Put Wolf on your list. I am very happy with mine. Great bridging flexibility

Yes, check out Wolf.

I'm getting the Gaggenau flex induction. It's set up is similar to the Miele 42 inch.

My Wolf 36" induction cooktop broke down to 2 functioning burners. My fault to finally call for repairs when cooktop was 3 yrs. old. No replacement parts are available. That it broke was enough--and this happened gradually. That there were no replacement parts available made me determine never to buy another Wolf again. I still have a Wolf oven. I was determined to direct my 2 children to purchase Wolf appliances. No longer.

wolf has the best controls imo. the new thermadors look nice as well.

for a less expensive option, bosch seems good quality, but i don't much like their controls.

Wolf is my favorite at the moment for price vs quality. Although the Bosch isn't bad for the money either. But Bosch's customer service is a step down. I also really like the Bertazzoni PM360IGX with knob controls. Love me some knob controls.

@1kitchen2 -- it would be rare for them not to be able to get replacement parts. Did you call SZ/Wolf customer support directly? One issue right now, is that as SZ/Wolf consolidates their service to only one specific company per region, some other servicers still advertise they service SZ/Wolf even though they are not authorized anymore -- just so they can bill for the calls. This is not an issue everywhere, but it happens here from time to time. And sometimes that servicer will just say something is not in stock, just to justify not doing any work. You have to be careful. I have never had Wolf authorized service unable to repair an induction cooktop. That sounds fishy to me. You might want to call Wolf Customer Support directly: 800-222-7820

Anthony

Appliance Buyer's Guide

What about the Miele 36 inch induction cooktop? Which do you like better - Miele 36 inch induction cooktop or Wolf 36 inch induction cooktop? Why? Which is easier to use? Which stays clean better? Is it better to have the little dots on the Wolf one, so hides fingerprints better or is the Miele black without little dots on it ok? Which works better? Thanks so much!

@m111675. -- Wolf wins that one for me. The Miele controls are more difficult to navigate. Both tops now have 3d coatings on them with little repeated patterns, so they stay looking clean. The Wolf also works better in my experience due to the 4 smaller coils per burner than the single large one Miele uses. Melt and simmer specifically will notice a difference.

Anthony

Appliance Buyer's Guide

I have the Miele - 4 years now. I bought it for it's drop dead gorgeous good looks. My kitchen is about style as much as it is function. The salesman at the appliance store suggested another top - Bosch perhaps? (I remember it was German also). He said the major complaint of the Miele was that the touch controls take a few seconds to respond. Its about 2 seconds. It works very well and cleans like a charm. Mine doesn't have a "bridge" and I have no idea whether Miele has an induction with that configuration. As far as "keep warm", I just use the lowest setting. Are you shopping at a small locally owned appliance store? The staff there could be very helpful.

Thanks everyone. Ok I think you have convinced me re the Wolf induction cooktop. Speaking about Wolf vs Miele - what do you think about the Wolf vs. Miele convection steam oven? So it looks like we'll be getting a Subzero fridge/freezer, Wolf induction cooktop. Stacked we were thinking of a combi-steam above a 30 regular oven. The Miele looks easier to use (especially the M touch version) and has more functions. But how is the Wolf combi-steam? We would get the M-Series professional 30 inch combi-steam. By the way, it looks like they came out with a new version of it - same functions, but different controls (now flat instead of knobs). To qualify for the Subzero-Wolf rebate, we would get the Wolf induction cooktop and M Series Professional 30 inch oven, along with the fridge/freezer. If the Miele combi-steam is that much better, ok to stack it above the Wolf oven? Or just go with Wolf combi-steam oven stacked over Wolf regular oven? We are not big chefs, but would like to try the combi-steam, so something easier to use would be great. Or could do Wolf M series double oven, and put Miele combi-steam elsewhere but not sure where else to put it and that is a lot of ovens. Thank you so much!!!

Again, I can't compare them for you. Miele has a cooking school at various locations which teach how to use their ovens. Miele has been easy to use and seems to work well. Lots of automatic cooking options.

I chose the Wolf CSO b/c it was easy to operate and was not plumbed.

We just renovated our kitchen, and chose the 36” Wolf induction top, the Wolf CSO and Convection ovens (M series), and the 42” SubZero. We couldn’t be happier with the induction top and CSO. We liked that the CSO wasn’t plumbed, and it cooks and bakes everything beautifully.

