There are a lot of threads about combi steam ovens. The Miele one is pretty active and has a lot of useful information.

The steam function is very nice, particularly for reheating and bread baking. It also roasts meats beautifully (and the combination function means they are browned, not poached). But it is a premium and may not be really beneficial for you.

I don't really see it as a sacrifice not to have two 30" ovens; what would you be using that would fill both ovens at once? The combi steam really can hold a lot of food.

The convection steam oven can be used just like a normal convection oven though it heats up much quicker. With our family of four we use it the most of all the oven's (have a 30" Wolf below it and a 36" BS range). Almost anything we do for a dinner can be done in the steam oven rather than heating up and dirtying one of the larger ovens. It roasts meat and chickens the best of any oven using convection humid mode. Bakes bread excellent except for high heat baking (only goes to 445), use it for cookies, dutch/german pancakes, makes an excellent crust on any food. Don't get caught up in the 'steamed food' mindset, it's all convection oven when you want it to be.

We do use the steam mode for veggies (we'll never micro them again), sometimes fish, though I do prefer fish baked or fried. It makes excellent rice and I've even done pasta in it (though not as handy as I like checking pasta in a pan for perfect doneness). It's the only way we make rice now. I've made custards in it, works great, no water bath. Reheating food is great, again no more micro for that. There are a lot of modes that make food more convenient to prepare. My DW likes to make hard boiled eggs in it (obviously not boiled), she just leaves them in the paper carton and steams them, got to be careful taking them out if not on a cookie sheet as the paper gets pretty limp. I made brown sugar (turbinado) bacon in it last weekend and it turned out awesome, nice and crisp in about 25 minutes. Like I mentioned we use it a LOT.

It's a bit pricey for a rice cooker, or a micro replacement but for all the other things it does I would lose my 30" Wolf over the steam oven anyday of the week. For me the only limitation is the heat range as max is 445 but I do make cast iron pan pizza in it and it turns out wonderful. For normal pizza I crank the BS to 'beyond' 500, some breads want a higher heat. It doesn't have a broiler so having at least one oven with one works great. I have the Wolf CSO so do fill the water reservoir manually but that's maybe twice a week at the most and takes all of a minute. We've had ours over 2 years and still haven't used it to it's full potential. Once you get it you'll understand how great it is, it will inspire you to cook differently and more conveniently with better results over a std oven or microwave.

IMO there s/b one in every kitchen, it's more of a workhorse than any other appliance.

Thank you so much mistman! I guess the question is whether the steam really makes that much of a difference. I sounds as though much of what it ends up being used for can be done in a regular convection oven. The question is just how much I'll use the steam function. My best guess is if we get it, I'll use it more than I think I might and I'll have fun learning how to make new things. I really don't NEED two 30" ovens, but at least two ovens. Plus, with the current Wolf promotion (I'm looking at the new M-Series ovens), I will get a 24" counter top convection oven. So if I need a second larger oven, I'll have one. Thanks!

JK, I have had my combi for a few years, and I don't use steam only all that much. I do use it for cheesecakes and shrimp, but other than than I use the combi mode or straight convection more than the steam mode. As Mistman says, in convection mode, it will preheat a lot quicker than a full sized oven, so it is the go to oven in my house for 90 percent of the time. I have a BS range, and that does take a while to heat up. If you are not sure what you would use the steam function for, you can go to the Miele recipe page, select steam oven ( not the combi, because the combi includes the other modes, and leave the other two options blank) and do a refined search and it shows about 150 recipes http://mieleusa.com/mielerecipe/recipe_list.asp One limiting factor is there is not much in the way of cookbooks for combi ovens yet.

Thanks barry_gw. There were some great recipes in Miele--under both the all steam and combi steam options. I often use my convection toaster oven to make small roasts for our family if I don't want to heat a large oven. I put a roast in on convection a couple of nights ago and had a perfect roast in less than an hour. Since the toaster oven doesn't really vent like regular ovens, the moisture from my roast stayed in the small oven, and voila--I had a tender and moist roast cooked with convection and steam! The Wolf countertop oven will be my smaller oven (maybe even my go-to since it will heat quickly?) So, maybe the steam oven is worth a try....I'll have three different size ovens that I can use as regular ovens--all with convection. No need for three regular ovens, none with steam? I'll just have to get creative to get the full benefits! Thanks again!