October 29, 2013

Kitchen Idea File #3: Ovens

Kitchen Idea File Ovens

With the holidays coming up I am starting to think about feeding a crowd in our new house. I like to try to make our festive meals from scratch and it is always a bit of a juggling act with only one oven. When I think about my dream kitchen renovation one of the things I want to build in is a double wall oven. I’ve never had a double oven and it seems like it would make cooking for a crowd a million times easier. How great would it be to be able to roast a turkey in one oven while baking all the side dishes in the other?!  Two ovens would also make recipe testing easier. I could make dinner while still working on a new cake recipe. Here is what I am thinking:

I am a firm believer that electric ovens are always the way to go. They hold the heat much more evenly than gas ovens. Plus, they can be positioned nearly anywhere since you don’t need to worry about hooking in gas lines.

Double Wall Ovens(photo via Thermador)

I also think wall ovens make it easier to work with large roasting pans and Dutch ovens. I always struggle pulling my big Creuset out of the oven. It is the ultimate power squat and it aggravates an old back injury which can be uncomfortable. I think this unit below is so pretty. At the proper height I wouldn’t have to torque my back at all.

Viking Double Wall OvenI adore Faith’s renovation as seen below. This is pretty much my ideal kitchen in so many ways. Too bad she doesn’t live closer. I would invite myself over to cook every single day!

Double Wall oven(photo via The Kitchn and Faith Durand)

Sometimes I look at double ovens side by side like the ones below and wonder if they aren’t a more efficient use of space. But, they are topped with an 8-burner range. That many burners would be overkill for me. In my mind 6 burners is ideal. I still think a double wall oven is perfect. Then I would build storage for pots and pans beneath my stovetop. (Side note: I adore these wooden floors!!)

Double Oven(photo via House Beautiful via Flickr)

The next question is what brand to choose. There are so many good ones out there. Do you have any particular oven makes/models you prefer? Do you have a wall oven and do you like it? Talk to me!

p.s.: We’ve already covered countertops!

4 Responses to “Kitchen Idea File #3: Ovens”

  1. spabettie says:

    we are in the middle of a kitchen remodel, I just removed my wall ovens (only used one, even on holidays) and am installing six burner dual fuel range in island (replacing cooktop). I gave myself a year in this house before remodeling (glad I did, changed my mind several times!), so I hope that is enough time and I will not miss a dual oven.

  2. […] 6) Swooning over GE Appliances: The floor of the actual bake-off is lined with rows and rows of GE ovens. As you can see below, there were 4 rows of 25 ovens preheated to 350 degrees F with a drawer set and countertop for each contestant. GE has been a longtime sponsor of the bake-off and I understand why. Their appliances are beautiful and reliable. I have to say, I have never seen so many ovens in one room! Prior to the event we heard about the new line of GE appliances and how they are constantly evolving to fit the needs of the marketplace. Right in front of the stage they set a beautiful pair of electric double ovens. I’ll definitely be researching those for our upcoming renovation! […]

  3. Barbara | Creative Culinary says:

    I’m hoping to move into a new home in the next two weeks; I was able to make some choices but it’s a builder home so they were limited. The kitchen in my model comes with a standard electric range and oven. I had the option of changing that range to a cooktop with gas or electric and putting in two wall ovens. My issue was I hated losing that counter-top space so I instead opted to upgrade to a gas range with a double oven. They’re pretty new on the market and yes, it will mean bending down to get some things out of the oven but I anticipate my need for both will be minimal on a real regular basis.

    My kids are grown and I grill more than I cook in the oven so I’m excited about this option. The top section is the smaller of the two and will allow me to get rid of a countertop oven I used if baking something small for myself and the bottom one is convection which I love. There is a fair amount of space; accomplished primarily because they totally ditched that bottom drawer that is used for storage in this configuration. It’s probably not your cup of tea but I’m excited about the versatility without losing counter-tops or cabinets! Between this and picking out a new fridge last week I know how daunting it can be. SO many choices! Can’t wait to see what you do.