IMO you need a microwave in kitchens these days. I know a speed oven offers the same functionality, but to buyers it won't matter. A microwave is a standard and expected appliance in homes these days and not having one is a big no-no.

IMO you buy appliances for how you use them . My experience with steam ovens is in a commercial kitchen and it was down more than it should have been. I run a catering biz from my home and I have an all gas range with a convection oven and 6 burners one being a wok burner too. I have double electric wall ovens also convection a MW and a regular 4 slice toaster. I use them all and have never felt the need for any other appliances for cooking except for a single induction potable induction burner I use for delicate sauces. So my advice is go to a good appliance store and ask a ton of questions about the items you don’t really understand then make your decision. BTW I will never go total induction because I have 3K worth of really good Italian cookware that does not work on induction but even if it did I do not think I would go anything but natural gas.

Hmmm ... pretty hard to imagine a built in mw matters to people. I'll be SOL then as I have convection ovens, CSO and warming drawer. I live in a super desirable area and doubt anyone would care considering all you have to put up with in Bay Area real estate.

We had same situation as you. We are very happy with our combination wall/speed oven, even though so far we've only used the speed oven as a microwave. The wall oven (Bosch 800 series) heats up very quickly, and the microwave in the speed oven is large and powerful. We have a toaster but are thinking a toaster oven might be the way to go.

We use a microwave moderately frequently (a couple times a week to heat leftovers) but I see a built in microwave as a big downside in a kitchen. They are huge - almost as big as the second oven in a double oven. And super expensive to replace. My preference (having bought/renovated a lot of kitchens) is no built in mw, but space somewhere in the kitchen where you can put the absolute smallest countertop microwave that it doesn't look like an afterthought. Either a corner on the countertop, or a shelf in a tall pantry cupboard, or even better - just a spot in a walk in pantry.

We are in the same boat. Trying to decide on speed oven. We have never used a toaster oven, just a countertop MW And range. So at this point, it might be nice to have wall and speed oven And small countertop MW. Just not sure if speed oven is worth the price. Or do we just get 2 regular wall ovens?

I don't have it installed yet but I've decided to go with a range and then a speed oven (both GE Monogram so we get the rebate) thinking, like you, that mostly I'll use it as a microwave but it will give me access to a 2nd oven when needed for large parties etc. and I also have a toaster oven...

@Eliz, I think you have the right idea. The speed function is a nice gimmick, and every few months it comes in handy. But the biggest advantage of a speed oven is the fact that it puts both a microwave and a fully functional convection oven into the same physical space. It's an expensive solution, but it can result in great space utilization. We don't regret our choice at all. Also, I much prefer microwaves that don't have turntables. And that's what you get with many speed ovens (e.g. Miele).

We don't have a need for a separate toaster oven, as the broiler in our all gas Bluestar range is unrivaled. I am not sure, I would rely on the broiler in the speed oven as a toaster. It feels a little underpowered. So, depending on your cooking style and on the broiler in your big oven, a separate toaster oven might still be needed.

Personally, we think that buying the combination steam oven (also Miele) was a great decision. We use it more frequently than any other appliance. But I am sure you'll do fine without one. It's a wonderful addition to your set of tools. But if you have more than one oven, you are already way ahead of the curve as far as usability of your kitchen is concerned.

I have the same setup for over 5 years and I am happy with it.

Background:

I moved from a house that only has a range and an otr microwave. Hated that otr microwave as it didn't sucks anything and the filter was a pain to clean. Kitchen was so so small and could not have more than one person in the cooking area and very limited counter space. When I bought the current house I want the new kitchen to have clean counter top at most if not all time (no small appliances on counter). I have enough wall cabinet space to accommodate a speed oven, convection oven, and a cooktop. We use the mw function of the speed oven daily, I also use it for most day to day baking needs as we are a small family of 3 and it hit up much faster than the big convection oven. MW function was the only request my DH has in the kitchen, so that was a must for us. I have a small toaster oven that we put away in cabinet when we don't use it (we use it at most once a wk, sometime maybe once a month). I did want to get a combi steam but I don't have enough space to add to what I already have. So I gave up that to grant DH's wish. If I have the space, I would have want to add that to my current setup as nice to have but what I have definitely meets my need. HTH.

I have the Bosch 800 convection oven and the 800 speed oven. Love the former. But the speed oven has many limitations and for us was a waste of money. In our prior home we had a plain micro above the oven. Not a built in, just hidden behind a lift door. That was by far the better, cheaper setup for us. We do have a Breville and love it.

I’m thinkin’ you would not need the speed oven if you have another convection oven—but a microwave tucked in to the pantry cupboard would be a handy thing. We just installed a Bosch speed oven in our new kitchen (we also put in a separate convection oven) and we basically just use the microwave part of the speed oven—a simple counter top microwave would have been a heck of a lot cheaper. And if the built in microwave/speed oven gives out it’s an very expensive fix.

And remember there are so many other portable cooking appliances like your toaster oven and other things like roasters, insta pots and grills and so on for big entertaining events that are cheaper and handier. Just a few ideas.

And remember there are so many other portable cooking appliances like your toaster oven and other things like…

That was actually exactly the reason why we ended up buying both a CSO and a SpeedOven.

I don't like cluttering up our counter tops. It's impossible to have them 100% free of clutter. But it is possible to get really close. So, we carefully took inventory of all the items in our kitchen that spend significant time on the counters, and we tried to find a plan how to hide them inside cabinets, make them built-ins, merge multiple appliances into a single one, or completely eliminate them.

We are happy with the results and have been using this new kitchen for over a year now. And our plan worked pretty well. The counters are generally empty at the end of the day, even if things get pulled out during meal preparation.

Of course, if you have a pantry close-by, then that's another got spot for rarely used appliances. I know that several people here on Houzz have moved their small microwave to the pantry. So, yes, that's another good option.

I have been looking at the avantium 5 in one. So no need for a toaster oven either! https://appliances.monogram.com/us/specs/ZSB9232NSS

I am looking at getting a toaster oven/convection/air fryer appliance.... i find now i use the toaster oven more since it’s on the counter already vs taking the toaster out every time i want to use it... but we also want healthier so want an air fryer too...

We live in a VHCOL part of the country. Everything was insanely expensive anyway. So, on the one hand, opportunities for saving money were certainly appreciated every time they arose. But on the other hand, since a large part of the cost was in labor, savings in material never made a huge dent.

In other words, if we felt that a nicer appliance would truly be appreciated, then a barely perceptible difference in the overall project cost seemed justifiable. And in the end, we are very happy with this choice. The speed oven did work out exactly as planned. Our kitchen is (generally) clutter free when we are done cooking. We have enough space both on the counters and in the cabinets. And all of our appliances facilitate cooking very nicely and all get used regularly.

But as you can tell from what I said here, all these decisions are full of very personal trade-offs. What works for us might not work for anybody else.