By "self cleaning racks" do you mean racks you can leave in during a self clean cycle? If so, you can leave the GE racks in. It says so in the manual. However, it will cause the racks to discolor and possibly not slide as well, but I would think that would be an issue with nearly any oven. The racks will slide out about 3/4 of the way, but are not full extension. My P file came with a broiling pan and roasting rack. For Speed roasting you place the rack on the broiling pan. It works well.

Alice--when did you purchase your Profile? I called GE and they told me they discontinued including broiling/roasting pans with their non-Monogram products as of January 2007.

The "self-cleaning" racks are designed to stay in the oven during self-cleaning w/o affecting color/sliding ability. (Maybe made or plated w/porcelain??)

Do you find the GE Profile has "plastic" parts...I read somewhere a while ago on a GW forum that Profiles had plastic where Monograms had metal...is this true? I would think plastic would melt w/high heat so it doesn't really make sense to me...unless they were talking about handles or other outside trim pieces...

Thanks for your response Alice!

Does anyone have any experience w/the new Thermadors? Noise? Reliability?

Are the CM-series of ovens the "old" ones that had widespread reliability issues (i.e., b/f Bosch/Siemens bought out Thermador)?

Any info greatly appreciated!!!

I purchased mind in 2006 and was unaware they had change the accessories. The handle is black plastic on mine, but the oven is black. Trim pieces are enameled steel. I'm not a fan of stainless steel, so this was a plus for me. Nothing about the oven looks or feels cheap or flimsy.

I have last year's version of the Thermador MEM301ES (microwave on top; 30" oven below), and I like it a lot.

There is some fan noise, which was sort of shocking at first, but doesn't bother me at all now. I've had the oven for about 6-7 months and so far, the fan seems to turn on and off with the oven, i.e., it doesn't stay on after the oven has been turned off. The only exception to this was one time when I left the broiler on for ~45 minutes; when I turned it off, the fan stayed on for 5-10 minutes.

How noisy is the fan? About the same as my VAH fan on low, or the microwave when it's on. I think part of the reason I got used to the fan noise is that the oven is in a corner of the kitchen, and once I'm not standing in front of the oven, wondering about the fan noise (like I was the first time I turned it on), I quit noticing it. For that reason, the VAH fan is more distracting, because when that fan is running, I'm usually standing at the cooktop, directly under the hood.

When the oven was first installed, I looked on this forum for information about Thermador oven fans. My impression at the time was that some people were *really* bothered by the noise, and some -- like me -- got over it. I don't know if that means we have different tolerances for noise, or whether some Thermadors have quieter fans, or what.

As an aside: one of the things I really, really like about my oven is how solid the door feels. When I originally went oven shopping for my kitchen remodel, many other brands felt flimsy to me.

Good luck!

I was just getting ready to post a review of my new Thermador ovens so your timing's great! Now that I've gotten my oven door back on (another long story and $85 later) I've had a chance to evaluate these ovens for about 2 weeks. I have the MEMC301ES, which is the new Masterpiece convection oven with the microwave/convection oven above.

I too was worried sick about the noise based on numerous reviews on this site but I've been VERY pleasantly surprised! Surely they've addressed this issue because there's no way anyone would consider this oven noisy. I've had a very noisy oven before (a Whirlpool Gold about 7 years ago) and a moderately noisy oven for the last 3 years (a KitchenAid) and in comparison, I would say that this oven is pretty quite.

I don't really have a kitchen yet - still using the sink in garage - but I made Hello Dolly bars for my husband to take to work last week and the oven seemed to work fine. The telescopic rack is great - in fact I think I might even order another one - and the halogen lights are nice and bright. The jury's still out on the Fast Preheat. It beeps after 7 or 8 minutes but the oven isn't quite at the set temperature yet after that time. I believe it just turns on the convection fan to help speed things up. I understand you can do the same thing with any oven that's both convection and thermal.

Now the microwave/convection oven . . .

I've used this numerous times already in both modes. In microwave mode, it boils water and pops popcorn much faster than my KitchenAid Ultima did, although it only has 100 watts more power (1000 vs. 900). I'm VERY pleased with that!

In convection mode, I've baked biscuits, brownies, sweet rolls and muffins and all have come out great. It starts out a little noisy when you first start to preheat (it sounds kinda like the turntable is clunking a little bit) but then the sound stops after several minutes. One thing that's been hard for me to get used to (compared with the Ultima with the pulldown door) is handling the hot door that swings open. When you push the button to open the door, it only opens 3 or 4 inches and then you need to use a potholder to swing the door fully open before you can put your stuff in (after preheating) or get your stuff out.

There is one small thing that makes me crazy though - the clocks on each oven are a different color blue! One is a true blue and the other is blueish green and you can't turn either one of them off. Why do they do this???? In our last house, I had the KA Ultima installed separately over the KA Convection oven and their clocks were also different colors but you could turn off the oven's display - which I did. I know this wouldn't bother some of you (and I also know many of you would hate this just like I do) but I don't think there's anything I can do about it. Sigh . . .

Overall, I'd say that I'm very pleased with these ovens. They look great and I'm so relieved that they are as quite as they are. Let me know if anyone has any questions.

Update:

I called GE Monogram this afternoon and after much research and talking w/several people, the conclusion they came to is that other than the "Monogram" name, the roasting pan, and the different look, the Profile and Monogram ovens are identical....they were actually a little defensive about it...they tried to convince me that the sleeker look of the Monogram and the name should be all it takes for me to spend the extra $1,000+. However, I don't like the current Monogram look--I much prefer the Profile look.

So...it came down to the GE Profile or the Thermador...and...

DH & I talked it over tonight and we decided to go with the Profile. I like the look of the Profile so much better than the Monogram...I do like the new "chunkier" Monogram ovens, but the Trivection doesn't come in that style. I was actually leaning toward the Thermador, but DH gave me a reality check that we're over budget somewhat as it is and while he did get a bonus that will pay the difference b/w the convection & Trivection...it won't cover the diff b/w the convection & Thermador! (With college looming on the horizon in 4 years or so for DS and then 2 years later for DD, we don't want to go into debt...so we're definitely limited to "cash on hand".) [But, if those ovens ever break down...Miele or Thermador, here I come!!! Just my luck they'll last longer than me!]

Thank you everyone for your helpful comments. I truly appreciate them all!!

FYI....email I received from Monogram CS concerning Monogram Trivection oven and Profile vs Monogram:

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Thanks for contacting the GE Appliance Website. I am glad to assist.

We appreciate your interest in the ZET3058SHSS-- it is a great appliance. However, there is no meat probe that comes with the appliance nor does it come with full extension racks.

The largest difference between the Profile and the Monogram appliances have to do with the aesthetics: the Monogram exterior is made to go with a luxury kitchen and the outside of the appliance reflects this. While the Profile also looks great, it is not necessarily made to fit in with a gourmet-style kitchen look.

I hope this information helps you. Should you have any other questions or need any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us further.

Sincerely,

GE Internet Response Team

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So, there we have it, in "writing"...no interior workings/materials difference (as some have speculated on other threads)---looks is the primary difference.

I have a single Trivection and an Advantium that were installed just before Thanksgiving. Both appliances work great and I have really no complaints. My only comment about the Trivection is although it is 30 inches wide the depth terrible. My cookie sheets will only fit in sideways. Check the Thermador depth before making a decision.