Wall Oven Buying Guide

Getting Started

When buying a wall oven for you kitchen you must consider several things. Certainly, which oven will provide you with the needs that you have and which oven will best fit into the space available, should be at the top of the consideration list. Are you a family on the go that needs timers and different “on the go” aspects, or do you have a very small family and use would be limited? Is the space you have going to be able to accommodate a large enough oven, or do you need to look at smaller options for your kitchen?

Do you want a minimalist design or is the kitchen the focal point of your house and you want something that will really stand out? Going with gas or electric? Whatever it is that you want or need, it is always a good idea to lay out a plan before you start shopping.

Budget

The most important thing to consider when buying is what budget must you adhere to. Determining the lowest you are willing to spend and the absolute top amount you would spend should give you a good middle ground budget. For a basic single walled oven, they tend to start around $600, trending up to around $1700 for the more deluxe ones with better features. And double walled units can go as high as $3000 or more for the top of the line models.

Type and Size

Determining the type of oven you need is one of the first things you must establish. Do you want single walled or double walled? Will you need it to be self cleaning or is that something that you feel better taking care of yourself? What size will fit into the opening that you already have in your home? Will that size be big, or small enough for your needs or are there any adjustments that need to be made to the area itself? The standard sizes for wall ovens are 24, 27, and 30 inches, with varying sizes by an inch or so either way.

Single Walled: Great for conventional heating with constant temperature for everyday cooking. These will be your more average, lower priced models.

Double Walled: Great if you want the convenience of both conventional and convection heating, which is good for baking. These models will be on the upper portion of the price scale. It allows for cooking at different temperatures in separate compartments.

Oven with built-in microwave: Save space with this type oven that has the quick-heating microwave as part of the appliance. Many of these microwaves allow for convection cooking as well.

Gas: This is how the pros like to make their magic meals. Keep in mind that not all homes are setup to use gas as a power source though. Some communities have gas lines directly running to each home, while more rural areas require a gas tank on the property.

Electric: This is the more common type of wall oven since all homes have electricity available. The ease of use may compensate for not having the precise temp control found in gas ovens.

Location

Usually you don’t have much choice as to where you will place a wall oven in an existing home. The gas or electric hook-up is already in place. You can certainly remodel the kitchen as you see fit, but the easier thing to do is arrange the items around where your oven opening is already.

For instance, you can change the location of pots and pans to make it easier to reach them in relation to the oven space. Also, you may add a rack to hold some cookware above the oven. Some creativity in organizing your kitchen tools will make the predetermined oven space work nicely in most cases.

Cooking Capacity

Most people want to maximize their cooking capacity in order to be most efficient when cooking meals. Yet many people only need small oven space for occasional meals for one or two people living in a smaller home.

The cooking capacity can vary on different models, ranging from just under 3 cubic ft to over 5 cubic ft.

Big families need big ovens. Small tribes may prefer basic sized inside-oven space.

Features

Now, features are a sure-fire way to make that dollar amount go way up. If you can get by with the basic features then you may very well stick to your budget. You can bet that the more features you choose to have, the more the dollar amount will creep up. Ease of use is more important to some buyers though.

Convection Oven: This is for all you home bakers that are serious enough about your baking that you want precise temperatures and professional baking results.

Warming Drawer: These are located under the oven and keep your already prepared foods warm while you continue to prepare more foods. Again, this would be for you home bakers but also useful for larger families that need the oven for several items.

Broiler: This is a direct heat source that quickly heats your food with a direct, or close flame.

Delay Start: Allows you to determine when you want the oven to begin cooking.This feature is great for families on the go.

Timers / Automatic shut off: This allows your food to cook for a specified length of time and when the time is up, the oven shuts off. Great for those nights at the ballfield, so dinner will be ready and waiting when you arrive home.

Automatic meat thermometer: An awesome feature that saves you the trouble of checking and rechecking the internal temperature of the meat you’re preparing.

Lockout feature: Great to know you can safely lock the operation of your oven so little children can’t hurt themselves or damage the home.

Soften / Melt feature: When you just need the perfect melting heat-up for butter or other ingredients.

Self cleaning: It would be great to have this feature for the entire home, but at least you can effortlessly clean your wall oven with the touch of a button. No scrubbing or elbow grease needed.

Storage drawer: We could all use more storage, so ovens with storage space will make room for your overflowing pots and pans. These drawers utilize space under the stove that might otherwise be wasted.

Wi-fi controls: Forgot to check the oven before leaving for work? No problem with some models having the ability to check and control the unit from your smartphone or computer. This feature is super handy in our fast paced, mobile world.

Style

While there are the conventional styles of all ovens, with the enamel color to match the rest of your kitchen in white, black or beige, you may opt for the more high end look of stainless steel. Almost every oven will come in any of these four distinctions. You may also choose to go ultra lavish and get a French Door style wall oven, which houses the doors side by side in more of a commercial style.

Cleaning is something that will always be a concern when it comes to an appliance that prepares food items. Make sure you get the best finish to make exterior cleaning as easy as possible.

Installation

Most retail stores will deliver your new wall oven for you. Some may even offer to hook up the unit so it’s ready to use that same night. Just make sure to have the space ready when the delivery truck arrives. It’s a good idea to have the old oven moved out of the space beforehand, in order to clean the area properly.

Just remember that hooking up an electric stove is a cinch, while gas hook-ups are a bit more technical.

Summary

Wall ovens are as important as any appliance in the home. Food is part of what keeps us going and also a great way for families to get together to enjoy each other’s company. The right oven will make those meals much easier to prepare. Not to mention that your oven choice will help with kitchen clean ups.

There’s no need to rush your search for a new wall oven. It’s much better to get all the appliance info, consider each family member’s needs, and then make the buying decision.