Gaggenau combi or Kitchenaid Steam Assisted Oven

15 years ago

Eight months ago I purchased a 30" Kitchenaid Steam Assisted Wall Oven for my current home. I love it. I steam vegetables and fish. Love a turkey from it. I rarely use my other oven since the KA arrived.

Now we are purchasing a new home and remodeling the kitchen. I am leaning towards a Lacanche Sully 1800 with a gas and a electric convection oven. I would still like a steam assisted oven. I am trying to decided b/t the Gaggenau Combi unit and another KA Steam Assisted Unit. It seems that the Gaggenau may allow the user to be more precise in the level of steam produced, while the KA would have the advantage of being full size. I know that many people are huge fans of the Gaggenau, but I am not exactly clear on all of the advantages over the KA, which does not seem to be discusssed much. Is the steam faster? Is it the steam only feature? Is it better for people who want precise control over the humidity? (I tend to rely on KA's automatic settings.)

I am hoping someone has insight on this. I am having trouble leaving my KA oven behind (but maybe the Gaggenau will make me forget the KA?).

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Comments (2)

gizmonike
15 years ago
I can discuss the Gagg Combi-steam; we've had ours 2 years & it's so versatile. The Gagg Combi is not steam only; you can set steam levels from 100%, 80%, 60%, 30%, or zero. You also set what temperature to use, like a conventional oven. You can click the temperature control into a default setting to pick the usual temperature associated with each steam setting. For example, setting 100% steam & the temperature default will use 210Â°. To reheat a plate of food, you'd use 60% steam & 250Â°. Zero steam gives you a convection oven. The partial steam selections are great for adding moisture while you bake or roast, & there's a temperature probe included for running the oven by monitoring the internal temperature of the food.

The Gagg Combi is smaller inside than a conventional oven, but still sizable enough that you can fit multiple racks of food. It will hold one or two 13x9 casserole dishes. Half-sheet pans fit on top of our Combi's rack guides.

The one major consideration (besides price) is that the Gagg unit must be plumbed both to add water & drain it away. Water management is automatic & there's little to no wipeup required.

I don't have direct experience with the KA steam assisted oven, but the user manual implies that one thing it can not do that the Gagg Combi can is 100% steam. The KA manual specifically excludes cooking artichokes, broccoli, green beans, & beets in its oven -- the Combi does a great job with all of these.

Your decision should probably be made by deciding whether 100% steam or oven size is more important.
plllog
15 years ago
There is actually a new combi-steam model which has a removable tank (doesn't need plumbing), though it looks like a pain. Mine (plumbed) is still awaiting construction, but these are the pro's and con's I see:

Pro Gaggenau: Precision oven. Small (the oven cavity is the same size on the 24" and 30", so unless you want to trim it out to fit a larger cabinet and have the door cover all, you can just get the 24"). 100% steam. Misting at low steam temps. Side opening door.

Pro KA: Large oven -- you might want to compare the sizes with the ovens in the new range. A full sized (American standards) oven might be useful. You love it already. You could have two or three for the same price.
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Okay, I've uploaded a picture of the open cabinet. The drain and water line come through right under the next shelf up, as you can sort of see. That's about the level of the bottom of the big oven. There is a vent. It is required. The trench picture doesn't show any of the actual plumbing bits for the oven in it. It was a work in progress picture. I linked it because it shows how the fall of the drain line goes and ties in to the rest. I'm sorry I can't give you better details. I understand the principles of plumbing, but I don't tend to make long term memories of things that are recorded elsewhere. I agree with the lady about the plumber (see above). :) I do know enough to know that the big issue I used as a test for screening contractors was the fall for both the steam oven and the island. I hired the guy who was equally concerned. He brought in the master plumber and the camera to crawl the line, before we had a contract, so that he could assess the scope of the job, and even if it would be possible. We lucked out that the kitchen drained toward where I wanted the island, rather than toward the powder room, in a perpendicular direction. The line required something like 1/8" per foot, so they were just really careful to make sure the angle was true. Attofarad, I remembered that I'd answer that before, in Kitchens. Please forgive the copy and paste: The face of the spice rack is 7", and the trays about about 4.25" interior measure. It's one sided with a thick wall and some air space on the back so that the spices will be okay even during self clean. The back of the wood gets a little warmer than room temperature, but the side that the spices are on stays cool.
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Joan, in NYC you have no worries! The thing about giving a party with limited resources is that you get creative. In your example meal, you didn't mention a cooktop or microwave, but even a small one of either, or a hotplate, or electric skillet, would allow you to make the beans in a different way. Or, since you're in the middle of a massive city with all kinds of food resources, you could choose to make a tenderloin instead of a rolled roast, with a relish or sauce instead of the stuffing, and jam all parts of your meal into the one oven at the same time. If you want a whole smoked brisket or turkey for a feast, and don't have outdoor cooking, you can always buy it cooked, and decorate it your way while reheating. Or you could just decide that roasted with a dry rub is fine and make it in the combi-. The secret to a large turkey in a small oven is to quarter it and roast the pieces. I just wouldn't try oven smoking in a small apartment. Even in my large house it's something I wouldn't repeat, having done it once. Good brisket, but there were toxins that weren't caught by the oven filters (one must open the door as well) and not removed by my very powerful hood. BTW, I researched washer/dryer combos a year or two ago for a design game, which was essentially about tiny houses (before they were all over TV). At the time, there was an LG that had the best reviews, but they all said that the trick to the dryer cycle was to put in no more than half a load. I really think you'll be fine. Just having an oven of any kind makes such a difference! When I was young, living abroad, we had two gas rings, and our only oven was a Wonder Pot (like a Swedish Omnia Oven), which is a ring pot with a solid, vented cover, and a flue to direct the heat up through the middle. We baked cakes & bar cookies, casseroles, etc., in that thing, and with our two burners, cooked dinners for six. The question isn't if you can cook a lovely meal for 6-8 with only a combi-steam, but if you can make anything you can dream of and have everything timed right to be hot to the table.
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Gaggenau combi or Kitchenaid Steam Assisted Oven

Comments (2)

gizmonike

plllog

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