Owners review: Gaggenau combi, monogram, wolf, etc...

16 years ago

I feel like such a creep that I have not posted my finished kitchen which I love so much but wanted to give you my opinions of the appliances I put in my kitchen;

1. Gaggenau combi steam oven: this was a stretch for me as my designer said not to work a kitchen around an appliance I had no experience with. I went back and forth agonizing over its purchase since I didn't want to stack it with an asymmetrical piece. I finally decided to mount it alone and buy it. I am so glad I did! I use it almost every single day! I love that it is small, heats quickly, adn is so versatile. I steam and roast veggies in minutes. It cooks a great roast or poultry with nice golden cooked edges. The thermometer is perfect for doneness. Fish is excellent. BBQ ribs indoors are succulent and a treat in the winter when grilling is not an option. I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea! I understand there is a model this year that does not require plumbing, but I highly recommend hooking it up to your plumbing for a few reasons. I use it and never think about it. If I had to deal with adding or disposing of liquid, I might opt not to enjoy it. Also, it does get soiled when you cook meats and fatty items, but I use Easy Off, let it sit for about 10 minutes and wipe dry. It looks new again! I put the metal filter in the dishwasher.

2. Miele Optima DW: Love it! The only bad thing I can say about it is that I got an error twice this year. Apparently there was too much soap in the line, so it couldn't clear. Once we took the removeable parts out of the bottom and followed the troubleshooting, we cleared it up. The problem is that if it happens when you are not home, the dishwasher will continue to gurgle and "drain" in the error mode until you cut the circuit. Great cleaning, no spots. I don't need salt in my area, but I do use the rinse aid. Perfect DW and very quiet!

3. Monogram 42" built in fridge/freezer: I love it, but we did the raised panels to match the cabinetry. This takes it out a bit from the cabinetry so it is about 2" out from cabs, hence not integrated at all. I was "stuck" with this because DH wanted a beverage/ice server in the door. I have had this same unit in the past, but not in a cab run. I'm not sure I would repeat this. If it were up to me I would opt for sub z or another to offer truly integrated with cab faces. I do use the beverage dispenser as well, so am not upset by our choice.

4. Wolf 36" DF range: love it to death. Love the sealed burners, the continuity of the large surface for moving pans, using a griddle, etc...I find the rear simmer meets my needs when using a large cooking pot (All Clad LTD stcok pot, Staub, or Le Crueset). I'm not sure this simmer is adequate for lower end, thin s/s or glass cookware. The oven heating is magnificent. I love being able to use large cookie sheets and bake using several racks at a time. I find the broiler great, but I do not typically cook meat in an oven...I'm more of a grill person. It is a geat work horse, but with the combi oven so handy, I don't use it every day. I tend to use it for large jobs since it is so large and takes a long time to reach cooking temperatures. I still don't really understand the different cooking modes like convection roast vs. convection bake...but I have used the guidelines offered in the owner's manual and have been very satisfied.

5. I purchased the Zephyr hood. I didn't want a vanity tag on my hood. It works great, but much louder than I anticipated if used at any speed other than low. I went for a look as well, so it is a sacrifice that I live with comfortably.

6. I am so happy that I built the GE monogram micro into the island. I agonized over that as well. It has been great for the kids to use, and I feel it didn't detract as much from the beauty of my cabinets.

Please feel free to email me at custombowsforbelles at yahoo dot com if you have any questions since I don't get to the forum very often.

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Comments (9)

lpolk
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thanks for taking the time to write that all up!

I can't wait to use my new kitchen and test my apps out. Unfortunately, it took so long, all my appliance models are outdated, lol! But this is excellent info, especially for people doing searches.

