Price can be a big factor. The least expensive, most useful option is probably the built-in cubby with room around it, for the counter model microwave. For many people's microwaving uses, the Costco special does everything they need. The built-in, match the oven models are often the same units inside as the Costco special with the expensive matching door, trim kit, and inventory/distribution costs (plus what the market will bear to make it match). There are only a few makers of microwaves. The rest are rebadged. Sometimes, a feature or two will be added to make the fancy built-in MW "better".

There are mixed reviews on "convection microwaves" which essentially have browning elements and can be run with a heated convection fan as a non-microwave, convection oven. Some people love them as value added microwaves, other people hate them as inadequate to be called ovens.

Speed ovens use a combination of microwaves, convection heat, and, in the case of Advantium, halogen heat. Miele and the others use different technology, which I can't recall at the moment. The point of a speed oven is that you can cook things much faster than pure oven heat (outside in) or microwave (excite the molecules so that the food cooks in its own heat). If you're in a hurry to put a roast chicken on the table after work, you really want a speed oven.

The convection oven only part of a speed oven is also useful as a second or third oven. I have the Advantium 240V, which I use for this. That extra oven concept only works, if, like me, you don't use the microwave while making meals. Convection only is okay for some basic baking tasks, but isn't the best for very eggy things, some breads, etc. It's fine for most cooking tasks. At the time I bought mine, the Miele was reported here as being better for baking, the Advantium was better for microwaving. A cookie sheet does fit in my 30" Advantium--there are smaller models--but only on the wire rack. You can use the provided enamelled trays for baking cookies or biscuits or whatever. In fact, it's recommended that you do. I can also, barely, fit my 16" pizza pan, though I wouldn't make an actual pizza in convection only, given a choice. Basically, convection only blows hot air. That can dry out the exposed surface of a custard (quiche, creme brulee) or pizza. Even though it is convection only, the Advantium in oven mode behaves like a real convection oven and the results are indistinguishable.

Hope some of that helps. Good luck with your purchase.

you can get cookie sheets of various sizes.

Great! Thanks for the input...to expand on my dilemma...I am getting a 48" Wolf DF which has 2 ovens or I should say an oven and a half;) I do a LOT of cooking often for large groups but am a little constricted on space. I could probably fit a 30" single and a microwave/speed oven. Just trying to determine whether or not I need the 30" single and if not, would a speed oven work as kind of the best of both worlds: a microwave and another oven. Good to know about the cookie sheets and the differences in some of the brands. Any other input appreciated as always!

I was thinking a speed oven could replace my toaster oven. Any thoughts on this? I am going to have a gas range with hood and a separate mw. Wondering if its worthwhile to get mw-convection-speed oven combo.

I was warned that the Advantium doesn't make toast well so I had low expectations. It makes really bad toast. It will definitely replace all the cooking things you probably do in your toaster oven (not souffles, right?). I like an oven shape toaster for hand cut crumbly breads and bagels. My old toaster oven was getting dangerous, so I got a new one on a loss leader special, which had decent reviews on toasting. It's really light weight and lives in a drawer.

Other speed ovens might make better toast.

We've had our Elux Speed oven , 5 years now. Sure like it and it makes good toast---alto I don't do "Fancy Toast", just not my style, but I do like a poached egg on toast or a toasted English Muffin, and it works great for that.

I'm sure we have saved a ton of money (Energy wise), in the years we have had it. Seems like a "waste", (to Me) to heat up the large oven and then just bake 2 potatoes in it, which takes bout 45 mins to an hour. Speed oven done in less than 15 minutes, including preheat.

The Elux is probably the easiest Speed oven to use just as a microwave, just enter the time and hit start.

The Elux, like the Advantium, does not broil, which is "no biggie", to us, as we do that outside, but we could use the regular oven too.

I believe the Miele Speed Oven is the only one that broils, but the broiling on it gets "Mixed Reviews" Probably not as good as the broiler in a regular oven and certainly not in
the "Infra Red Broiler Category" as are found on some gas ovens (Blue Star & Capital Cullinarian).

Unlike the Miele, the Elux does use a carousel, we like it, but make your own decision on that one.

