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bosch convection oven and steam oven vs. miele or wolf?

11 years ago

Hello GW experts. Looking for some insights from people who own and use both a standard convection oven ("CO") AND a steam oven ("SO"). My wife and I spend lots of time cooking things that love steam (fish, veggies), baking (pastries, cakes, eager to experiment with bread) and also roasting, braising, broiling, pizza, etc. etc. Very eager to try roasting chickens and slow braising in the SO!

For what its worth, we plan to go with a 36" induction cooktop but thats another story.

After some research, it seems the Bosch Benchmark Combination Steam Oven is a great value at $5,699 (http://www.bosch-home.com/us/products/built-in-wall-ovens/combination-ovens/HSLP751UC.html?source=browse). This includes the Benchmark SO and the Benchmark CO, but doesnt seem to have the side swing door option. Buying the side swing and SO separate would total only a few hundred more at $5,998 ($3,099 for SO and $2,899 for CO w/ side swing door).

The Wolf E Series (30") or Miele M-Touch offerings would cost just over $8,000 for their CO + SO. Gaggenau is quite a bit more than that so Im not really considering them yet (although their 400 series SO seems pretty awesome).

Is there anything about the Wolf or Miele CO that really stand out vs. the Bosch? I understand the Miele is the only SO with a broiler built in. Is that important if you can make a nice crispy roast in the others, and have a broiler in the adjacent CO?

Our budget could probably absorb any of the above choices but would cause us to cut back in other areas. Other thoughts?

Comments (22)

  • 11 years ago

    Do not buy the Wolf E series. The blue enamel flakes off. Read all about it on this forum. If you go Wolf do the M series, it *might* have (we're not sure) fixed the problem.

    I would lean towards Bosch or Miele to be safe.

  • 11 years ago

    I have read but wasnt aware it was specifically the e series. Thanks! Looks like M Series is about the same money anyway in Wolf land.

  • 11 years ago

    The blue flaking issue is not limited to the E-Series for the Wolf, it has also been reported on the L-Series. Though I own an L-Series and haven't had the issue, though I've never done a self-cleaning on it and probably never will.

    We also own the Wolf CSO and love it. Do I miss the broiler option, nope, but that is a personal thing. I have only used a broiler a limited number of times for anything in my life, but that is just my cooking style. We do have the broiler option on the L-Series if we want to use it though.

    As for going with Bosch over Wolf or Miele I can't say as I only have the Wolf stuff and have only used that. I know that the Wolf has had one of the largest interior dimensions for the CSO, not sure if that holds up compared to the Bosch.

    I don't know that you will find a lot of reviews on the Bosch stuff yet, I am not sure how many people have actually purchased them yet, so hard to review if you don't own it or haven't worked with one.

    Best of luck,
    phil

  • 11 years ago

    I don't own either but have been researching. One thing that was a deal breaker for me was that the Miele had a broiler and the Wolf did not, I am not sure about the Bosch though.

    Hope this helps.

  • 11 years ago

    Any other experience with the Bosch Benchmark stuff?

    Miele CSO owners - does the built in broiler have a big impact on roasting meat & veg? In other words, does the broiler play a role in the other functions, or is it more of an added feature for that acts similar to any other broiler in a regular oven? Hope that makes sense!

  • 11 years ago

    Personally I feel since the CSO isn't the 'main' oven in almost all kitchen postings regarding CSO ovens the broiler option would be rather moot. All the larger ovens have the capability to broil so for me it's a non issue regarding the CSO but that's just relative to my usage. Another thing that would put me off a broiler option for the CSO is the size and the fact the the Wolf CSO doesn't operate in any mode but convection. Being it's relatively small the spatter from broiling would pretty much coat most of the inside of the oven especially since the conv. fan runs constantly (in the Wolf). I wouldn't want the fans running while broiling (I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to disable them in broil mode). Just roasting a chicken can create a lot of mess in my Wolf CSO, pork is worse. I prefer a larger oven for broiling. I could see it for melting cheese or something similar in a CSO, but not burgers or bacon.

  • 11 years ago

    I've seen the Bosch steam oven, and it is smaller cavity. The Wolf and Miele are significantly larger.

    Wolf/Miele > Gaggenau >> Bosch/Thermador

  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    Wolf is 1.8 cubic feet; Bosch is 1.4 cubic feet and the new Miele that was released in 2015 is 1.7 cubic feet. So the Bosch is the smallest of these three. I guess the notable difference between the three, aside from capacity is that the Miele is plumbed and the other two are not -- unless Miele has released a new non-plumbed version. It's hard to keep up with the latest features.

  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    Broiling with steam helps prevent fish from drying out while still giving a nice crispy crust. I have the Miele and their 30" CO. I rarely use the big oven, only when doing multiple things or if I need the larger size.