I went for subzero fridge, but monogram was my #2. I hope I get used to yanking that door open w/ all my strength. :)

Congrats on your new kitchen! The steam oven sounds great (they look cool too). I wanted one, but opted for advantium instead.
dalerb66
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
doinitover: do you not find the freezer in the 42" Monogram too narrow? That's been my one reservation when I've seen the fridge in a showroom. The freezer side seem significantly narrower than other 42" built-ins.
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75-250 is indeed a pretty large range. But not too unusual to do that. According to https://www.ysi.com/water-hardness that would be somewhere between soft and slightly hard (no particular endorsement; this was just the first site that I found online). I don't think you'd go horribly wrong by telling your oven to treat this as "medium". Worst case, it prompts you to descale the unit more frequently than strictly necessary. That'll waste a little money on supplies. But if in doubt, that's better than wasting money on repairs. I recommend you buy the descaling tabs in bulk. They regularly show up on Amazon and other online services. And they definitely get cheaper if you buy a bigger package. You'll need two per descale cycle. I usually need to do so every six to nine months. But that might not be the same for you. We use the steam oven very frequently, but we have very soft water. Also, you absolutely want to make sure you have tabs on hand, when the unit needs it. You don't want to find yourself in a situation where you can't use the oven for a few days while waiting for supplies.
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Hi! In my experience, it's more important to have it near the prep area than the cooktop, but if you're making things on the stove, I can see how it would be inconvenient if you have a barrier island between you and the steam oven. Have you been to the Kitchens Forum and shared your layout? The folks there might be able to help you find an arrangement that works better. I'd be more concerned about the ease of browning something on the stove and then putting it in the oven, than feeding the steam oven. It's really better if it's only a few steps to the ovens with nothing between. It can't always be done, but it's better. 1. I don't think you can install it below counter, and if you can you'll probably need a straight down drain (like into a basement). Also, because of the steam, I'm not sure that's a good height for it. I wouldn't want to bend to look in and open the door and all. 2. I needed a third oven for entertaining. I did get a speed oven. If you're entertaining by the score, and don't want or need the third oven and don't want to give it the wall space, and if you have storage space, and if you find yourself with inadequate oven space, you can get a roaster oven or a catering oven and just bring it out for when you need the extra capacity. On top of the dryer is often a good place for a spare oven, for instance, because who's doing laundry while entertaining mobs? Different ovens in different places for different functions should be fine. This frees you to put them at optimum height, and to have them not match with impunity. That's harder when they're stacked. The microwave is the most important one to have at point of use. 3. Yes. There is really no difference. Because the units are designed to be able to stack with the regular oven, to the point where the controls line up and make a visual statement, they make the 30" steam oven to go with the 30" oven and look good. Inside, it's the same thing as the 24". If they weren't so heavily designed to stack, I would have put them side by side and gotten the 24" combi-. It would look really silly though, with the controls on top of one and on bottom of the other.
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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!
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This is the OP and I have an incredibly embarrassing confession to make, regarding my most recent post(s). Gaggenau did send the accessories and yesterday we made a second attempt to install the replacement oven. We got the old oven out, and proceeded to carry in the new oven and install it. After we finished, which took several hours, I picked up the styrofoam and pallet the oven came on and I found the "missing" accessories, wrapped in more white styrofoam and totally concealed under the styrofoam the oven was sitting on. We didn’t see them until we physically moved the styro and it felt way too heavy. We had lifted the oven off the styrofoam previously, because my first thought about the missing pieces were “maybe they’re underneath," but we didn’t move the bottom piece and wood pallet, and none of us saw them because they were totally concealed/encased in the styrofoam. I am absolutely humiliated that we overlooked them and I made a fuss. In my defense, they were very hard to see — even three new sets of eyes didn’t catch them the second time we moved the oven, until we physically moved the styrofoam piece and it was weighted. I have let Gaggenau know what happened, but also wanted to post here to avoid sharing misinformation. We do have the new one in, and it seems to work. I tried it in refresh mode last night and was able to use that program on my oven for the first time in over two years without excess water pouring onto the food. It was pretty great, actually, given all the back and forth and hassle we’ve gone through. I do have a couple questions I hope someone might be able to answer … - What is the filter capacity, which needs to be entered into settings? It says "consult the filter instructions," but they are extremely unclear. (Giving only time in months based on water harness, and not even mentioning capacity, which is the measurement in the settings.) The range is something like 100-9000L … Which seems like a huge span. I don’t want to get this wrong, so any advice/help anyone can provide, beyond the filter manual, which is pretty dismissive, I would greatly appreciate. NOTE: Our water is, roughly, 15-18 grains of hardness, - I also would like to know if I’m looking at this correctly: is “proof” no longer an option on the new model combi-steam? I’m not seeing it on the dial, or in the manual, but am wondering if I’m missing something. Ironically, it was one of the modes I missed being able to use most using most on our old oven since, previous to the excess water problem, it had been one of my most-used modes, as I am a frequent bread baker. The current combi manual does mention proofing dough on page 18 under “operations” saying, “when proofing dough” use such-and-such rack, but there is nothing about a proof mode, or what the equivalent settings on the current model would/should be to set yourself. Does 85 degrees and 30 percent humidity sound right? Can you set the temp that low manually?
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doinitover
Original Author
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I didn't compare the freezer to other 42" b/in's, but it is narrow! I do have another freezer, so it isn't a huge issue/problem. I am not a fan of s/s for this very reason. I love the french door technology from a space utilization perspective.
deegeegirl
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Doinitover -
Thanks for the interesting write up.

