IN my experience if you don’t need the features why get the oven I find I turn the oven on while I am prepping and it is ready when I am. I would just get a much less expensive option that does what you want and spend the money saved elsewhere . If you want us to critique your plan the post the plan here .

I don't have speed oven but am intrigued. I was hoping to see some posts in response to how folks use the oven. I poked around on a few sites. The extra programs on pricier models included a 'gentle bake' with little info, an 'intensive bake' where, I think, the bottom element gets hotter for crisp pizza and crusts, a sabbath mode, among a few others. Perhaps someone will pipe in about the power. The Wolf has a two year warranty, two racks vs Miele's one. I'm quite curious to hear feedback on actual use and reliability.

Additional reading, Yale Appliance Blog speed ovens

Patricia - Thank you. "Features" is a highly subjective term and maybe no place moreso than in high end kitchen appliances. I could not care less about a single "program" in any device I've ever encountered in my kitchen. In fact, I think "programs" are generally a negative because they complicate the user interface and make it more difficult to understand what is happening (or has happened) to my food. My range will have them, too, but I'm not going to forego a range because I couldn't care less about "programs".

My attraction to the speed oven is (1) size and therefore, presumably, faster preheat (I value my time and like to eat when I want to eat, so that reduced time is somewhat quantifiable "feature" to me) and (2) the double duty as a second conventional (albeit small) oven AND a microwave, giving me two functions in the same space - yielding a marked aesthetic improvement to the kitchen. If the thing was just an empty space that I could heat using either a conventional element with a simple dial to set the temperature, a microwave with just power settings and a timer, and/or both when I wanted, I'd be happy. What I'm trying to determine is whether I'm giving up any of those things by going with the low end Miele. It blows me away that the only difference to justify a $1,600 (41%) price difference would be some "programs". So I'm wondering if I'm giving up an actual heating element (or power in same) or the ability to simply control the oven. Miele, as seems to be par for the course in all high end kitchen appliances, makes it very difficult to get to the facts and just want to bullshit me with some special function that will simultaneously cook a baked potato, a steak, and a souffle, at altitude!

Regarding usage, I have an Advantium in my new build. I wanted this oven because we are empty nesters and I use the oven almost every day. I felt like heating up a large oven for just the two of us was very wasteful. I use the speed oven mostly for prepared foods, but I find I use it in the convection mode most frequently. Since it is smaller it heats up much more quickly than the full-sized oven. I roast veggies at 400 and using this in convection mode reduces the time the oven is on. I think I've only used my large oven about 4 time in over three months. The Advantium has become our main oven with just the two of us.

TBL - Thank you. I am from MA as well and was actually at Yale last weekend. You have hit right to the heart of my issue. They list features like one has "gentle bake" and one doesn't. Or one has "intensive bake" and one doesn't. Those are just made-up marketing terms. Can I put something in the oven and set it to 200? Can I do the same at 475 (going from memory but I think that's the max temp on one of them)? If so, I'm good! That Miele made some arbitrary "program" that adjusts the fan speed to the wind speed at the top of Mount Washington and turns the heating element on and off in sync with the large hadron collider is of no interest to me.

It seems like the Wolf is a safer bet at this price point and for my purposes, if only because they only make one 24" speed oven so I somehow feel more comfortable that they haven't crippled the thing trying to sell a higher end 24" oven with more "programs". I like the aesthetics of the Miele more, particularly in white, so I guess I"m hoping to hear that it'll do straightforward "conventional oven things" and microwaving and all I'd be losing is some esoteric programs.

I didn't look at the speed ovens when I was at Yale last weekend. I have to go at least one more time so I'll cross my fingers and hope that they have both models I'm interested in on display so I can play around with the user interface. Something tells me that they won't have the low-end Miele model because, well, that isn't how they roll. ;-)

I have a Miele speed oven (not sure which model--it's a few years old and does NOT have the Master Chef thing. I picked it over the others because it has knobs and no "programs" that I wouldn't use.).

I mostly use it for a small oven. (Prior to my kitchen remodel, I had an old Maytag 24 inch normal oven and loved the size). This year my preteen kid has started to use the speed features because he's been making himself lunch while schooling from home and figures he deserves better than a PB&J.

We don't use it as a microwave.

"Gentle bake" appears to be simply baking without a fan--non-convection.

My Miele speed oven bakes very well and evenly and is used almost daily. If the food fits, it goes in there. My other oven is in a fauxpro gas range and it has zero electronics and no programs. It gets hotter than the Miele and is quiet (no electronics to fan) but takes a looooooooooooong time to preheat.