27' vs 30' double ovens



* Posted by: groschuni (My Page) on Sun, May 23, 04 at 17:27

We have a 27" Gaggenau 985. We bought a floor model at an appliance store that was remodeling so I got more than $1400 off or I wouldn't have bought it. We love it. The side opening door is perfect for an undercounter installation. We have it mounted in the island. Under the oven is enough room for a regular 6" drawer to keep all its racks and stuff in. This also means that the bottom of the oven is about a foot off of the floor, meaning that you don't have to stoop down so low to work in it like some of the other undercounter ovens that go practically to the floor. This is because of the efficient design of the control panel across the top, which is only about 2" high, unlike many other ovens that have about a 6" control panel. Yet the height inside the oven is greater than in the GE stove it replaced. It is very quiet when the fan is on during convection baking. You only really hear it when you open the door. The oven doesn't have a vent -- it doesn't need one. It is completely sealed. Nothing from inside the oven vents into the room. No grease, no hot air. The oven has a built-in catalytic converter that eliminates internal cooking odors, allowing you to cook multiple dishes without getting cross contamination of flavors. The front glass door is multi-paned and has a fan built into it to pass cool air through it to protect you from the internal heat of the oven. During normal operation it never gets hotter than body temperature. The air from the door exhausts out the bottom edge of the door. This is not air from within the oven. This oven is so well insulated that it keeps its heat for a long, long time when you turn it off. Incredibly energy efficient that way. It also heats up very fast and will tell you exactly what the temperature inside the oven is so there's no guessing. I always loved the design of the oven and we even designed a curve in the island countertop to mimic the curve of the oven door. But after using the thing for a year, I have got to say that it is much more than just good looks. This baby really cooks and looks good doing it. Initially I was reluctant to buy it because of the price, but now I would do it again in a heartbeat. It is just perfect, at least for us. (Our "second" oven is an Advantium220, btw.) We have cooked several turkeys in it and lots of bread, cookies and cakes and never lacked for space. The temp probe really makes it easy to get moist, perfectly done meat. So far we have never felt the need for a larger oven. Good luck :-)

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* Posted by: quixotequest (My Page) on Mon, May 24, 04 at 17:24

Smaller ovens tend to have more even heating, but you have to balance that with the cookware you will be using. Assuming you don't need the height, a wider oven to accommodate your cookware but shorter vertical height is a good compromise. Most of the high-end brands, however, have very well designed circulation systems, so even if you have tall height you can often enjoy very even baking results.

In our former 27" oven, with a 13x18 sheets, the cookware came too close to the sides of the oven, thus inhibiting circulation and performance. Half-sheet pans are so common for us that a 30" has been a much better size.

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* Posted by: cal_kitchen (My Page) on Mon, May 24, 04 at 19:02

We have the 195 double ovens (pre-295 model) and have been extremely happy with them. We used to have a 30" oven, but all of our pans fit in the Gagganeau without any problem. Also, there's no exposed bottom element, which makes up for some of the size difference. BTW we *love* the side opening doors.

If you can get a good deal on the Gagganau, I would do it. For us, it has been a highlight of our kitchen remodel. Good luck with your decision!

Posted: Thu - May 27, 2004 at 04:18 PM      


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