I got the Gaggenau combi steam too, and just love it. We use it nearly every day. I had a Gagg convection and pastry oven combo that I used for 20 years in our old house and had always loved the way the ovens cooked. I haven't been disappointed with the combi steam. Tonight I roasted a chicken breast (bone -in). The skin was crisp and the meat was very very moist. I baked pies at Thanksgiving and the crusts came out crisp and flaky. Often, if we want a fast meal, I steam some fish or shrimp with some veggies and it's done quickly and there's hardly any clean-up. The one thing that surprised me was how good it is for heating things up. And, it's amazing how it can resurrect a stale loaf of French bread. All in all, it's exceeded my expectations and I'm looking forward to trying other things I haven't had time to do yet.

I had an older Miele - lower end version - and went with the Excella this time since I loved the cutlery tray so much. The Excella is very quiet. The trays are a little different which is taking some getting used to in terms of loading. But it cleans beautifully.

Isn't it great having new appliances!
doinitover
Original Author
16 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
deegeegirl,

I ordered the Excella...not for the extra cycles, but I liked the cutlery tray...it didn't come in on time, so I went with the Optima...I am pleased.

I agree with the versatility of the Combi...and cooking with new appliances makes it so much more fun!
mominthedubc
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
DOINITOVER, ...Are you still checking out GW? Just wondering how you like your appliances after several months.
bolt5
15 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
doinitover,
I have the Gagg combi and also love it. Just curious about your cleaning it with Easy Off. I was told not to use anything abrasive, just Simple Green or a grease dissolver. Did the Easy Off discolor the inside or scratch it?
Thanks,
Maria
ri-joyce
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Is there anyone out there that has a new Gaggenau steamer oven model BS 281-610/06? If so are you having trouble with your gasket falling off. It has been a re-occuring problem with my oven. The repair company has changed the gasket a number of times but to no avail. I was told by gaggenau that no one else has reported such a problem. So I am on the look out for someone with the same problem. We owned an older model and never had a problem. They changed the gasket design and now my new oven has a rubber gasket and is giving us many problems. We also have a problem with the perforated and non-perforated pans. They warp when the oven is in convection mode. They come back to normal when they cool off.
Maryphayes_hotmail_com
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Re. Posting by ri-Joyce on Gaggenau steam oven. When I read your comments I thought I had written them myself as I have EXACTLY the same experience right down to the warping trays, replacement seals, and Gaggenau saying they had not heard of this happening to any one else. Well guess what! There IS a problem with this oven and I'm not prepared to accept it especially as it's brand new and a very expensive piece of equipment. Not what one expects from high end manufacturer. Engineer coming on Wed to glue seal permanently but I'm not exactly thrilled and still leaves problem of warping trays.

Owners review: Gaggenau combi, monogram, wolf, etc...

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Owners review: Gaggenau combi, monogram, wolf, etc...

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