I have four ovens and use them all: Miele combi-steam, Miele speed oven, Miele standard 30" convection oven, and a 36" gas oven. Each oven serves a distinct purpose and is used regularly. I find the two smaller ovens to be enormously useful. The speed oven functions as a regular oven. We rarely use a microwave so the speed oven is used for that function. The only oven I could do without is the 36" gas range oven, but we still use it regularly, but what we use it for could be done in the 30" convection oven. And, yes it is very hot and very hard to get things out of it as it is so low. I also have induction which I much prefer to gas (we have both). I will never put in a gas cooktop again. I also love to cook and used to entertain frequently pre-Covid. Get what you want. It is your kitchen. But, I find having ovens with different features is very useful so I would be inclined not to get double ovens.

We do a fair amount of cooking, baking and entertaining - with 5 ovens and 2 warming drawers. Sometimes it's not what you need so much as what can make cooking easier and more enjoyable. Multiple ovens provides versatility (gas provides a moist environment that good for some things while electric is a dry environment for cakes) as well as makes life easier when you can have different things doing different things at the same time.

Our new kitchen (Jun 2020) is a slight modification of our previous kitchen that had worked very well for us for 15 years and that we’d built to be a very functional working kitchen. We replaced our 36” Wolf with a Bluestar and went w/ a 24” griddle instead of 12”. We added a CSO.

Our new kitchen includes: 48” Bluestar RNB Range w/ 4 burners and 24” griddle/flat-top, Miele XL CSO (combi-steam), Miele H6780 electric wall oven, GE Advantium Speed Bake / Microwave (240v), 2 Miele warming drawers, 3 countertop induction hobs.

Ventilation: Accurex 1200 CFM range hood exhaust system, Fantech 600 CFM ceiling exhaust vent over oven stack, 2000 CFM variable speed MUA.

The griddle is probably used as a versatile French Top for sauces and stuff more often than as a griddle.

@opaone I would love to see your kitchen layout. Are the induction hobs built in?

I agree with what everybody else in this thread has been saying. You can never have too many ovens. One of the big failings in many home-cook recipes is the reluctance to use ovens. Most households have only a single oven, and thus recipes are optimized for stovetop cooking. But realistically, any time that food needs to cook for an extended amount of time, you probably should think whether this is something you can do in the oven instead.

We only have four stovetop burners and I rarely even use all of those. But I do use our three ovens all the time; and I sometimes even use the outdoor gas grill as well.

We have a 30" Bluestar RNB range with a built-in gas oven. Takes a long time to preheat but then bakes extremely reliably. And it has the best broiler you'll find in a residential kitchen. We also have a Miele CSO. It's one of my favorite appliances. Highly recommended. And we have a Miele SpeedOven; and same as @jdsb2, we rarely use the speed function. But we do use it as an oven or improvised warming drawer on a regular basis. And of course, we do use it as a microwave. Love the fact that it doesn't have a turntable. That makes for much better space utilization.

Not sure on Hestan as a brand. They certainly make a couple of great appliances (their outdoor grills seem really nice). And they absolutely get the styling just right. But as another thread just pointed out, a lot of their appliances are made by third parties; and quality can vary a bit. If I had to pick favorite brands, I'd pick LaCanche for either gas or induction (great performance and good looks), Bluestar for gas (great broiler, amazing burners, easy to clean, and unrivaled for wok cooking), SubZero for fridge, and Miele for everything else. But then, that all is rather pricey. So, compromises might have to be made.

Induction hobs are portable (1 Duxtop, 2 Max Burton). I'm kind of hoping for a Control Freak for Christmas next year. Here's one shot of the kitchen.

Floor plan for the kitchen is here: https://bamasotan.us/2019/02/so-what-you-want-is-an-inn/

Thanks to all of you for your feedback - I really appreciate it! Especially the encouragement to get what I want...I agree...I think I'll use it all!

@opaone regarding the griddle - do you find it works well as a flat top for simmering in pans,etc? I mentioned that to our sales person and he made it sound like that wouldn't work and that I really wanted a French top but that I'd have to sign my life away to buy one because if I changed my mind they'd never be able to sell it. And your kitchen is STUNNING!! Thank you for sharing😍

@M @opaone re: the range and getting warm when using it while also standing at the rangetop, how uncomfortable is it? Re: the Hestan, it was my understanding that the ranges/rangetops were made by them but not everything else?

