the performance and features of these are pretty nice, quality seems to be there also. The only problems I have with them is that the interior cavity is quite small and there is no trim kit for 27". If the size fits your habits and you don't need a 27" size then it's a serious contender.

antss - yes, the trim kit takes it to 30", but I have room for that. I was thinking of putting the coordinating MW drawer under it. I just don't have a feeling if 1.1 cu ft is too small. I need to compare it to something I already have, like my conventional MW.

bibliomom - thank you, so much, for all of the info. It was well worth it and I appreciate you taking the time to type it up. If is isn't too much trouble, I would love to hear any updates you have as you use it more.

Well, I guess I need to rethink this. What I really want is a pair of wall ovens where one is large and the other is small + a rangetop. I don't need two large ovens, but I do want the smaller one to be large enough to just throw in my 9x13 pyrex casserole w/o much thinking.

Thanks, again, for the inputs - Jo Ann

....What I really want is a pair of wall ovens where one is large and the other is small + a rangetop. I don't need two large ovens, but I do want the smaller one to be large enough to just throw in my 9x13 pyrex casserole w/o much thinking. ....

We're both looking/hoping for the same thing, Drjoann! Maybe we should start a campaign for one with the major oven mfgers.

I've thought about doing the 2-in-1 oven stacked with a regular wall oven just to get the "half-sized" oven I want, or seeing if it's possible to place in the wall (hiding the cooktop of course) one of those GE Profile Free-Standing Double Oven Ranges. I'd consider that one if the bottom oven door didn't open practically onto the floor (which is why I joke about putting it into the wall).

dr. - don't be fooled by the spec sheet - you'll need to go look at one to determine if it's large enough.

The Sharp site says that Lowes carries the Super Steam, so I'm going there with baking dish in hand to check it out.

tracey_b - I am so with you. They used to do what we want. Why is it like unobtainium, now? (deep sigh)

Jo Ann

Good luck going to check out Sharp in person! Remember to put your pan in with the obligatory trays for the full effect ;-)

Cooking update:

Chicken strips and fries: tried to bake two racks loaded with food and it took *forever*. (Seriously - like 45 minutes.) But I initially tried to use the convenience food convection/steam setting and I think that was probably a mistake. It did better when I switched to all convection and cranked it all the way up to 450, but it still took a really long time - it was just too much food.

Brownies: standard convection and it worked great! I squeezed in my quarter sheet pan (balanced on the rack in the baking pan) and it *just* fit. I was particularly impressed because the recipe called for a smaller pan (I wanted thinner brownies) and they still came out evenly cooked. But of course my old oven was terrible, so I'm really just comparing to that ;-)

Well, here's a random update a year + later:

1) It makes excellent baked potatoes and sweet potatoes.

2) The microwave is really under-powered and since it lacks a rotating tray, it heats unevenly as well as slowly. However the sensor reheat seems to work fine, so we just give it extra time and get annoyed if we're in a hurry.

3) It's now been in the shop three times for what seems like some sort of internal blown fuse. As in, mid-cycle, the whole thing just bricks. And after this trip, it's starting to act really squirrely - the microwave specifically doesn't seem to be heating properly. I still haven't figured out what trips the fuse, either.

4) It's a life saver in the summer (since I have a BlueStar full-house oven heater) but I imagine most convection microwaves would be also.

5) I have used it to steam siu mai and tamales - it's slow, but you can do it.

Just in case anyone wondered ;-)