Or I should say chef vs master chef. I also have the same question for the oven. I ordered the chef also. I am so confused! I found a past thread, but it did not help one way or the other. :(

I got the 4042 also and had the same questions as you. More important than the programming features, I was wondering if I would lose much because the chef has only one heating element and the master chef has two, above and below. But somewhere in these threads someone explored this and the answer was that the chef would fulfill nearly all oven features except a long slow braise. I like the dials and the simplicity of the 4042 and the price difference of about $800 was just too great to justify the masterchef. Had similar thoughts about the Miele dishwasher -- for me personally the sweet spot seemed the Diamante rather than the more fully featured models.

I am not an expert on this at all, but I spent two hours at an appliance store today. The person I spoke w/said that the main difference is all of the pre-programmed and programmable meals that you can do on the Master Chef. The Chef just has regular knobs and doesn't have the programming features. I was leaning toward the Master Chef after today.

thats what i found out. the chef doesn't have the "navitronics" so i guess that a different panel. the chef has dials but i haven't seen it yet and the salesman said it doesn't have the programs built in. say u want to cook a turkey.. on the master chef u just put the pounds and the oven takes care of temp and time. not sure if this worth another $1,000. i was quoted $2049. for chef and $3,000 for master chef. big difference!!! i guess its going to be a personal choice. but i heard the oven is awesome!! leaning toward chef..

Thank you guys! I spoke to Miele yesterday. They said the programming is the only difference, but they look exactly the same. I ordered both the speed oven and regular oven, Chef series. He said that for me, the CHef is probably better. I dont plan to cook too much, and nothing extravagant. I do think that I will be using the speed oven a lot. Between the two, the Chef series saves me over $2000. I dont think it is worth the money, but if someone who has one thinks so, please pipe in! :) I think I still have time to change the order.

The Chef series does not have the roast probe, bottom heating element, or fancy pre-programed multi-lingual menus.

I've had the Chef for about a month now. I made muffins this morning using silicone cups on the glass shelf. Cooked in about 25 minutes while the recipe said 35. Roast chicken last week that was nicely browned and done in about an hour.

I did buy extra Pyrex pans and the silicone cups so I can use the combination bake and microwave feature. I don't typically cook with a probe and I didn't want to rely on the pre-programs, so I didn't see the need for spending the extra $800. Does take a bit of playing with to get used to. I am never sure how long to cook, but everytime I use it, I get a more comfortable.

I haven't used the wire rack either. I put the pan directly on the glass shelf, but I understand the wire rack can be used in the combination mode. Next time I roast a chicken, I may try the Miele recipe that recommends putting veggies in the glass shelf and putting the chicken on the wire rack immediately above the shelf. Probably produces an even crisper skin.

My wife and I just had the Miele 4042 speed oven "non master chef" installed. We both read the instruction manual. It references each cooking modes and what type of containers to use. I am looking for a list of cooking modes for different foods. For example, last night we cooked homemade pizza and I chose the convection bake mode but wasnt sure if I should have chose a combo mode. Can an provide a reference suggestion that may help.

The combo mode adds microwaving to the mix. I use the combo mode to roast chicken and bake potatoes to speed up the process. I used combo mode for brownies and they turned out great. I don't typically use in on cookies as I like my cookies chewy and don't want to overcook.

I have not found a good reference or guide for cooking in the Chef oven. Looks like most of the recipes on the Miele website are geared for the Masterchef. I just began cooking in it and quickly got a feel for what it can do.

I almost always use convection bake or combo bake. My guess is convection broil would be for something you want to cook quickly with browning. Maybe a steak or pork chops or scalloped potatoes. Just like the difference between bake and broil in a regular oven.