No problems with things getting too warm when standing in front of our range, even if I have the oven cranked all the way to max. But as with any gas range, it does eventually heat up the kitchen. Not a problem where I live, but if you lived in a very hot part of the country this might be a concern, and it is frequently cited as a reason to switch to induction.

As for Hestan, I don't really know enough about them. They are relatively knew entrants to the residential market. And you might be right about them making their own ranges. I am just always a little hesitant, after having seen how the whole Capital Culinarian situation played out. For a while, they were the new rising star and they admittedly had a cool product. But then things just fizzled out rather unceremoniously. So, now I am careful any time there is a new player.

Our Wolf & BS griddles have worked quite well as a flat top. Why do they think Heston would not?

More:

A good thermostatic griddle can do double duty and in many ways is better and much more versatile than burners. We currently have a 48" BS RNB w/ 4 burners + 24" griddle (that replaced a 36” w/ 4 burners + 12” griddle) and do a lot of intricate cooking/baking and entertaining. We've rarely needed more than the 4 burners but it's also not unusual to have a half dozen or more pans on the griddle doing sauces or keeping something warm. With half of the griddle turned on (typically for us to 150-200°f) and the other half off it's kind of like a linear French Top that you can move stuff around on for whatever temp is needed. It’s a hugely versatile cooking surface.

A thermostatic griddle is a much improved version of what Sasha is doing here: https://www.seriouseats.com/2019/10/hack-your-way-to-a-bigger-stovetop-no-renovation-required.html

When we do need more actual burners we use countertop induction hobs. While we prefer gas burners for most tasks there are some instances where these portable induction hobs have some advantages (besides easily adding extra burners when necessary). They can be placed anywhere so they can keep fondue or chili hot on the kitchen island or the bar in the rec room. A few (Control Freak, Max Burton) have accurate temp & probe capabilities so can be more accurate for some tasks than gas, especially when you’d like to leave something unattended for a bit.

Oppaone. I am curious why you went away from the wolf range?

@M @opaone as you both have BS - how have the burners and top been to clean? One of the attractions of the Hestan was the stainless top (which I'm used to since that's what my Dacor cooktop had). And yes...echoing @vanvark with what drew you to BS over Wolf? All the sales people seem to be gaga over them...

And have you all been happy with the Miele wall ovens?

Thanks again for all your advice...might have to head back to the store to check out BS!

I run a catering biz from my home and also do a ton of entertaining I have a 36” 6 burner all gas range and double electric wall ovens a simple MW and a single portable induction burner . I have cooked for 300 with no issues with those appliances. The only experience I have with steam ovens are in commercial kitchens where they were always breaking down so I don’t want one taking up space in my kitchen IMO both Wolf and SZ are overrated and overpriced. I have a Bertazzoni all gas range with one wok burner that aslo doubles as rreally high BTU for boiling water quickly The oven I use for brreads and pizza since I much prefer gas for those types of baking, My wall ovens are KA and both of those appliances are 13 yrs old with not one issue , IMO you get the appliances you need for how you cok and honestly I will never have a ccoktop since I like the 2 different types of ovens a range just makes sense. Built in griddles are IMO a huge waste of money I use a griddle that spans 2 burners it cost $25 and it is 25 yr old stll makes great pancakes

You asked about cleaning. That's IMHO one of the big strengths of Bluestar's open burners. The cast iron grates can be seasoned. This either happens naturally or you can accelerate the process by spraying them with oil and baking them in the oven. Great thing to do during the initial bake-off that the manufacturer recommends for the ovens anyway.

Afterwards, clean up usually just involves a quick wipe with a damp cloth. And once or twice a year, you change the aluminum foil that you put into the drip tray.

I've lived with an induction range at one point, and honestly, both induction and the Bluestar are about the same amount of work to clean. It's surprising how well the cast iron works, if you don't expect it to look factory new and are happy with the natural patina.

Also, if you ever wanted to go back to the look when it came out of the show room (or at least something close to that), you can stick the grates into the dishwasher. We only did that once after the contractors messed up the stove really badly with construction debris, but the results were quite impressive.

Oh, and I just noticed you also asked about the Miele wall ovens. Super happy with our choice. The CSO is wonderful. We use it all the time. We have the plumbed model, as it lowers the psychological barrier to using steam whenever it is appropriate, and since I am paranoid about flooding we had the contractor install a drain pan that empties into a dry stand pipe.

