In looking at the instruction manuals for the two models at the Miele website, their steam ovens are described as steam only. The cooking temperature for most foods is 212, with sausage and some fish at 185. I didn't see anything that had a higher cooking temp . The manual also says "The food will not brown and does not get a crust. The food is gently steamed, not fried or baked. Cheese will melt but not brown." In comparison, the Gaggenau has a temp range of 85 to 450. I've cooked things such as meatloaf, baby back ribs and roast chicken at 400 with 100% moisture and gotten a browned, crisp outside. At those higher temps, the oven is roasting but with moisture that keeps the food interior tender and moist. It's not steaming at higher temps. And there are obviously a lot of combinations of temperatures (85 to 450) and moisture (0%, 30%, 60%, 80%, 100%.) As for the drain, it has a cover and all that goes down it is water that is injected to condense steam before opening the door. There's far more stuff that goes down a kitchen drain.

We have the 2007 version of the Gagg Combi-steam oven & GE Monogram Advantium 240 wall oven (not the 120). We don't have them in the same stack because each manufacturer required its unit at countertop height or above, so one of them would either be too high or void the warranty. Having the Gagg Combi (plumbed version) installed at or above countertop height is required if the drain hose will be connected to a sink drain, since it uses gravity to drain. Our Advantium 240 requires an install above the countertop for its warranty but doesn't say why. Your best bet is to check the installation manual for the Advantium 120 to see if you can install it below countertop height. Or if you can drain the Gagg Combi thru the floor to a drain, then the height requirement would not apply to it. (We ended up running our drain through the floor, because a sink was too far away, so I know it works. We didn't stack it with our Advantium because by then we chose to stack the Combi over a Gagg convection oven.) Or get the unplumbed Combi, but having it plumbed is so worth it for its excellent performance.

I got an email message from skik2000 asking, "We are remodeling our home and are considering a combi. What have you been cooking in it? Do you think it provides superior results to regular ovens or is it the quicker cooking that you like?". There was no link in the email so here's my response: We've only had our Gagg installed for about 3 weeks. So far it's great, but we are still figuring out what works. Our steamed-roasted chicken was a little too steamed. The steamed eggs a little too soft. The first time we roasted salmon I cooked it too long. The last time it was divine. These problems are user errors in my opinion and part of the learning curve. Thus far, straight up steaming seems the most straightforward and has high caliber results and is F-A-S-T. Steam-roasting is a little trickier (how much steam and for how long before I go to dry heat?) and something I definitely want to master for steam roasted (starchy) veggies, chicken and more over this winter. Based on my experience thus far, my guess is that in the long term it will generally provide a faster, different cooking experience than a conventional oven. For foods that do well with the steam, the product may be superior and definitely more convenient. For foods that don't require steam, I don't think it will provide an advantage other than a quick heat up time and faster cook times because of it's small size, but time will tell. The oven does seem to heat up super fast (~4-8 minutes) and cook faster than our previous 1956 range and crappy rental ranges we've cooked on for years. I wouldn't recommend a speed oven if you are getting a steam oven because I think the size and heat up make it much faster anyway. I'm definitely enjoying the new flexibility the steam oven offers and think we will enjoy it's functionality for years to come. I didn't steam a lot of foods before either but see so many uses now that we have it (steamed eggs, rice, grains, a steamed 12oz filet of salmon in 12 minutes - it's fast food!, grains, beans, heat up left overs, more). BTW, we didn't pay full price. We got a 200 series model off of ebay for less than 1/2 of retail. It was NIB with 5-year warranty. So far so good. Selling points were ease of use, I liked the simple interface better the Miele, plumbed, side opening door which worked much better in our space, and it's reputation for being the gold standard of steam ovens. Hope this helps.

That's a great price on the Gag. I have a Gaggenau combi steam oven (going on 7 years now), and I love it. I mostly use it for steaming vegetables, steaming then browning vegetables such as potatoes and Brussels Sprouts, reheating food, and sterilizing jars for canning/yogurt making. Occasionally, I'll make a beef tenderloin in it, but my temperature probe doesn't work anymore (doesn't really matter to me, as I know when it's done). I don't have a Miele combi steam (though I've got many other Miele appliances), so I can't comment on that. I was really impressed when I was learning about steam ovens that you can cook rice, pasta, and sous vide in them. However, in actually using my steam oven, I have never use it for those applications (there are much more efficient and less energy-intensive ways to do those things). One thing to be very careful about if you do get the Gagg (and it's probably the same with Miele) is how it's installed. The Gagg needs to stick out from the face of the cabinets, because the steam vents a LOT and will destroy your cabinets if you don't set it up right. My installer put mine in flush, and after a destroyed cabinet, we learned our lesson. Good luck!