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The question we get asked all time is, “Do I buy a double wall oven or microwave oven combination?” The answer comes down to how you use it, and how much do you really cook.
Holidays are the biggest reason why we have double wall ovens, but holidays don’t come around every day. Most days we don't use the oven, because it takes awhile to preheat, and extra time to cook. The microwave convection oven are smaller capacity, but work more quickly.
Bosch has a microwave wall oven combination and a double wall oven with the same styling. So, we will look at both options, but first let's talk about cooking in your overall kitchen plan.
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Planning Your Kitchen
Cooking appliances are one of the hardest decisions in your kitchen because it has the most variables. It all depends on how you like to cook.
Think about it, ranges can be anywhere from 30"- 60", cooktops are 30", 36" or 48". You have options like gas, induction, and steam cooking, a warming drawer or microwave. Anyhow, you have plenty of options based on your cooking preferences.
For the purposes of this article, we will be doing a straight comparison between two Bosch wall ovens, but you can now place a microwave almost anywhere in your kitchen like under the cabinet or in an island.
Bosch
Bosch is part of the BSH group which includes also Thermador, and Gaggenau. They are one of the most well-known European appliance companies in the world. Bosch appliances are mainly built in Newbern, NC. Bosch's goal is to give the consumer the best value for their quality.
Bosch's new Benchmark will be the premium level of their appliances. The new series will include refrigerators, dishwashers, ranges, and wall ovens. Bosch released “Benchmark” series back in 2014. The Benchmark series is designed to give consumer the feel of affordable luxury. The Benchmark series has sleeker designed, along with flush installation.
Microwave Wall Oven Combo Option – HBLP751UC $4,399
Microwave features:
- 1.6 Cu ft.
- 1750W Broil
- 600W Baking
- Convection mode
- 12 microwave preset modes
Oven features:
- 4.6 cu ft.
- True Euro convection
- HD TFT screen
- Meat Probe
- 3800W Broil
- 2,400W Baking
Let’s start with the power of the microwave. This 1.6 cu ft. is packed with a 1000W of microwave power, along with bake, and broil element at 1750W. This compact microwave combo doesn’t need much pre-heating time.
It has the convection mode to cook evenly so it's a full time oven in a smaller cavity. A 5-6lb chicken can be roasted nicely here. Let’s not forget the standard 12 microwave modes including popcorn.
The lower wall oven has a 4.6 cu ft. capacity. The wall oven is built with a TFT high definition control panel delivers clear text and images. It's very easy to navigate through options.
As the door opens, you will feel the dampened soft hinges. You will be greeted with a true European convection fans with fully extended telescopic rack.
The oven has a Fast Preheat feature which can get to 350 degrees within 7 minutes (bottom rack only cooking). This oven is built to perform on a professional level.
Double Wall Oven Option - HBLP651UC $3,999
Features:
- 4.6 cu ft.
- True Euro convection
- 14 gourmet mode
- Meat Probe
- Soft close door
- Fast preheat mode (7 minutes)
- Full extension telescopic rack
- HD TFT Screen
The oven is much like the the microwave wall oven combo. The best part is you get two ovens at 4.6 cu ft. At this size, any turkey will fit with no problem. The 2nd oven also has a convection feature to handle a different entrée or just finishing up with dessert.
The ovens are packed with the 14 pre-programmed gourmet modes. The meat probe will eliminate most of the guess work out of rare, medium, and well done cooking. The ovens are built with two halogen lights with an extra large window to monitoring cooking process.
Comparision
A family with kids would benefit more with the microwave combination oven. After school lunch can be completed quickly with browning of chicken nuggets or fish sticks. A working professional would benefit also from making small meals quickly.
A downsizing family would save space in smaller kitchen by adding a microwave elsewhere. If you like to host on holidays, and many special events then you will need the double wall ovens. The double wall oven will save time on multitasking. How many times during the holiday we want to do the turkey and also the ham?
Which is Better?
This is a tough call, because the Bosch is a convection microwave, so it can be utilized as a smaller second oven. Most wall oven microwave combinations are straight microwave over a wall oven, but the Bosch has better functionality.
The answer for what might be right for you is how much you use a microwave and how much space you have in your kitchen.
Additional Resources
Looking for the right Wall Oven for your family? Download the Yale Wall Oven Buying Guide with features, specs and detailed profiles of all the major brands. Well over 155,000 people have read a Yale Guide.
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A Note About Pricing
Pricing on this blog is for reference only and may include time sensitive rebates. We make every attempt to provide accurate pricing at time of publishing. Please call the stores for most accurate price.