Three ovens enter, two ovens leave?

February 26, 2013 2:01 PM

We're remodeling our kitchen, thanks to a leaking roof and water damage. My husband would love to reduce the number of appliances we have on our counter. We currently have a microwave (used solely for defrosting/reheating), a toaster oven (for baking/roasting of small items; love the faster preheating), and a regular oven (for baking/roasting large things). I've seen conflicting reports about speed ovens, steam ovens, combi ovens, etc. that seem to be able to combine some of these features. Has anyone had experience with those? Can I truly say goodbye to one of my counter top ovens? If so, what's the most useful combination for someone who mostly needs to reheat and roast, with minimal preheating time? Bonus points for specific brand recommendations.
posted by snickerdoodle to home & garden (10 answers total)

How about a built in Microwave/Convection oven? That would take care of reheat and roasting small items, plus my regular sized convection oven is pretty sweet! This can be built in, over the stove, or as part of a wall oven stack.

You might still want a small toaster, but that can be easily stored in a cabinet.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 2:08 PM on February 26 [1 favorite]

I've never had a toaster oven. How fast does it pre-heat? We have dual convection ovens that use the convection to pre-heat, and they always seem plenty fast to me. And by the way, if you have room, I HIGHLY recommend dual ovens.
posted by primethyme at 2:28 PM on February 26

I get away with a dual-fuel range (gas cooktop, 2 electric ovens) and an OTR microwave. It was pricier than your basic cheapo range, but everything on it works better. No toaster, no toaster oven. Toast is made under the electric broiler (~5 minutes from cold). Having 2 heating elements and a convection fan, the main oven has a speed preheat function that kicks it into gear pretty quickly.
posted by jon1270 at 2:32 PM on February 26

If you want the microwave off the counter, I have seen a combo microwave and hood for over the stove -- the thing with lights and a fan.
posted by Michele in California at 2:57 PM on February 26

My sister did this (went down to one oven). Last time I visited, she had purchased a toaster oven and toaster! Plus an over the stove built-in microwave. It appears they needed all the appliances after all.
posted by fifilaru at 3:19 PM on February 26

Also on microwave not on the counter, I designed our cabinets so the microwave sits under the counter in the island, as if on a shelf but without a door over a drawer. Works perfectly!
posted by RoadScholar at 3:23 PM on February 26

Miicrowave stove vent is what we're looking at.
posted by plinth at 4:26 PM on February 26

My inlaws have an advantium combo microwave/small oven that is pretty awesome. It gets lots of use - it's great for cooking side dishes like potatoes or veggies. And it's a microwave. that plus a regular oven and I can't imagine needing much else. We have two ovens in our house, but they are both smaller than a normal oven (but not nearly as small as a microwave) and I'd rather have one large one - I can't fit a whole cookie sheet in either, let alone a turkey (we have an electric roaster for things like that though). So many possibilities!
posted by dpx.mfx at 4:34 PM on February 26

One thing that is helpful about having the toaster oven is that you increase the amount of oven space which is useful for dinner parties and holidays. If you aren't toasting a lot though, you could just use a small countertop toaster for everyday and keep the toaster oven tucked away until you need it.

Built-in microwave is the way to go for that, I believe.
posted by radioamy at 6:51 PM on February 26

If it's really a counter space issue, maybe an under-cabinet toaster oven.
posted by lakeroon at 7:13 PM on February 26