Types of Wall Ovens with their Pros and Cons
Are you planning a kitchen remodel? If you are, you must choose the wall oven right away. But what type of wall oven should you choose? The answer depends on the square footage available. Different types of wall ovens have their pros and cons, but you need to compare them with the space you can afford.
Here are some of the most common wall ovens that may suit your needs:
Single Wall Oven: Pros and Cons
A single wall oven fits inside cabinetry and doesn’t require additional support. One of the reasons for its popularity is its efficiency in providing cooking capacity.
Most single wall ovens offer as much as 36″ space. That’s more than enough to cook comfortably. Of course, a double oven would provide more space, but if you don’t have enough room, a single wall oven can suffice your needs.
Many people question whether a single wall oven is similar to a range oven. Well, they are not. Single wall ovens are easier to access by an average-sized man or woman.
Due to the fact that it can be mounted at any height you won’t need to kneel, strain, stoop, bend, or crouch to reach your oven as you do in a range model. This is particularly helpful when you want to move heavy cookware or hot food.
Another very important factor is the cleaning process, namely due to the fact that a wall oven is usually located at eye level, it makes its cleaning much easier, because it is no longer necessary to bend over.
By choosing a single wall oven it is possible to choose any type of hob (gas, induction or electric).
Pros:
- It is a practical model if you look at the long-term advantages. You won’t be able to bend or stoop as you age. This means a range oven would become useless after a few years. With single wall ovens, you can access the cooking area without kneeling or bending.
- This oven is ideal if you can’t afford a lot of room. Moreover, you may not need the extra cooking space that range ovens or double ovens provide. A single wall oven is enough for a small family.
- It is helpful if you want to move hot food or heavy cutlery.
Cons:
- It doesn’t come with a cooktop, which means you will have to spend some extra money to buy also a cooktop.
Double Wall Oven: Pros and Cons
Two is always better than one, provided you can afford the space in your kitchen. Imagine cooking six racks of cookies simultaneously instead of one batch at a time.
That’s where double wall ovens edge ahead of single wall ovens. Again, you should have enough space to install a double wall oven to enjoy its benefits.
If you want to cook multiple dishes at once, then go for a double wall oven without any doubts in your mind.
You will see how easy it is to cook your Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner once you have this piece installed.
Most importantly, a double wall oven doesn’t mean you pay twice the price of a single wall oven. It is quite affordable, and you have a wider cooking area.
What I really like about double wall ovens is that it allows the simultaneous baking of two products at different temperatures, without there being an exchange of odors between the two products.
Usually the upper oven of a double wall oven has a small useful volume which makes it very good for pizzas or keeping food warm, while the lower oven has a large volume which makes it ideal for preparing even a turkey.
A very important piece of information that you need to know is that the cheaper models of double wall ovens have a standard oven in the top and only the bottom oven is conventional, so when you buy the desired oven it is very important to check that the two ovens have the features you need.
The more expensive ovens have very interesting features that help a lot in the cooking process, namely: SelfClean, Variable Broil, Timer, Hidden bake element, Convection, Multiple rack position, Wi-Fi, Multiplpe cooking modes, Gliding rack system
Pros:
- You save time by cooking multiple dishes together. It doesn’t mix the aroma of different foods if you cook various dishes simultaneously.
- You can have a standard oven at the top and a convection oven at the bottom. This isn’t possible with a single wall oven.
- The price isn’t the double of a single wall oven. This makes it a practical choice if you have enough space to fit this model.
Cons:
- It isn’t the best oven for a small family that doesn’t expect many guests frequently.
Combi Wall Oven: Pros and Cons
As the name suggests, this oven puts together the benefits of different ovens.
And the best part is you get them in various styles. For example, you can buy a conventional wall oven with a convection option.
On the other hand, there are microwave ovens with halogen lights. You can use the regular microwave for cooking or heating food and using the halogen-light cooker for baking potatoes within a few minutes.
A combi wall oven makes your food look brown so that it resembles the color of the food cooked in a traditional or conventional oven.
By combining a microwave oven with a convection oven the cooking time is reduced.
Most people who own a combi wall oven say that the upper one is used daily due to the fact that it heats up very quickly.
Another type of combi wall oven is the one in which the upper oven is a steam oven, and the lower one is a conventional one, with a double oven in this combination it is very easy to cook fish and vegetables to perfection.
Premium combi double ovens have special programs to achieve the best results, for example a combi double oven from Bosch has 7 Vegetable programs for the top steam oven besides usual cooking modes.
Pros:
- It allows you to cook faster. A combi wall oven can bake potatoes in just 13 minutes. Usually, it takes an hour to bake potatoes.
- Multiple options give you the flexibility to prepare your meals differently.
- A combi wall oven is not only spacious but also a practical model for small families. You can cook various meals quickly.
Cons:
- It is quite expensive. Some of the most average models cost nearly $8,500. You may want to look at other wall ovens in this price range.
Speed Wall Oven: Pros and Cons
A speed wall oven is a state of the art appliance that works not just as a wall oven but also as a microwave.
Usually it is smaller than a double wall oven but bigger than a single wall oven.
The main benefit is it can cook faster than traditional ovens. Additionally, it also comes with a convection component similar to a microwave.
In fact, most of the speed wall ovens also have a grill section. If you want a bigger unit than a microwave that can cook fast, don’t hesitate to bring home a speed wall oven.
Its size is ideal if you don’t have enough space for a double wall oven.
Pros:
- Their size makes them perfect for small and moderate-sized families. It gives more flexibility while cooking if you have a limited kitchen space.
- They come with a plethora of modes to ensure that you get the best outcome of the dish you want to cook.
- Most of the styles have ventless designs. This makes speed wall ovens easier to use and maintain, allowing them to last long.
- Its heating system cooks food faster than some of the other wall ovens. This allows you to cook many dishes quickly.
Cons:
- Its price is a concern for many. Although they are beneficial for any kitchen, you may not want to spend more than $1,500, leave alone $3,500 for a high-end model.
Steam Wall Oven: Pros and Cons
If you are a fitness freak looking for a kitchen overhaul, install a steam wall oven.
It produces the most nutritious and delicious foods without using too much oil.
You may think that the dishes will look like boiled food. No, they don’t.
They are similar to foods you cook in traditional wall ovens; crispy on the outside, moist, and tender inside.
The best part about a steam wall oven is it retains the essential nutrients in your food.
Traditional ovens destroy folate and Vitamin C because of their heat sensitivity while a steam wall oven won’t.
It produces a moist cooking environment so that you don’t need to use fatty oils.
This means you can keep your calories down.
Pros:
- It preheats quickly since its oven cavity is relatively smaller than other wall ovens. Most importantly, steam is a better conductor of air and temperature. Therefore, it cooks food fast. For example, a salmon that takes nearly 20 minutes to cook in your traditional oven will only take a maximum of 8 minutes to cook in a steam wall oven.
- Steam wall ovens can reheat your leftover food evenly. It would retain the crispiness and moisture as if it’s freshly made.
- You don’t need to use fatty oils because the unit produces a moist cooking environment.
Cons:
- You will need to de-scale the oven frequently. Make sure you scrape the sides properly before cooking your next meal.
Now that you know the pros and cons of different types of wall ovens choose one that fits in your kitchen properly without burning a hole in your pocket.