Anglophilia. Partially for resale value (high-end neighborhood). We still cook enough that we use most of our appliances daily, and I want good quality. We currently have Samsung appliances and every single one of them has broken within 2 years. We also host large family gatherings at least every month or two, which is when we would use the second oven.

I've read a lot of great reviews for Miele. Any specific items above where Miele might be a better option?

The Miele dishwasher, CSO, and SpeedOven are all really well-designed and IMHO superior to competitors' offerings. Their other appliances are high-end but don't stand out as much.

If we have a combo speed oven/convection, do we need a separate microwave?

We have a Miele SpeedOven that we primarily bought for the space savings of having a single device that is both a good microwave and a good oven. It meets these requirements with ease, and gets used for both applications regularly. We don't use the speed function as often. It has limited usefulness for the type of cooking that we do. But to answer your question, I see zero need for a microwave, if you already have a SpeedOven.

We don't cook that much, but what's the advantage of a steam oven?

Take a look at what I just wrote in another thread: [https://www.houzz.com/discussions/which-drawer-microwave-should-i-buy-dsvw-vd~5661451[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/which-drawer-microwave-should-i-buy-dsvw-vd~5661451)

There are a million upgrade options for dishwashers. Which do you all recommend?

I really like the auto-open function on some Miele dishwashers. It results in dry dishes without a heating cycle that would otherwise damage my plastic containers.

We currently have Samsung appliances and every single one of them has broken within 2 years.

It is disheartening how frequently I have read this particular comment about this particular brand. Houzz users don't seem to have much luck with Samsung, ever.

We finished our kitchen remodel eight months ago.

I have a dual fuel Wolf range, a subzero fridge and a subzero freezer (two separate units). I am VERY pleased with my choice.

The subzero fridge has exceeded my expectations. I am amazed how well it keeps produce fresh. The freezer is well, a freezer so I don't have much to say about that. I like the quality of the shelving and not having to deal with the stupid bottom freezer drawer is a joy.

I cook a lot and the range is a pleasure to cook on. I particularly appreciate the simmer setting on the Wolf.

I would definitely go with Miele for ovens and dishwashers; at that point, you may find that it makes sense to use their induction, as well, as that often pushes you into their package territory, so that the induction is basically paid for by the savings on other items (that was the case for us). And Miele makes a great induction cooktop, so there's no loss there.

For column refrigerator/freezer, Miele, Thermador, and Subzero are all well-regarded. Personally I'd probably look at the interior layout and see which makes the most sense for how you live. My mom did Miele for a number of appliances but liked the Thermador columns better, so that's what she went with, and she's been very happy with them (and she has three of them, all about 12 years old, and not a single problem).

We cook several meals per week and entertain somewhat frequently. We are largely replicating our existing kitchen except adding a CSO and doing a 24" griddle instead of our current 12".

We'll have both a Miele CSO and GE Advantium Speed/MW. This is in addition to a Miele wall oven and a 48" range (still undecided between Bluestar & Wolf). We find ourselves using our MW less and less - softening butter the key use these days but didn't want to eliminate it. The fastback is very useful. I expect the CSO will get used a lot for veggies.

We'll also have 2 Miele warming drawers. Our current one is used almost daily.

SZ frig.

You'll have 5 ovens and warming drawers. I'm a huge believer in more ovens. But I think even I couldn't make use of all these ovens. You might consider consolidating some of these.

I don't really see the need for both wall oven and range. So, maybe consider getting a rangetop.

Also, if you really only use the microwave to melt butter, maybe use the CSO for that purpose. It'll take a little longer, but how often could you possibly melt butter for this to be on the critical path.

On the other hand, if you do think you want this many ovens, maybe get more than one CSO (assuming it's in the budget). I find that I frequently use the CSO as a sous-vide, and then it's busy for long amounts of time. So, a second CSO would actually get used.

Also, I think both CSO and SpeedOven can do double duty as impromptu warming drawers, although their interior organization isn't quite ideal for that purpose.

Thanks, as I mentioned we're largely replicating what we have now and that all gets used. Even when not entertaining it's not unusual for me to be roasting veggies & beans in the Miele wall oven while my wife has breads in the Wolf oven. We'd considered not getting the wall oven since we're getting the CSO but my wife told me rather directly what she thought of that idea. She's looking forward to not only the CSO but to having one more oven and to having a bit of a steam function in the Miele wall oven.

Curious how the CSO has worked for you for Sous Vide? Water conducts heat a lot better than air or steam so should maintain a much more even temp next to the product. I'll have to try this when we get ours.

