nuts and we gave up!
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Joseph Babcock
13 days ago
Have you looked at Bluestar or Gaggenau?

I personally like the Miele but it is a touch screen interface.

If money is no object you could get the La Cornue flamberge rotisserie.
BPMBA
13 days ago
Did you look at the Thermador Pro series, which has dials and a touchscreen (Masterpiece is touchscreen only)? You can do 90% of what you need to do with dials. I have them & love them - with the side opening doors - and except for setting an oven timer (easy), I don't use the touchscreen at all.
Tish
13 days ago
Bluestar.
H202
Original Author
13 days ago
Bluestar is an interesting recommendation. We don't have a local dealer, so would have to go an hour to see them. But I'm surprised the price is really not different than Viking or Wolf.

BPMBA - we looked at Thermador, but didn't love the touch interface - setting the timer was a pain because you had to scroll to the time, and every time we did it, it went to far, and then it was annoying to get it to go back a few minutes. And even turning on the light and other basic items - i was having to press three different times before i managed to get the light to go on. Maybe you will convince me it is not that bad?? I do like the look of thermador.

But all of this begs the question.... Is there any real value to a more expensive wall oven? Or is it purely aesthetics?

WIth cooktops and fridges, I see better value spending more money. But I've had cheap ovens, and they heat just the same as expensive ovens. So maybe this is somewhere I just save my money?
HU-432451269
13 days ago
Simple and reliable is Bluestar. Design plus is the choice of color and french door options.
wdccruise
13 days ago
"I kind of hate all these new touch screens that are used on 99% of wall ovens today."

Reasonably-priced double wall ovens with control knobs:
- Frigidaire Professional Series PCWD3080AF ($2900)
- Bertazzoni MAST30FDEXV ($3800)
- Signature Kitchen Suite UPWD3034ST ($5200)
akrogirl32
13 days ago
The range in our old house was the Miele induction, and the controls for oven were essentially the same as the wall oven. I normally don’t get on well with touch screens, but I had no issues with the touch screen on that oven. My husband and I both noticed a huge difference in the speed of warming up and, more importantly, in evenness of baking compared to our previous ovens.
awm03
13 days ago
I'm now three years with my GE Profile, & think it's a terrific oven. Great baker, roasts well, air fry is nice for a variety of things, has useful conveniences. It has a touch screen, but is easy to use. I was not a touch screen fan before, but some industrial designer really thought this one out well, imo. It's the 7 inch lcd one with picture display.

I realize GE Profile is a pedestrian brand, but Cafe & Monogram are basically the same oven but better styling & a few more software choices.
darbuka
13 days ago
We found our Miele double ovens (one is a combi steam) had a very short learning curve. The interface was pretty darn easy to master. Eight years, no issues.
BPMBA
12 days ago
last modified: 12 days ago
Hmmm, well ... I rarely use the oven timer (use my phone instead) b/c the "I'm done!" chime isn't very loud and I'm often elsewhere in the house. There is a separate "light" button outside of the touchscreen on the Pro series, so no scrolling there. I love the side-opening doors & full-extension racks so much. I think speed to get to your required temp & the evenness of temps (with a variety of convection set-ups) are also great. But, as a back-up, I'd vote for SKS. I have that 48" range top and it's all knobs and solid quality.