Until we got our Elux Induction Cooktop, the Speed oven was our most used appliance.

HTH's

Good luck with pending decisions!!!

Gary

Hey Gary...thanks for the input. Was hoping you would respond..I know you love your Elux and am leaning towards that. I wasn't able to tell if it could truly function as a microwave AND/OR oven...I think you've (all) helped me decide. I'm trying to justify "just" getting a 30" oven and drawer microwave (Sharp), but think if I can swing it I'll go with a 30" oven and the speed oven. Let me know if I'm crazy but thanks again all for your input!

I'm a relatively new owner of the 240V Advantium and am loving it so far. I had hoped to use it for toast but I agree with plllog that it doesn't do a great job. So, despite my hope to have as little as possible on my kitchen countertops, I broke down and bought a 2-slice toaster.

But I had another issue with using the Advantium as a toaster. Since I tend to microwave the milk for my coffee in the morning (I am a nut on the topic of hot coffee), I had to make sure to microwave the milk before toasting. Otherwise the oven was too hot to microwave after toasting, not to mention the bother of switching the glass tray for the metal one. In the end, it just wasn't worth the trouble.

Have been using a Miele Chef Speed Oven for about a month now. Use it mostly for microwave and for convection bake. Have not used the combination mode more than a couple of times. It's role is more of a multifunction device than a speed/time saving device. Have used for warming, baking pies, heating vegetable dishes, browning. Very happy with it. Yes you can get a regular size cookie sheet in with room to spare. The unit works very well, is solid and I find I just like the feel and aesthetics of it as well as the performance. People have complained that there is no simple "minute" button for the microwave-- you have to select microwave, select the level and program the time. I do not find this to be burdensome at all; others may.

What are the brands to look at -> I know Miele and Advantium.. Looks like Elux also makes one.. Any other brands to consider?

Darn about the toast.. That was a big hope for me.. Also the switching out trays seems like a no-go for me as it needs to be very simple (minute plus/ 30 sec button) for DH and daughter for warming milk and leftovers.

Lalitha

As I mentioned, I've had my Elux for 5 years now. I have never switched out the tray, I think it did come with other trays, but have no idea what they are for, as I have never had to switch.

The standard tray for the turntable is fine for both roasting and nuking, ----good thing, cause at my age, I sure dont wanna hafta "sort things out"!!!!

Now granted, We are more the basic "Stick it in there and get it cooked", type folks, chicken, turkey, taters, ocasionally toast etc etc---So we haven't embarked on any
"Cullinary Adventures" that would require the Services of Miele or Advantium type aparattii (SP?)

Gary

Lalitha, if you're using it mostly as a microwave, just make sure to leave the microwave tray in. It does help if you make a dedicated drawer or cubby for the trays right by the oven, rather than mixing them in with other things. I also have a couple of plastic MW plate covers, potholders and an apron in my tray drawer, but nothing that makes it hard to just pop them in and out.

Definitely check out the Electrolux (which I always forget) since Gary says it toasts. The Miele also has the broiler, which might come in handy for charring up an eggplant or something.

TurboChef was one of, if not the, first speed ovens. It's cute, and very pricey. I don't remember the features, but a few people here have one. I'm pretty sure a few other makers have gotten into it.

I've been using the low-end Miele for a couple months now. I am liking it ... with reservations.

I agree the timing of using first oven then microwave is really tricky. What I've done to help is to get a silicone mat. This way you can use it as an oven with the glass tray, then put the mat on the glass tray to protect whatever you need to microwave and MW them all together, glass tray, silicone mat, mug (or whatever).

That seems to work -- hope it's not a problem mechanically; I can't even tell.

This machine is majorly inscrutable. The manual is utterly useless. You'd think the writers were from some other planet, not fellow Germanic-language adherents. I mentioned this to a CS rep I was talking with and he said 'oh well, we need to make the manual work in so many languages .... yadayadayadaya'. This completely begs the question that it's non-functional in any language. Whatever....

But then there's that tray-switching out thing.

First, I don't find it a no-go but it's definitely confusing. It was mentioned to me to plan in a narrow drawer right underneath the oven to facilitate the switching of trays by having them handy. I agree this is wise.

