I got perfect clean at recommendation of folks from the company. With no exposed element my oven basically wipes out with soap and water. The only time it takes any effort is when the rotisserie is used. There's a great deal of spatter.

It's my bid towards saving energy and I just didn't love the idea of the oven heating to 900 degrees in a wooden cabinet.

My old ovens self-cleaned but had their own exhaust systems to the outside.

Thanks, rococogurl! It's good to hear from someone with experience with the oven.

Now, if garycook is around, could you please explain what you were told and your experience with the self-clean?

Let me see if I understand. Miele has two versions of its ovens -- one is Self Clean, the other is Perfect Clean. The Self Clean has exposed heating elements but also self-cleaning capability, whereas the Perfect Clean has hidden elements but no self-cleaning capability, is that correct?

The reason I ask is because my Dacor has hidden baking elements, an enameled interior, and it will also self-clean. I'm wondering if the Miele is the same, or if self cleaning is limited to the model with exposed elements?

My Miele broiler element is exposed -- i.e. not behind glass --and swings down for cleaning. My previous oven had a broiler behind glass and it was impossible to clean as I couldn't get to the surface to remove the spatter. I do prefer this one.

There are no exposed oven elements whatsoever.

There are two types of ovens: self-clean and non. The non is called Perfect Clean. It has a coating in the oven cavity and on all racks which makes cleaning quite easy.

Unless the rotisserie is used there is no real cleaning needed. I just wipe out anything while it's still warm.

The Miele consumer person recommended the Perfect Clean as he has it in his own kitchen. I've been very happy with it and feel that it is one way I can use less energy.

Did you purchase the Baking stone and if so, how much was it? I see the Perfect Clean is about $600 less than the self clean. May be worth saving the 600. Currently, I have a gas Wolf range, no self clean, and have yet to clean it after 2 years. The inside is still perfectly clean. From experience, self clean ovens dont always clean very dirty ovens that well anyway. I think I will call the Miele rep and ask his advice. Has anyone went to the Miele offices in Paramaus, NJ for their demo and free meal?

I have the self clean as I use the rotisserie but in fact I have yet to use the self clean feature yet. Other than the self clean probably being better insulated the choice is a matter of preference and savings.

I went with the Perfect Clean model. It's been very easy to keep clean, even after high-temperature roasting. Most spatters can be cleaned up with a damp sponge and a mild detergent. For tougher, baked on spatters, a little Formula 409 and a more aggressive scrub with a nylon "Dobie" pad is all it takes. Even the door glass is coated with the Perfect Clean surface. Mine is still sparkling clear after a year and a half.

I had a baking stone for many years but it got lost in a move. Still have the peel (paddle) where I assemble the pizzas and breads.

I plan to replace it. Mine looked like this before. It was terrific and was close to the material on the floor of the pro ovens in bakeries in France where I studied. It's also a good size for the rack as I found I needed leeway when sliding the pizza in.

Miele offers one for sale but I haven't seen it. Just know I want one with a porous surface, not a slick surface as that can affects the texture of the pizza dough.

But I'd check with the company before I bought any stone because it radiates very intense heat and I want to be sure it won't cause any problems. I doubt it would though as they offer a baking stone.

fyi from the Miele chef on perfect vs. self cleaning

It's been documented that people in the US use the self-clean feature of their ovens about 1.5 times a year. However, I find that most people want to make sure that option is available even if they rarely use it. The technology worked into our self clean oven is excellent. A built-in catalytic convertor senses how dirty your oven is and will only clean for as long as is necessary. The catalytic convertor also cuts down substantially on cleaning odors, while the heavy oven door insulates the oven so that your kitchen won't get hot during the self cleaning process.

However, if you are a person who wipes out the oven after each use, the Perfect Clean option may work for you. Perfect Clean is a bonded glass coating which cleans easily. However, if you let drippings sit for awhile or if you heat up the oven before cleaning it thoroughly, it will be more difficult to clean.

Thanks, trainz!!! I'll think about what you wrote.

I hope you don't mind my asking, what do you have and are you happy?

Thanks, trainz!!! I'll think about what you wrote.

I hope you don't mind my asking, what do you have and are you happy?

Ha-ha! I'm in the same boat you are -- about to order the double ovens & debating self vs. perfect. So, I have been watching the forums and weighing what I want to do. I'm a big procrastinator, so I don't know that I would do a whole lot of wiping in between uses, so I may be a "self clean" kind of gal. Plus, I just found out that the lovely Dacor rangetop cooktop I wanted isn't going to fit in my existing island (sigh), so I will have to pick something else. I think I will use the savings to get the self clean, but still mulling it over...what to do, what to do...