  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    Thanks dbabrams. Is your Miele plumbed as well? Just researched this issue - it appears Miele now has non-plumbed options. Some folks indicate that the non-plumbed versions release a lot steam/warm air into the kitchen whereas the plumbed ovens have drains that allow excess water to escape. Curious as to whether this steamy air is a real issue.

  • 10 years ago

    Mine isn't plumbed. It only releases steam when you first open it. Condensate drains into a collection tank.

  • 10 years ago

    Good to know. Thanks!

  • 10 years ago

    We are deciding between the Miele and Wolf steam ovens. Originally I was leaning towards the Wolf because of the larger interior capacity, but the newer Miele is *almost* as big. Broiling is a non-factor. Are there any other major differences? Has anyone actually used both the Wolf and the Miele steam ovens that can comment? I'm curious if the used water collection tank on the Miele makes any difference in operation or cleaning. We tested the Wolf SO during a demo and aside from mopping up a small puddle of water once it cooled, cleanup was a breeze. Granted we didn't make anything that would have really splattered. I did also see a Miele that had been used, and the inside had more crud caked on. Is this because the water/steam is removed to the tank so it can't soften the mess and make it easier to clean, or did they just not clean the inside as often?

  • 10 years ago

    WOW, what a difference. Beautiful

  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    I agree with the wow and the beautiful! I'm going to try that. It looks easier!

    So for those of us with a different brand, by "steam mode" do you mean steam cleaning mode, or do you mean 212° F and 100% steam?

    Thank-you!!

  • 8 years ago

    We're building a new house and the placement of the appliances is pretty much fixed at this point. We didn't have any idea of how tricky this would be. Speed oven, Steam oven plus 30" convection oven and induction cooktop. Where to put them all? And how to decide which manufacturer so that they all match, without breaking the bank?

    We're thinking that the 30" Convection oven will be the one we use least. The Miele Steam seems better than the Bosch, but that means we have to make everything Miele to match. Miele 30 " convection is a lot more expensive than the Bosch. And how many of you have a Speed oven and what do you use it for? Currently, we use a Microwave to heat a bowl of soup, or warm up coffee, or reheat leftovers. We roast a lot of chicken and use a Convection oven..same with fish. We're a retired couple so it's mostly the 2 of us, and wonder how often we'll have a crowd and use everything at once. Plus, we're moving to FL and will have a good grill with a rotisserie, so will have that option too.

    Also wondering about a plain Microwave +Combi Steam+ Convection set up. But we're thinking that for resale value, we should have a Speed Oven.

    Can any of you tell me which appliances you use the most and do you have any experience with Bosch cooking appliances?

    And has anyone out there ever installed a wall oven under a cooktop, rather than buying a slide in or built in stove?


  • 8 years ago

    I have the 30” miele convection oven, CSO, and Speed Oven. We rarely use a microwave so we splurged on the speed oven to have as a third oven. Rarely use it in combi-speed mode. It’s great for hurrying up baked potatoes in a pinch. Use it more as a second small oven with my CSO. Like yourself we are retired, and live in fl with two outdoor grills. I find I reheat leftovers with the CSO oven in combi mode and use my speed oven in convection bake or roast for a fresh side. I could live without it but dedicating the space for something I use only s few times a week (a micro) seemed like a waste so we spent the extra $$$ for the speed/third oven. If you are not an induction user now - you will find things like warming up soup is as easy/fast on your induction as a microwave. For holiday gatherings and entertaining - that third oven is very handy!!

    Not sure how you plan to arrange your ovens - but I would bet Bosch/Miele could work together in a kitchen - they don’t have to match.

  • 5 years ago

    CityRat here. Four years now since we bought the Wolf Steam Oven and Convection Oven. Still love both. I use easy off now to clean them both. Sprays on. Wipes off. Works like a charm. One feature I wish I had on the SO is the swing arm door that the Bosch or Miele have. Sometimes it's a stretch to pull things out and cleaning would be easier if there were a swing door as opposed to the typical pull down door. No other issues. Everything works great. Looking at a Wolf 6-burner Rangetop to replace the KitchenAid and thinking about replacing my microwave with a Monogram Advantium.

  • 5 years ago

    debating between getting Bosch steam oven and convection vs. Miele. I love to cook and the steam oven will be a new addition to my kitchen. I’m a huge fan of the convection and induction stove Modes.

  • 5 years ago

    I really wanted a Miele but service is not even available around here. I’m going with Bosch 🤞🏻

  • 5 years ago

    Had to get the lining replaced in the Wolf Convection oven; it's 4.5 years old and the fabric lining (gasket) was fraying. Still no issues with the Wolf Steam Oven; in fact bc of the good experience we've had with these two appliances, we splurged for the Wolf 6-burner Rangetop to replace the Kitchen Aid Rangetop - getting it installed this week. We also have the Wolf toaster and the Wolf countertop convection toaster oven. All work great. Huzzah!

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