I was set on all Wolf cooking for our kitchen renovation--a 48" range top with grill and griddle and the Wolf single convection oven (M Series), and the Wolf convection steam oven. I'm considering Miele instead for a couple of reasons--the oven has a rotisserie and the steam oven is both plumbed and has a broiler. Thermador will be coming out with a 48" range top with grill and griddle option later this fall, and their oven also has a rotisserie. If I don't go with Wolf, I won't be able to take advantage of any of their promotions. I'm not sure how I'll like the look of the Miele and Thermador ovens to the right of the Subzero 36" separate freezer and fridge fridges (stainless with transitional handle). I'm out of space to panel the refrigerators--I don't have an inch to spare for the overlay. I could step down to 24" convection oven with Miele, but I'd prefer not to. Any recommendations?

We bought the Miele Combi Steam in addition to a 30" wall oven, and it is our "Go To" Oven. Use it daily. It is very versatile and being a smaller oven heats quickly. All of our baking dishes fit in this oven. It operates the same as our 30" wall oven plus the combi steam function. It is awesome for reheating leftovers/baking bread/used as a regular oven/steaming veggies- rice etc. The Miele has a broiler unlike the Wolf - not sure of your configuration but you might want to compare the Miele with the Wolf. There are several threads on these two products. Regardless of which oven - you will be happy going with a combi steam oven. Agree with the other posters that recommend you attend a demo at a Wolf/Miele design center if possible.

If you type “Combi Steam Speed no other oven” in the search box in Discussions/Appliances you will get many threads on this topic. The down side I would see is not all of your larger pans such as half sheet/cookie/large roasters/pizza stones/etc may fit in either oven. In the case of miele the speed and combi steam ovens max out at 435 degrees and the broiler is not as strong as a full size oven. It could also be an issue down the road for resell as the cabinets would need significant rework to incorporate a traditional 30” oven. That may or may not be an issue for you. The cleaning aspect is another consideration as self clean may not be an option. (I use self clean on my miele Convection oven - 5+ years and no problems). I was fortunate to be able to include a 30” wall/combi steam/speed (all Miele) in my kitchen. If I had a choice I would have nixed the speed and found a place to house an inexpensive microwave hidden either in a cabinet or my walk in pantry (I still have my old toaster oven there and use it occasionally). Since I have a combi steam and induction - I rarely I use my micro.

My CSO is one of the most frequently kitchen appliances. So, in an ideal situation, I'd want to have it easily accessible. A pantry might or might not be within easy reach from the kitchen. Too many different kitchen floor plans to make a general statement. Apart from the safety concerns mentioned by others, I'd recommend to buy a plumbed model. If you already have to deal with going to a different room to use the appliances, you don't want to have to run back and forth to ensure it has enough water. Also, while a CSO doesn't release large amounts of steam during normal operation, it does release some. This could be a problem for the other foods stored in the pantry. Make sure there is adequate venting.