I was confused by reports here that you can use the metal trays on MW. Turns out that Miele reengineered the oven a couple years back. The new ovens do not permit use of the metal tray in the MW. Or so says the tech I spoke with. Apparently the first gen Miele speed ovens did allow use of the wire rack, just not the second gen.

So, the guy said he'd send me a first gen rack, which he did for free. I was very excited about this ... until I received the rack and it didn't fit. Evidently the first gen ovens were smaller.

Anyone with a first gen oven want a second wire rack?

So then tonight I got fed up. I've been wanting to try this but only screwed up my courage tonight. Others have mentioned doing this: I just did too. I used MW with the second gen metal rack, in the second gen oven.

So OK, have I just nullified my warranty? No sparks flew. The metal didn't heat up particularly. I think, come to think of it, that the water heated less though I'm not sure of that ... is that possible?

So what is *supposed* to happen if you use metal in a MW? Sparks are supposed to fly, right? BTW - the tech guy said the reason the second gen wire racks wouldn't work is because something about their configuration interferes with the bounce of the MW's. It was evidently not designed to be like this but accidentally happened. I didn't ask whether it mattered at which height the metal rack was fitted. I used the bottom rungs tonight if that matters.

So here's an open question: can use of the metal rack like this cause some sort of internal damage or wear? Or if it doesn't blow up is everything fine?

BTW, I burned the top of a bread tonight nicely with the broiler! It works.... :) Don't know whether this means it might toast....

My understanding (not having seen one), is that the previous smaller wire rack fits inside the glass tray. Some speed oven recipes I've seen on Miele.com imply this. Also, I believe internal oven dimensions and glass trays remained the same size in newer / older Miele speed ovens.

Aliris 19, when you say your second (older) wire rack "doesn't fit", do you mean it can't use the same side-rails that your glass tray uses? Or, does your second wire rack not rest on the glass tray, within its lower flat area?

Other than knowing its 'spozed to be bad, I'm really not clear on why its so bad or exactly what's bad about it.

That said and nevertheless, here's my guesses as to issues with using a larger wire rack in microwave solo modes, from most to least probable: (1) it interferes with the bounce of microwaves within the oven (which will matter more or less, depending on what you're trying to cook in there, for how long, and maybe position of the rack); (2) it can heat up some, and so theoretically could spark; and (3) together, these things may reduce the microwave inverter thing's life expectancy.

Which is why the newer manual tells you not to do this...

Oh!!! I had no idea about that wire rack fitting inside the glass tray ... that explains its weird shape too. I haven't checked, but I bet it would fit on the glass tray. Geesh... silly me.

Why, then, was it Ok to use the wire rack in the older MW? The tech guy said it was a physical configuration-thing of the older wire rack. Do you think that's not so? I definitely didn't get the impression this guy was hugely knowledgeable.

For the price of a speed oven, you could get the Sharp SuperSteam oven with trim kit and a matching microwave drawer below.

I have the Advantium 240V and it's nice when I want speed (baked potatoes, reheating pizza, grilling hot dogs, garlic bread, etc.) But NOTHING matches the food quality/versatility of the Sharp supersteam. No other steam oven has superheated steam which is important when you want to brown the outside but leave the inside moist (think chicken or turkey breasts, meatloaf, baked fish, whole chicken). Or in standard steam mode you can make the best steamed veggies and seafood. Or in oven mode you can convection bake on 1 or 2 levels with the provided trays. Reheats better than anything (rice, pasta, meats, etc.)

Bottom line: I could live without the Advantium speed oven, but I would find it difficult to live without the Sharp. The preheat time is fast because the oven is small, but the cooking times are more normal as this unit is built for the best food quality and not how fast it can get'er done.

Aliris19, I think its partly the increased bulk of the newer / larger wire racks, and partly the shape of the wire making up the newer racks, that causes more interference with microwaves bouncing around in there. But that's just another guess...

I guess what I'm wondering also is whether the racks are made of some special material that makes them more-OK to use in a MW than not. Or if it's all a physical configuration issue.