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Two dishwashers or two ovens? Help me decide.

8 years ago

If you could only choose one or the other, which would you choose and why?


I have double ovens now and they are very nice but I constantly wish I had two dishwashers (4 kids at home!) I rarely use my second oven. Because of space and configuration constraints in house we are moving to, I am tempted to do the two dishwashers and do a 30" slide in gas range. (I currently have a 36" gas rangetop and it's definitely overkill as I have never used 6 burners.) If I go this route, I'd have a second stove/oven in basement and also a portable convection oven in pantry next to microwave.

But I sure will miss the look of double ovens as well as the height of them. I'm so afraid of having regrets.

Comments (21)

  • 8 years ago

    Can you post a layout (with measurements) of your new place? Folks here are pretty clever and might be able to find a way to get more out of the space then you might think

  • 8 years ago

    A slide-in oven can have a double oven feature. I had a freestanding one years ago that I really liked. The two of us used the top, smaller oven 90% of the time. My family of 5 can do most everything with one oven and a Breville.

    I'd choose 2 dishwashers because I cook a lot and have to hand wash items that don't fit into the first load, if I want them out of the sink. Of course, then they're taking up counter space while drying. Yeah, I could dry too but I'm lazy.

    My clean-up needs are daily, throughout the day, while a double oven is a few-times-a-year bonus.

  • 8 years ago

    It sounds like you answered your own question. If you will have a second oven elsewhere, and rarely use a second oven, then go for the second DW. With 4 kids in the house, I can see the benefit to that.

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Dishwashers. I had to really convince my husband (he thought it was excessive) but he agrees and is very glad now that we have two. Double oven is nice, but, like you, we only use it once or twice a year. Dishwashers get used almost daily.

  • 8 years ago

    While you may only use 4 burners on a regular basis, you may find you miss all of the extra space a 36" cooktop provides as you move pans around. When you need that second oven, you need it.

    When the drawer dishwashers first came out, people complained that they were having to run small loads because they forgot which unit they had put the dirty dishes in. If you have two dishwasher, you may forget where you loaded things. Just a thought.

  • 8 years ago

    I would take 2 dishwashers in a heartbeat!!

  • 8 years ago

    I have four children. The dishwashers win for me as well. Get the largest Breville toaster oven. It is huge. Plus my kiddos wound up using it a ton when they were little-ish. We have since moved to a house with more ovens, but I miss that toaster oven a lot.

  • 8 years ago

    Thanks, everyone! I feel really confident about the two dishwashers. I may post my entire kitchen layout in a new post in the future to have it critiqued.

    At this point in life, I've never once baked a turkey as a) DH really doesn't like turkey all that well and b) I don't see my MIL abdicating her turkey throne/holiday hosting anytime soon.

    Our biggest use of our oven now is for frozen pizza, rolls, and the occasional casserole. I find myself using my Instant Pot and Crockpot a ton and use my cooktop for veggies. My thought on going with a 30" instead of a 36" is that I might get two portable induction elements for the rare occasion that I might need to keep something warm or I can take it outside to the planned covered porch to do things like cooking bacon, sausage or frying. We are moving to a working cattle farm/ranch so I really need things to be functional, durable, and less hassle to clean.

  • 8 years ago

    My 3 kids use the toaster oven, too. I can bake bread, desserts, side dishes, snacks, etc. in that thing.

    Would I say "no" to another oven if I had room? Heck no! But if I had to choose, my conveniences would lean toward daily chores.

    I also went from a 36" radiant cooktop to a 30" induction. I don't regret increasing my counter space for prep and used all 4 hobs only a couple of times. I hated the radiant and that colors my opinion ;)

  • 8 years ago

    I would use 2 dishwashers daily. I only use my double ovens about 10x/year.

  • 8 years ago
    I have two ovens... I really, really wanted two dishwashers but I didn't get them. (I have five kiddos, aged 16-20 now, all still loving at home, we've also always been a homeschooling family, so all meals eaten at home) I found that as my kiddos got older the ovens got used a lot more regularly and my dishwasher is being run a little less than it used to... that's only because I cook bigger than I used to with all adult sized people in the house, but with young adult kids hardly ever home due to work and schooling there just aren't as many dishes. It's strange to me how it morphed into that, but it makes sense. But I have to admit... I still wish I had two dishwashers... but I don't want to give up the double ovens. LOL! (If I had another kitchen with an extra oven, I'd get two dishwashers in the main kitchen in a heartbeat!)
  • 8 years ago

    I love the idea of having two dishwashers (so that gets my vote) but would dread the chore of actually unloading two dishwashers. Hopefully those 4 kids will pitch in and help with that part ;)

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    I have two DW, its life changing and results in essentially never having dirty dishes in my sink. I vote for 2 dishwashers and a Breville or similar. I'd also look at double oven ranges. Before our remodel, we had a double oven 30", it was very useful although the large lower oven was a little lower than ideal, it was fine and big enough to comfortably fit a turkey/roast/ham whatever. Post the floor plan too.

  • 8 years ago

    @skmom, we homeschool as well and my sink is always overflowing or there are dishes drying on the counter. It's driving me bonkers ;)


  • 8 years ago
    Yes, I remember it driving me bonkers as well. I used to run my dishwasher at LEAST twice a day, three times a day was not uncommon, and even more occasionally. Now it's sometimes just once a day, but more often it's still twice a day but one of the loads is usually only almost full now instead of jammed pack. I did insist on a nice, deep, and large single bowl sink for my main sink though and that helps my kitchen look much tidier too. ;)
    I'm down to only having two kids at home all day long for homeschool now. We still have three that we homeschool, but one of them trains during the day with an Olympic coach and we have to do his schooling in the evening. It has been a huge difference for my dishwasher only having myself and two of the kids home during the day. LOL!
  • 8 years ago
    By the way, just wanted to make it clear..
    Two dishwashers would be amazing!!! AMAZING!!! :D
  • 8 years ago

    What luckyblueeye said - found the space for a 36” rangetop (blue star - love love love it ) and the space to fit a wok and pressure cooker and a pan all at the same time feels luxurious !

    bought a cuisinart stand alone steam oven instead of a second wall oven and it serves us well - however we r a family of 4 ...YMMV

  • 8 years ago

    You could always go with two 18" dishwashers instead of two 24" dishwashers, freeing up valuable space for other stuff. Well-designed 18" dishwashers still take a ton of dirty dishes!


  • 8 years ago

    @luckyblueeye, I did rethink my desire to go with a 30" last night when trying to cook on an old 4 eye electric stove that currently exists at our farm house. I was cursing before it was over with. I don't normally have more than a couple of pans but I was trying to simmer spaghetti sauce, brown ground beef, and boil noodles for spaghetti and I did not like having to reach over things to stir what was in the back plus my pans kept getting cock-eyed from lack of space. However, I'm floored that a KA range is thousands more than a KA rangetop and separate wall oven I could do a cooktop but I like having my knobs in front instead of on top.

  • 8 years ago

    I just posted my prelim plan, which, after hours of drawing, erasing, redrawing, etc., I think I've figured out how to get both double dishwashers and double ovens! Have a hop over and give me some thoughts :)