Wall oven vs. free standing range/oven?

I'm looking at a couple of kitchen options. I've always thought that I would like a wall oven (have had the range/oven combo for years). I have space for a 30" wall oven but as I have looked at those I see that I lose about 1 cubic foot of baking space. What's your experience, is having the classy wall oven at eye height worth the loss of interior bake space?

Hi. Like you I always had the standard range/oven combo. But when we moved into a newer home it had a built-in oven with a microwave on top. I did notice the smaller space but it hasn't affected my baking. The only time I just barely squeeze in my large roaster is at Christmas when roasting the turkey. I love the oven being higher for checking baking and lifting things out of the oven. Having the wall oven, I have a ceramic cooktop which I enjoy because in the space below I have 2 large drawers for pots, so I don't have to almost crawl into the usual regular lower cupboard to reach for pots at the back.

Built in wall oven wins hands down for me. No more messes finding their way down the sides or underneath on the floor. Unless of course, you are asking about the commercial type floor model in like Viking. Those are pretty cool.

Consider a double wall oven. It sure makes baking go faster and at holidays, meat goes in one and side dishes in the other. To be honest, I don't use the bottom one very often, but when I do it's because I have a crowd and really need it.

Good luck!
Nancy

We've had both types as well, and I would go for the wall oven for pretty much the same reasons as above.

Bought a free-standing ceramic-top stove for our present house with a pretty good oven, but would still prefer the wall style. When I shopped I found them extremely pricey in comparison, that's why I went with this one.

My favourite wall oven was an Italian brand called Ariston, which was a bit on the small size (in Europe they ususally have less space) but was very easy to operate and did a great job as a convection. Now the price is about triple what I paid in the 90s (blame the Euro/dollar valuation), but next time I may go for it.

BTW, I hate the ceramic stovetop and would opt for gas next time.

I have a built in double oven. I love the fact that it is a double oven, its very handy when we have company over. I wouldn't put in a single one. Our top oven is full sized, and is also a convection oven if I want it to be. The bottom oven is shallower, 1/2 to 2/3 as deep. We keep a pizza stone in there, so it cooks pretty fast.

That said, if you aren't 5'5" or more, you might find it very difficult to remove items from the hot oven since the door opens downward and you have to reach over it to get to the items inside. Even if you reach from the side it is a long reach. I don't know why manufacturers don't make home built in ovens open to the side like commercial ones do. Its probably a cost issue.

Hey Fern,
That's a great idea having the oven door open like a microwave! Maybe we ought to build one and market it. You know, come to think about it, why isn't there one like that? There should be.

Nancy

Ceramic stovetop?

vivalour said:

BTW, I hate the ceramic stovetop and would opt for gas next time.

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I was interested in this comment. I need to replace my freestanding range, and see that the "glass" stovetops seem to be the majority of choices. Why don't you like it? I would like a gas range, but would need to pull a gas line into the kitchen to do it, so wasn't planning on making that change now.

I have only one wall oven because that's how the house was built (not by us). Of course, I'd prefer two ovens. I use a roaster oven for my second oven when necessary. I also have a large toaster oven.

I have 2 very large drawers under the wall oven and a large cupboard under the cook top.

I have a microwave/exhaust fan combo over the cooktop. I never have liked that arrangement........

Isn't there a tremendous price difference between the wall double ovens and a good stove top as opposed to a regular stove/oven? We looked at everything when we moved house 3 years' ago and opted for the slide-in stove, which is again, different and more expensive than the regular "free standing" stove. I think we paid about $1,200 for that which seemed a lot compared to others but definitely way less than the built in wall ones.

Another vote for the double oven. I have a convection oven on top with three racks and a regular oven on the bottom. I can bake three sheets of cookies at a time in the convection oven or three casseroles, etc. My microwave also can be used as a regular oven so I'm just another Betty Crocker! I have a gas range and electric ovens. I love the gas range.