I have the double ovens and the Perfect Clean. I also have a baking stone that I got on Amazon. It is the right size for the oven racks and makes great use of the 500 degree convection bake to do pizzas and bread. We bake our homemade pizzas for 8 minutes and they are wonderful. I use the rottiserie and have had no problem wiping up the Perfec Clean surface. The product to use for cleaning with a Dobie pad is called Citrus Magic. It is what the appliance store suggested and works very well. It is true that if you let stuff bake on and turn black it is harder to get it off but the C.M really does the trick. Hope this helps. Caroline

The more research I do, the more I think I may go with Miele. I am not one to clean up right after I cook something, so the self clen may be the way to go for me.
I didnt like the way the pizza stone that Miele looked. It looks like it is glazed. The one that the Wolf Chef used looked much nicer. Her pizza also was awesome!

I don't use a pizza stone in my Miele oven. I don't need to. I have the ultimate pizza stone -- a wood fired oven.

However, before the wood-fired oven, I used a brick oven insert from Hearth Kit. It's very heavy, properly porous, and has sides to reflect heat. It wasn't quite the same as a real brick oven, but it worked remarkably well. I recommend it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hearth Kit Baking Stone

I also recommend getting a pizza stone. Although I don't have a Miele oven, I place my baking stone on the bottom-most rack and use "convection bake" mode, which on my oven activates both the bottom heating element as well as the convection element/fan. This makes for a perfect pizza, and it takes less than 10 minutes to bake.

I got my stone from Dacor, I'm assuming it is of the non-glazed variety:

{{gwi:1432145}}

Yummy looking pizza! So ultimately I should spend $600 if I want the option not to wipe out my oven every time I use it. But can I do rotisserie without the self clean or will it kill me (figuratively of course!)

Thanks!

I have self clean. It makes the kitchen very hot and it does smell. That catalytic convertor is not going to prevent it. My eyes hurt last time I self-cleaned clear at the other end of the house.

I talked with a distributor today and he mentioned that the interiors for the two ovens is exactly the same. HMMMM...anyone know any different?

I'd go to Miele to verify that.

When I spoke to them about the two choices I was left with the impression that the PC had a special coating the other oven did not. I know the racks are coated as well.

I was told by a Miele person that he had the PC oven and that the SC was made only for the North American market.

Decided to go with the PC -- it's greener if that's a consideration. Wipes out well with Palmolive and the catalytic converter in the back of the oven gets run at a high temp for an hour when it gets dirty and that's it.

I don't have what chinchette is describing at all.

Hi All,
Those of you who have self clean. I was told by the dealer that you need to remove the racks and the metal side racks before using the self clean. Do you do that?

We have had our Perfect Clean ovens for about 4 years and they are covered with baked on gunk. In the beginning I was pretty diligent about wiping up spills, but I never found them easy to clean and finally it seemed that nothing we did would get them clean. We are extremely unhappy with the Perfect Clean surface. BTW, I am also not happy with the convection feature. I do not feel that the baking is as even as it should be. I had GE convection ovens years ago (which were MUCH cheaper) and I think they worked better!

In contrast, I LOVE my Miele dishwasher!

FWIW, I also called Miele and was advised what Trainz reported above. In the end, we decided on the self-clean and are very happy. After Thanksgiving, we ran the self clean and wiped up the residue.

In response to Chinchette's comment "My eyes hurt last time I self-cleaned clear at the other end of the house".

Almost all brands of ovens have formaldehyde in the oven insulation.

I asked a Miele tech person & he confirmed that all Miele ovens, including "self clean" & "perfect clean", have formaldehyde in the oven insulation.

I hope they will use something healthier in the future.

Currently, TMIO is the only oven brand that doesn't use formaldehyde in their oven insulation.

Also, per Miele, they are not going to make "Perfect Clean" ovens anymore. All new ovens will only have "Self Clean".

Personally, we are still going to purchase Miele ovens anyway. They have a good reputation for excellent build quality & outstanding customer service.

I only wish Miele made full extension glide racks!

Dacor sells them as an optional accessory for $200. I'm sure Miele oven owners would buy them if Miele would make them.

Thanks to everyone for all the great information! We always learn so much from the appliance, kitchen, laundry, & bath forums.

Miele's European ovens come with optional telescopic oven racks, take a look at the Miele website for Great Britian. I can't believe they don't provide the same here. We should get all the Miele owners on this board and blast Miele USA. I have written them, but it takes more than one voice.

teachersuzanne --

I, too, was told to remove racks prior to self-cleaning of ovens. I promptly ignored that advice. I do remove the "Perfect-Clean" roasting pans, and (obviously) the thermometer probe, prior to a self-cleaning cycle. But I deliberately leave the racks in place. Works great for me!

BTW -- I bought the 30" double oven with self-clean as opposed to "Perfect Clean" precisely BECAUSE I just didn't believe that "Perfect Clean" could possibly work as hyped. While I love the "Perfect Clean" as a surface for the roasting pans, I am glad that I did not trust it for the ovens themselves.

-- Nean