Thanks for your advice. Do you like the Miele non-plumbed CSO? Miele has rebates but need to get cooktop or range to take advantage of it along with wall oven and dishwasher. We're planning to get a Miele dishwasher, but given the feedback, now leaning toward the Wolf induction cooktop. So then likely would get Wolf 30 inch M series oven and Wolf 30 CSO stacked above it. Since you seem to really like the Miele CSO, what do you think about the Miele CSO with 30 inch trim kit stacked above the Wolf 30 inch M series professional oven? Or not look good to stack the different stainless/brands/handles? Thanks!

I love my Miele CSO - the non plumb for me is not an issue as I have a prep sink 2 steps away. The plumbed version was not announced when we did our rough plumb in our slab. Adding a drain after the fact was pretty pricey. I can’t comment on how the Miele looks stacked with a Wolf. I knows others have asked but have yet to see a configuration. Make sure you do your due diligence on the enamel chipping issues with Wolf ovens. I know that aspect was a big factor in going Miele with all my ovens.

I have decided on getting 2 of the new and larger Miele CSO at 24" with the Miele speed oven and passing on the Miele Mtouch 30" wall oven. Kim G. do you think I will miss the 30" if I am adding an extra CSO? In addition to the plumbing option on the Miele, Wolf's steam oven does not offer a broiling option. I already know that by not getting the wall oven, I will not have the wireless meat thermometer or the rotisserie options that are offered in the 30" wall overn. Is there anything else I might be missing?

I think the cso max temp is 450, wall ovens can usually go a little higher.

Do you ever host holiday gatherings where you may need to roast a large turkey, bake multiple dishes at a time or fit sheet pans for cookies, etc.? If so, I would think that an oven larger than 24 inches would be useful.

I personally would not recommend 2 CSO over 1 CSO and a 30” Convection for the following reasons:

The Miele CSO has a max temp of 435. Not always sufficient

You cannot fit a 1/2 sheet pan, large pizza stone, or possibly your cookie sheets in the CSO or speed oven.

I am not sure how large a Turkey one can roast in the CSO - I use my 30” with my large roaster pan

The Miele CSO is not self cleaning and can be a pain to clean with messy dishes - I do those in my 30” convection

I stacked my CSO over my Speed Oven (both 24”) and my wall oven to the left. I think it looks pretty sharp.

Thermadore New Freedom Induction...bar none. Check it out

Thank you everyone! Kim G, we originally had the oven layout the way you currently have yours. Did you center your 30" between the speed and CSO or did you align them at the top. We just changed our minds when Miele released the new 24" XXL CSO last year. It is 24" tall as compared to the 18" tall. It has an additional rack as well. The Miele rep did tell us that the CSO is more of an effort to clean. Do you find that the soak, rinse, and cavity drying programs don't work sufficiently? As far as Thanksgiving, I have always used a large roasting counter unit to keep my ovens free for side dishes; however, with the steam and cooking features of these ovens I may want to use a "real" oven instead. We are having to make a final decision regarding the 2 CSO and 30" within the next 2 weeks. The only thing that I have ever baked at a temperature higher than 425 degrees is pizza. Also, Kim G. have you used the broil feature on the Miele CSO, and how do you like the wireless meat probe on the 30". I have been having reservations with our decision to forego the 30" wall oven, so any additional information would be helpful. Thank you so much everyone, I have been searching for a very long time for comments on the Miele CSO by people that actually use it! I appreciate everyone's feedback.

Have you read this thread? Miele Combi Steam Owners Chanop posts some excellent info as the CSO is his only oven in his kitchen. If you look at the comments starting in feb/march 2016 you will see some discussion on cleaning. The soak rinse does not get off grease and other residue. The miele cleaner and elbow grease seems to be the method most have found most successful.

I do not roast meats in my CSO as we do most of that on our grill. If I do roast an occasional chicken or turkey I use my 30”. The broiler works fine in the CSO for my needs. :Again I don’t broil steak. I broil mainly peppers and tomatoes. The tomatoes I do in my 30” as they do tend to make a mess.

The wireless probe in the 30” is ok but I use a thermapen to verify the temps.

My 30” is aligned with the top of my CSO/Speed Oven stack.

None of my cookie sheets fit in the CSO - the largest baking pan I would use is a 10X15 jelly roll pan. I do my cookies in the 30” - I have not tried them in the CSO.

I have the Wolf CSO, and don't know if this would work for the Miele version, but I find that mixing vinegar with baking soda into a paste, applying to the greasy parts and stuck on spatter, and then steaming for about 20 minutes works beautifully. After steaming, the grease and spatters wipe clean easily.

