M, thank you for your input!! 😊 I have never used a CSO but I'm just so intrigued by the versatility and functionality!! I have some important decisions to make....like what I will cook first in my new oven 🤣 I tried to get reviews for just a Miele CO but the only reviews I keep coming across are for CSO....

I have heard good things about Miele's convection ovens. So, if that's what you ended up buying, you probably wouldn't regret it. But I don't actually have first hand experience with them.

The CSO is really cool, if you are into cooking. It opens up a lot of options and I love experimenting with it. It's my favorite appliance in the kitchen. On the other hand, my brother is currently remodeling his kitchen, and he is a lot more conservative in what he cooks. He decided against a CSO and I fully support that decision. I don't think he would benefit much from it. It's not that he wouldn't get any benefit. But it didn't quite justify the extra cost.

So, that's really the decision you have to make for yourself. On the other hand, the first time you make some perfectly cooked asparagus with zero hands-on effort, you'll be sold. It's such an easy dish, but it's nice when it comes out great each and every time and you can use the time in the kitchen to work on more complicated dishes while the CSO does the tedious work.

Do you have a plumbed or non plumbed? Also, how is clean up? I read they can get messy inside...is that true?

I have both a CO (30”) and XL CSO. I am very happy with both. The CSO is great for reheating food/baking breads/steaming veggies/etc. The down side to the CSO is if it is your only oven is it maxes out at 435 degrees. The CO goes to 575 degrees. If you need higher temps then the max temp on CSO could be a deal breaker.

Kim G, thank you! Definitely Good to know!! Ugh....I wish I had room for both... next house!!!

We'd originally planned to have a 24" CO + XXL CSO. We went w/ a 30" CO (6780 I believe) + XXL CSO. There were a few things that swayed us including moisture plus and wireless roast probe - features that friends and folks on here said were great to have if we could find the space. Having used them for about 6 months I can say that they are both features I'd not want to do without.

I agree w/ @M that you'd not miss CSO if you've never used it and once you use it you'd never want to give it up. Wise words.

I wasn't aware of the high temp issue. That might make the decision for me but it depends on what you cook and how much you need the higher temps.

Personally, I find that I only need high heat for very few things. Most notably, that would be artisanal style sourdough bread and pizza. For bread, I find the CSO is actually good enough and I don't need higher heat, and for pizza I can make great pan pizza without going any higher. But if I want other styles of pizza, I can make them on my outdoor gas grill.

So, while I do have access to other ovens, I don't think the upper temperature limit is a real issue for my style of cooking. I can fully understand that this wouldn't necessarily be true for others. So, you really have to decide based on your own favorite cooking techniques.

Thank you everyone!! This has been most helpful!! I'm looking forward to the many features these ovens offer, especially the roast probe as they're featured in both options I'm considering. I do have a question...when baking cookies, what mode option do you use?

I change modes depending on specific recipes, but the convection bake mode is probably a good starting point for most baked dishes. Then decide whether you think adding moisture would make any difference.

Just monitor baking times. Both convection and moisture improve heat transfer. So, baking times could be a little shorter than most recipes say. Also, you might have to dial down the temperature just a little bit.

But you'll quickly figure out whether that is something you have to do for your recipes. It's a little hard to say, as every recipe author makes different assumptions.

I have a CSO and honestly, I would buy it again just for the reheating feature. If you cook a lot and have leftovers, it reheats food like a dream. There is no comparison between it and a microwave for reheating food.

@dotsandstripes 123 I read that somewhere along the way in my decision process journey! That function would definitely get used. I've been trying to think of what my ususal recipes entail and see which fit would be better.

How hard are CSO to clean? Do they get messy? Does everyone on this thread have a plumbed or non plumbed version? The plumbed version makes me slighly apprehensive as that is just one more thing to possibly go wrong in the future. That is the million dollar question... down the line will it or won't it? Issues with pipe work, drain problems, hard to reach problems without pulling out cabinets and possible section of flooring to see what the concern is type problems. ... And lastly, the whole having hard wood floors on top of all that should there be water involved issue.... Again, this. makes. me. VERY. NERVOUS (insert nail biting) .... I don't always have the best luck and let it be known that I will not mind filling and emptying the reservoirs if I decide to go that non plumbed route and save myself, my sanity and loss of sleep over worrying. For me, piece of mind is Everything! Not to mention, it will give me practice working on my two step dance moves as my kitchen is small and my sink is.... what do you know.... right there next to it 🤣

So if you can't already tell, I'm leaning towards a non plumbed CSO or just the regular Miele CO .... decisions, decisions...(exhales and goes back to top of thread to re-read all the helpful insights to help come to a decision) 😁

The CSOs are extremely easy to clean if you primarily use the steam function. Essentially, they are almost cleaning themselves shooting steam throughout the oven :) Most times, I just wipe the small puddle of water on the bottom. The only time I get food remnants in the oven is when I use the Convection function for fatty or greasy foods and that doesn't happen very often.

