I saw the Viking combi oven in action last weekend. The company chef who was demo-ing the oven steamed some fresh asparagus ( it was wonderfully crisp tender ) and also steamed frozen shrimp. The food was very tasty and the water from the steaming was not green, hence less loss of nutrients from the asparagus. I also was told it can proof bread as well as doing a fabulous job of baking artisan type breads. Reheating leftovers is supposed to be one of the big pluses for this oven, too. The oven was a 24" with a 30" trim to stack it above a convection oven. Have you heard the combi oven comes in a 30" width? The Gagg combi oven comes in a 30" width at a much higher price than the 24" Viking oven. Please post if you bought one of the combi ovens and have used it. Thanks! I'm going to put the Viking combi oven in my kitchen remodel.

(Cross-posted in other Miele Steam Oven threads) We bought a Miele DGC 6800 XL Combination Steam Oven (non-plumbed) and a few months later on a whim descaled the unit. Right after the descaling process, my Miele steam oven gives me a 'Fault 20' whenever I try to do steam cooking. The regular convection cooking works fine. Expected more from Miele. I wish I had bought something else! It's out of warranty even though we probably used it about 20 times. Now Miele is asking for $150 for a technician to come out and pay an additional $90/hr for labor + $ for parts!

Beware of the Miele oven. We purchased these two ovens earlier this year. They look great, but we're not happy with their performance. The speed oven works great (although our old GE convection/microwave had better controls). The big oven has temperature problems. Originally, the temperature was way off (bake set to 375 and actual temperature was 340; I purchased an expensive digital thermometer to test). After first telling us we didn't know how to cook, Miele has come out twice. The latest is they replaced all of the electrical controls. Temperature is better, but not perfect. After a long preheat, the temperature gets very close to the setting, but after the food is put in the oven, the oven does not seem to maintain the proper temperature. It is always low by about 20 degrees.

You can never have enough ovens. We have a 30" oven in addition to a 24" CSO and a 24" SpeedOven (incidentally, this is a wonderful combination). And still, there has been at least one meal, when I had to add a fourth improvised oven by using the gas grill on the deck. I also had to use a portable warming chest, and had to prepare a careful schedule for when to use which appliance. But then, I was cooking multiple courses for a gathering of more than 100 guests. Realistically though, 99% of the time, the combination of those two ovens should be enough. You might just have to do a little bit of planning on the rare occasions that you make huge amounts of food. But if budget is flexible, adding the SpeedOven wouldn't hurt. It's a good oven in its own right, and it can always serve as a great overflow option, when things get really tight. Is it mandatory? No, not at all? Will you enjoy having bought it? Yes, probably. It's a convenient luxury, if you regularly cook a lot.