It has been working entirely flawlessly ever since we got it, and we certainly do put it through its paces. It's one of my absolute favorite appliances. But since it also is one of the most complex appliances that we own, I decided to pay for an extended warranty, just for peace of mind. It sounds as if the bulk of complaints that people have with it is either when they have particularly hard water (in which case, I'd recommend installing a water softener, but not an R/O system) or if the drain isn't installed exactly to Miele's spec. So, read the installation manual and double-check your contractor's work.

The speed oven is a great microwave oven (love the lack of a spinning platter) and also a fine regular oven. We use both of these functions. We don't use the speed function very often, but we knew that when we bought it.

The speed oven has a somewhat inferior broiler element, and while the one in the CSO is much better, it isn't anywhere close to the broiler in the Bluestar range. So, I like having all these three different ovens. Also, with the Bluestar, I don't care if the oven cavity gets a little bit stained over time. Every few years, I clean it with oven cleaner, but I don't worry too much. With the Miele ovens, the stainless steel interior overall is a great option, but it does show stains more readily. So, I avoid cooking particularly splattery foods in it.

Wouldn't change anything. But feel free to ask specific questions, if you want to know anything that I haven't covered.

I love all of my Miele ovens: plumbed combi-steam, speed, and regular full size convection oven. We also have a 36” Miele gas range and the oven has been great.

We had Miele do the install as at the time it included a five year warranty.

What a wealth of knowledge! Thank you @jdsb2 @opaone @M @Patricia Colwell Consulting! Settling on the Miele steam for sure and the double wall ovens. Now to finalize the rangetop and griddle/burner options...oh and fridges which commented on in another thread. If you have any fridges you love, let me know..looking at a columns - fridge 30 or 36" and prob an 24" freezer.

If your budget allows for it, there really isn't any question. Get a SubZero. They have nailed the solution. Their fridges work. They are easy to service for years to come. And they often keep food fresh for longer than any of the competitors. In the end, even temperatures, controlled moisture, and function filters do make a difference. Also, no fancy gizmos that just tend to break anyway.

I feel the same way about dishwashers. There is one company that stands above all others. This is Miele's core expertise. They solved the problem decades ago, and nobody has beat them at their game yet, even if some brands can come close. Unfortunately, Miele knows that and charges a premium for their dishwashers.

I had bad luck with Sub Zero in a prior home and went with Miele columns which we love.

Thank you @M and @jdsb2! I have had two Bosch DWs in the last 25 years that I loved so was going that route but will def check out Miele for DW as well as fridge along with SZ even more!

I have had Bosch and Miele DWs. Bosch is great, but Miele is better.

Great thank you!

Not sure if you’re still looking for feeedback, but just in case, about 18 months ago I renovated my kitchen and went with a Hestan 36” rangetop (5 burner/no griddle), and double Miele wall ovens - Combi Steam XL (plumbed) and convection (also plumbed - burst of moisture feature). Also ended up with a Sub-Zero PRO36G refrigerator. Blew the budget for sure, but couldn’t be happier with these choices. Amazing appliances, all of them. The Hestan rangetop is absolutely awesome to cook on. I never thought I’d see myself with a closed burner system, but with Hestan, you get the best of both worlds. Amazing power, the gentlest of gentle simmers (that hold), and so much easier to clean. Anyway, let mee know if you have any questions. I’ll post a few photos also in case you’re interested in how any of these look.

Thank you so much @Patrick Finn! I don't know how I missed your post. I'd love to see how your kitchen looks. I now am going with all Hestan for the range/fridge and getting the Miele CSO XL. I'd love to see the combination you have!

Damn, I completely missed your message back in October. I’m sure you’re finished renovating and enjoying your fantastic new kitchen, but happy to post some pics of how my turned out.

Clearly I need some new pics, but this gives a an idea of how things look.

Interesting. I noticed you placed the pot filler off center. That had never occurred to me, and I think I still like it better in the center. But then, everybody in our family is very tall and can easily reach the back.

Just curious why you decided to do this and of you think the result worked the way you wanted it.

And just for the record, yes, a pot filler is great in a kitchen that gets serious use. Very useful when stir frying, but also great for making stock.

Beautiful @Patrick Finn! It all turned out so well! No worries on your timing...we are actually just about to start. Our contractor couldn't start until March but have already ordered our appliances given all the timing on everything. Thanks so much for getting back to me!