Thank you! I am reading the thread you recommended, Kim G. Think I'm leaning back to our initial thoughts of 1 CSO, 1 30" M-touch, and 1 speed oven. Thanks, Carolyn for the cleaning tip :) Carolyn what oven do you use more often your Wolf steam or your M-series? I also do a lot of baking and looking forward to trying different kinds of bread in the steam oven.

kekramer, I definitely use my CSO more than the M series. While I love the M series convection, the CSO heats up faster and is waaaayyyy more versatile. I am also a bread baker and this oven is a game changer for me (I have broken oven glass in prior ovens by spilling water on the glass trying to introduce steam lol). You can get EXCELLENT results with bread in this oven. There have been multiple threads on Houzz about how to get the best bread baking results with a CSO, and here is my method. I run the steam first for about 10 minutes, making sure that the oven cavity is good and steamy with plenty of condensation on the bottom of the oven. Then I load the bread loaf (or loaves), put it on auto steam bake, and find that the excess water in the oven provides even more spring to the loaf after the beginning steam phase is over and has cut over to higher baking temps.

The Wolf CSO has another mode called "Convection Humid" which is great for quick breads. It seals the cavity during Convection so that steam cannot escape, thus making the bread more moist. Muffins and quick breads really shine in this mode.

Side note, I use my M series to proof bread. The proof function works really well.

If you make jams and jellies, the steam oven can also be used to do the canning step in replacement for a boiling water bath (BWB). The jars can be steamed to sanitize before filling, and then steamed at 210 degrees for 30 minutes. It works great, and best of all, no tip overs and sealing failures.

Oh, brief note on making steak (mentioned above). We use our CSO with probe to do the first step of reverse sear steaks. We steam the seasoned steak until it reaches 100 degrees, remove it, and then sear in a cast iron pan until it reaches about 125 degrees (med rare). Best steak we've ever had, hands down, moist and perfectly/evenly cooked all the way through.

When to use Grease Filter? I have the XXL Miele Combi Steam. The manual says to always use the grease filter for roasting. I keep mine in except for pure steam cooking -- so it is in for roasted veggies/potatoes in addition to meats. That seems to make sense to me. I noticed if I don't take it out for master chef pure steam programs (veggies) it undercooks some. Since that is very "clean" cooking I take it out for that.

But what about reheating a plate of food (currently I leave it in)? And baking with steam?

Is the XXL combi steam over the 30 inch miele CO overkill? Our original plan was the XXL combisteam as our main oven with the miele speed oven on top in a stack and beverage fridge in the island (with a 42 inch built in kitchenaid that we go a great price on) Now that it is time for the cabinet order to go in I am stressing about not having a 30 inch oven - the XXL just looks small and can slide a half sheet pan in but with effort. So we have likely toggled to ditching the beverage fridge and doing 30 inch Miele CO with a XXL CSO above a cheaper microwave in the island - our kids are heading into their tween years and we feel we need the micro for now - reno so no butler's pantry to hide it in.....My thought is that the stack will look better with the XL CSO but my husband feels we should do the XXL as the difference in price is not large and you get much more oven for it - thoughts? Also any thoughts on our original plan on no 30 inch oven? Final option would be scrap the CSO and do 30 inch oven plus speed oven to save space with no need for separate microwave but we are pretty sold on the CSO

I have space for just one oven in my kitchen. Would you recommend the CSO over a regular oven? Is it reliable and versatile? I am hoping to go from my current double wall oven and a separate microwave to one CSO.

Would just having CSO become an issue for resell down the line? While I intend to stay here forever, sometimes life happens...

Ria, I don't yet have my CSO, but i don't think I would give up a 30 inch oven. I cook mostly just for the 2 of us in winter and in the summer with guests I have my barbeque but there are times i need that big oven.

If you do feel you can do without it, you may want to consider having something like a countertop convection/air fryer/toaster oven/rotisserie. I got one while I wait for decent ovens in my kitchen reno ( and also because I got sucked into QVC or HSN one night when I couldn't sleep. )Omg that thing is life changing!

If you don't get many answers, you may want to start a new post.

I think not having a wall oven would be a big issue for most home buyers. In fact, I think it would be a pretty big red flag. I love my Wolf CSO and it can do most things but you should realize that most (if not all) can't fit a full sheet pan of cookies, veggies, etc. Most can also not do some basic microwave functions either - popcorn, melt butter, warm coffee, instant oatmeal, etc.

It appears a Wolf induction hob has 10 levels of heat adjustment. Miele and Bosch offer half steps for 17. Miele is bringing a full surface range of models in the 7000 series this year. First in Germany.

I am told that the California code requires a proper oven in the kitchen. Hope this info helps others too.