We do also use the fastbake so the MW kind of comes along for free. That said we may well find that w/ the CSO that we don't use either and can one day turn that space in to a storage cabinet. :-)

I find that the CSO makes for a great sous vide, as the hot steam gets everywhere and as the oven cavity is much bigger than my water bath. I occasionally use the countertop sous vide heater for smaller cuts of meat. But if I don't want to think, the CSO is easier.

Also, the CSO seems less affected by poor vaccum sealing. In fact, in some cases, you can sous vide without even putting the food into any bag whatsoever. The CSO is just more convenient and has great results.

The downside is that Miele somewhat aggravatingly decided that 10h is the maximum sous vide time. That can be bad if the heater turns off in the middle of the long sous vide cooking process. I catch it most of the time. But it feels like a very poorly thought-out and arbitrary limitation in the user Interface.

We also have the Miele SpeedOven, and I find that we rarely use the speed function. I tried a few times, but have yet to find an application where it works better than using the appropriate CSO function instead. We do use the microwave and the oven functions separately though. So, it was still a good appliance to get. But if we didn't have a need for a microwave, I'd absolutely prefer two CSOs over one CSO and one SpeedOven.

I honestly wish I could have done without a microwave, but unfortunately, in our household and with young kids that's just not an option right now.

Our most recent discovery is that the CSO does an amazing job at rejuvenating and crisping up stale bread. We tried doing the same with the SpeedOven but haven't found good settings yet. Too slow, and the results aren't as good.

Hey anyone here every hear of the brand Hallman? It's an American brand.

Sorry but what does CSO stand for??

Combination steam oven. Regular convection ovens have of course been around forever. And steam ovens have been common in commercial kitchens for decades. But they're a specialized appliance that is usually limited to low temperatures only. As such, it competes with sous vide immersion heaters.

In recent years, residential combination ovens have become popular. You get a full oven with great temperature regulation even at the low end; but you also get full control over the moisture in the air across this entire temperature range. That opens a lot of options that aren't available with either of the two non-combination appliances.

You can roast super fast. And you can make perfectly moist proteins. I find it's the most useful appliance in our kitchen. It blows me away just how versatile it is, and how much less labor is involved with getting perfect results each time.

Miele currently leads the competition with one of the best CSO designs. They have been iterating on perfecting the technology and everybody else is playing catch-up. I'm particularly fond of their plumbed model, as it doesn't require filling/emptying water containers. That makes it even more likely that I'll use the steam feature each and every time

I just went through a kitchen remodel and opted for Wolf SubZero. I have a SubZero integrated refrigerator (panel), two freezer drawers (love them), wolf convection oven, wolf microwave convection oven and a steam oven. You will LOVE the steam oven. OMG - it is wonderful. The only thing I hate is you have to fill the water reserve versus having it piped but that is even more $$$. It’s not that big of a deal. I also have an ice maker and wine/refrigerator. I did a wolf cooktop/gas but I looked long and hard at the induction. The gas cooktop gets HOT. In my area people would not get induction so I went with gas. I hate my dishwasher its a Kitchen Aid - not sure why I got stuck with that in the package but it had to do with the fact that my dishwasher has a panel to be integrated. I love my Wolf oven - I joke it actually makes me look like a good cook. It heat quickly and evenly and is simple to use. If you have specific questions just ask.

I got a significant discount by going with a package from Wolf/Subzero from my appliance store. The only non wolf/subzero appliance are the ice maker and dishwasher. They asked me what kind of ice cubes I liked and I told them and that determined my ice maker - who knew!

1. I would look at Bluestar for the induction cooktop. I have the Wolf and it's great except for the controls. Wet hands or spills make the controls unusable and often turn off all the elements. The Bluestar has real knobs.

2. I have the Miele dishwasher. No complaints, but mine is only a medium fancy one.

3. No idea.

4. The steam oven's forte is baking. (e.g. bread baking to get that crust). If you don't cook much, I'd skip it.

5. I looked at the fancier ones, but they didn't seem to provide that much value for the extra money.

What I did was a Wolf induction cooktop, a Bluestar wall oven, Miele dishwasher, and a countertop microwave. After over two years, it's been a winning combination. I particularly like not having to bend over when using the oven. (FWIW, I've heard many bad things about Thermador on GW. )

The Cove dishwasher is definitely worth a look. We check one out in our local Wolf/Sub-Zero showroom, and we were very impressed. Great warranty too.