A few years ago I replaced my oven and microwave wall unit. I now have a wall unit with a standard convection oven on the bottom and a microwave on the top. I thought it would be nice to have two ovens, but realized I would only use the second oven 2 times a year for a total of maybe 6 hours. Definitely a waste of space and needless cost. The new oven is the same external width as the old oven but the interior space of the new one is significant larger due to very efficient insulation design. A turkey roasting pan fits perfectly now, where it was way too tight previously. If I absolutely had to have a second oven I would install a convention microwave which could be used as a second convection oven.

The range is a drop-in Thermador with large cabinet drawers underneath for pans etc. A friend had a glass top range until he dropped a dish on it. Totally shattered the glass.

stmartinfan said:

I was interested in this comment. I need to replace my freestanding range, and see that the "glass" stovetops seem to be the majority of choices. Why don't you like it? I would like a gas range, but would need to pull a gas line into the kitchen to do it, so wasn't planning on making that change now.

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Cons:
1. hard to control heat -- it's either cold, hot or very hot
2. a pain to clean -- any kind of moisture or drippings seem to bake on and have to be scoured or scraped off
3. drop a cast iron pot on it and it shatters

Pros:
1. looks good (if clean)
2. doesn't have to be taken apart to clean like electric coils

Other than gas, my next choice for a stove top would be the old-fashioned electric coils, because the heat is very easy to control. Those stovetops are also very cheap -- probably because they aren't trendy.

We lived in a house with a double oven, so when we moved to the new house one wall oven was not good enough.

We bought a new range (2yrs ago) LG unit that has gas stovetop, and double electric ovens. The top oven is just as big as the bottom oven however it is only about eight-ten inches tall. It also has a convection feature and can be used as a warming drawer.

Running a gas line is easier than ever now with the flexable hoses they have. So if you want gas, I'd at least ask someone to bid on it.

Our new range is still in the box in the garage, because taking out the single wall oven and making room under the stovetop will produce a major kitchen remodel.

So be sure if you put in a wall oven that one will be enough!

As we like to cook, and I tend to wear cooktops out but still prefer the flexibilty of discrete units, I'd prefer a good finishing oven under/over the cooktop and one of these in the wall:

http://www.turbochef.com/residential/products2/overview.aspx

After seeing one in action at the Hotel Indigo in Atlanta and tasting the food it delivered, I was very impressed.

I personally think that, for most modern kitchens, the double wall oven is too limiting, especially with more than one cook on duty (both my wife and I are passionate cooks). Even with an efficient layout, and especially with a prep island in the work triangle, having discrete ovens is a real asset.

If I were designing a budget and/or small kitchen, no doubt a free-standing gas range/oven would get the nod. Can't beat the price/efficiency. I'd install a vented hood/microwave combo above for maximum space utilization. I may get this opportunity when remodeling the kitchen at my mom's house, and I already see the wheels turning

Pat

Double oven, hands down! We've had all kinds. The convenience of a double wall oven is unbeatable. Our current wall oven has a microwave on top that takes up about as much space. We really miss our previous double oven, especially during the holidays when my wife is baking and we have guests.

We have a microwave, then an oven and below that a warming drawer all built into the corner of our our kitchen and it's amazing - takes up very little space and because they are all part of the same line it looks very good as well. Much cleaner than a "normal" oven and the warming drawer is ideal for keeping things warm without continuing to cook.

We also have a glass top gas cooktop and it's a real bugger to keep clean but LOVE the gas!

I just finished remodeling my kitchen and had the same question. However, after doing some shopping, the cost of the wall unit is more than double when you consider that you have to buy new cabinets to put them in. If you buy a wall unit, you will probably need to buy a stove cook top that is already included in most floor units. While shopping around, the floor unit cost $600 and a wall unit plus the cost of the stove cook top cost $1300. Also, consider the electrical hookup if you plan to move the oven from its current location and the cost of the cabinets.