I have a non-plumbed CSO from Wolf and chose non-plumbed for the exact reasons you outlined above - hardwood floors and issues with leaks in hard-to-access areas. Plus, it's not that hard to refill the reservoir. I am happy with the choice of non-plumbed.

@dotsandstripes 123 that's great to hear!! Thank you so much for the feedback!! 😊 and the scale continues to tip towards the CSO 😁 Eeeek 👏👏

Cleaning is pretty easy, as long as you don't expect the oven to ever look factory new. My oven cavity has a couple of minor but permanent stains. Doesn't bother me at all, but I just want to make sure to set the right expectations.

As for plumbed vs non-plumbed, we deliberately chose the plumbed model and we are very happy with this choice. It makes it so much more likely that I'll add steam every single time, rather than skipping it, because I am too lazy to refill the water. Also, it allows me to cook things that take a long time. The CSO has very precise temperature control and thus makes for a very convenient alternative to an immersion boiler for sous vide cooking. But that can take many hours of cook time, and with a water container you have to worry about refilling ti.

I do understand the concern about water leaks though. Realistically, it's no different from ice makers, dishwashers, and other appliances. These don't fail frequently, but they do occasionally spring leaks. And that's why we put a drain pan underneath the CSO. It drains into the same pipe that the oven drains into. Hopefully, we'll never need that feature. But it does give me peace of mind, and my contractor didn't think it was all that difficult to add into our cabinet.

M How does a drainpan under your CSO work? Is it hidden in the cabinetry? I'm thinking of CSO with another oven beneath it. We've had a number of leaks so I'm wary of getting something plumbed, but our water line is closeby, so it could be an option. I'm pretty sure no contractor would think to put a drainpan underneath, so would love some insight I can pass along to our builder.

Thanks!

The contractor hid all the details inside the cabinet. You don't normally see the drain pan. It's a small amount of custom sheet metal work that sits underneath the appliance and is connected to the same dry standpipe that the plumbed CSO empties into.

Harder to explain than do actually. When I told my plumber what I wanted he said this was the first time he did this; but it also was very easy to build.

Hmmm interesting! Okay, it’ll be something I’ll have to remember to bring up if we get the plumbed version.

Does anyone know how long the xxl Miele cso can go before being refilled?

Refill varies depending on how you're using it. It can go through a tank in preparing one item or it can be used 5 times or more without refilling.

Have there been reports of CSO's leaking to outside of themselves?

Things do sometimes get leaks, clothes washing machines in particular (lots of moving parts causing the entire machine to move and vibrate results in leaks). Built-in coffee machines w/ a puck mover or dishwashers are somewhat similar to a washing machine though slightly less mechanical movement. Drain pans (and water sensors) under washing machines and dishwashers are always a good idea (as are water sensors by every toilet), built-in coffee machines don't make very good coffee and cost a gob to repair so don't make sense to install.

Except for the pex supply tube itself I believe the only likely leaks on the Miele CSO would be the connection and the valve and I believe these are within its own internal drain system so if something happens to them the water will drain out properly anyway?

How long you can cook with steam in a Miele CSO varies based on what mode and %steam you are using as Opaone points out. I have a XL CSO. When I bake/“steam” a cheesecake at 100% with low heat - I can go about 2 hours before I need to refill. FYI - it prompts you when you need to refill the resevoir. I can sous vide a steak for 2 hours at 125 or 130 100% steam and still have a fair amount of water left Most items I cook or reheat in combi or steam mode have enough water left to run it through the rinse cycle.

Hello me again :) for those of you with Miele ovens, I'm planning on putting mine under counter in a corner. My question is... do Miele ovens require spacers on the sides for the surrounding cabinets to function properly and clear the oven (more importantly the handle) without any problems...?? I didn't think of this until just now. I know Miele ovens are built with a sleek design and function in mind. I will attach a photo so you can get a sense of what I'm referring to and where I'm coming from. I basically want to know if i need spacers or not. So by looking at your ovens, if they were in a corner would you be able to open drawers to the left or right if they were next to oven if there were no spacers? I'm planing on getting inset cabinetry. Thank you so much in advance for any input :)

Here's another example