I am also considering buying Gaggenau combi-steam and have a couple of questions. I've posted them already on the forum but somehow have not gotten any answers. I apologize for my repetitions, but I feel that real experts are on this thread and thus you may know. 1. Gaggenau combi-steam oven manual says that the oven cooks with normal pressure of the steam. I've contacted Gaggenau and received that as a reply: "Thank you for your email and interest in Gaggenau Appliances. I can confirm that our Combination Steam ovens are non pressure. Pressure steam ovens work by building the steam in a pressured and sealed cavity, although cooking in a pressured environment can cut down on cooking time it doesn't allow you to cook different food types to the desired and required time and also to maintain taste and nutrients. As different types of food require different lengths of cooking time the Gaggenau non pressure system will allow you to access the oven adding and taking foods out at different times to ensure the varying types are food are cooked to perfection whilst having them cooked and ready at the same time." Miele combi-oven does not say anything about steam, only mentions that if the door is opened, the operation stops, and pressure needs to be equalized. Do you cook with Miele in stages, meaning do you add things in the process? Can you please comment on it? Is there real difference btw Miele and Gaggenau ovens or not? And does it matter? 2. I also hoped that Gaggenau oven would have pull-out racks but it does not. Miele does. Gaggenau however has a side door. Will I miss the pull-out racks if I go with Gaggenau, or direct access to the oven ensures that I really do not need the racks? Thanks a lot! MTC

I agree about the potential dangers of putting it in an island. Bending down and opening the door with your face near, the way people do with an undercounter oven, could get you scalded. More than that, if this is a plumbed, rather than tank, model unless you have a basement underneath where you can sink the plumbing, you won't be able to make it work. That said, I wouldn't be without mine. If you stack the Gagg combi-steam with a Jenn-Air single oven you might need to make some accommodations for the plumbing. It can be worked around, but the Gaggenau single oven is designed to work with plumbing for the combi- coming up behind it in the cupboard. If that won't work with the Jenn-Air, you might have to send it through the wall or something. If this is a fully plumbed model, it's basically a sink. It needs a cold water line and valve, and a drain with a trap. Those are usually located in an adjacent cupboard. I don't think there's an aesthetic problem with putting two dissimilar ovens together. For the combi- you'll need a spacer between it and the regular oven anyway, and that should give you enough separation to say these are two different things. Unless.... do make sure that this isn't one of the aluminum ones. Those are quite blue. I liked the look, but got stainless because even though there's hardly any stainless in my kitchen, there was enough to make the blue aluminum look bad. Maybe it would be better to pair the combi- and the microwave (and you could get any microwave), and keep the Jenn-Air double ovens. :) Make sure you check out all the details about the installation with your plumber and/or GC before you leap.

"I could have gotten great floor model discounts on both but I want the new stuff! Can someone tell me the main diff off the top of their heads about the master chef and combo steam Mieles, the new ones?" There are three control systems, DirectSelect (equivalent to older Chef series), SensorTronic (equivalent to older MasterChef series), and M Touch (completely new system). The former two are extremely similar to the models they replaced; the only real differences that I can see are an updated look and 2 convection fans instead of one. Nothing really compelling over buying a floor model. Remember that the older models are proven. Latest and greatest is not always the best choice. You will be a beta tester for the new oven and if you encounter problems, you will need to report them and wait while the engineers figure out how to fix them. However, the M Touch series does have some features that might be worth buying a new model for. You get 15 extra MasterChef programs over the SensorTronic series that are used for bread baking. The meat probe is wireless. It will have the RemoteVision feature that lets Miele monitor it remotely and see problems. It has "Moisture Plus" which must be plumbed but automatically introduces moisture to the oven for bread baking, etc. It has a rotisserie motor (though you have to buy the rotisserie separately). And it has a color touch screen. The big advantage of you buying the M touch convection oven is that the combi steam only comes in M touch. Getting the M touch main oven means the interface will be the same.

I've just re-installed my 27" side opening oven over a heavy three drawer unit on a wall that also functions as a hall (I needed it to be chest high and used up most of the over counter space wiht a new window and door in my 8x10.5' kitchen) It's not any farther away from the stove than it would be in a larger kitchen and being the oven, it doesn't matter and it is now next to the dining room door. Since there is no counter, I fitted the second drawer down with a sliding board that pulls forward to be a set-down. It looks like a TV between a pantry pullout over a cabinet, a pantry closet and cabs above it, but it was the only solution. I store its racks and trays in the cab to the left. I'd wished for an oven with a side door because of arthritis in my neck (better now)and was thrilled to find it at a store closing sale! I've loved it despite its sort of space age steamlined look (It is 7+ years old)