Best Wall Ovens

Top-rated single and double wall ovens

These days, most wall ovens have a sleek look that's popular in home design magazines, and the Wolf SO30FS (*Est. $3,850) is no exception. This stainless steel 30-inch wall oven (also available in a platinum finish) is loaded with high-end features, most notably the dual convection system, which utilizes four elements and two fans to circulate hot air within the oven. Convection cooking uses a fan mounted inside the oven to circulate the hot air within the oven. Experts say this makes for both faster and better roasting and baking. Meat is more evenly colored and large batches of cookies brown more evenly. For other cooking chores, reviews say convection cooking has little benefit, and it does add significantly to cost. Still, if you'd like to speed up your roasting times a bit (but not as much as a speed cooker), a wall oven equipped with a convection mode may appeal to you. Owners posting to GardenWeb's appliance forums seem to like them a lot.

The Wolf wall oven's other features include 10 cooking modes, a hydraulic door (which lowers slowly on its own), halogen interior lights, a self-cleaning function, a rotating glass touch control panel (that can tuck away for a sleeker look), a temperature probe, three removable racks and a large triple-pane glass window. In a test of five high-end wall ovens published in SmartMoney magazine, the Wolf outperformed similarly priced wall ovens from Miele, Thermador, Gaggenau, and GE's high-end Monogram line. Luxury oven enthusiasts on GardenWeb's appliance forums say Wolf ovens offer exceptional performance and reliability, although they were not included in reliability surveys performed by Consumer Reports or J.D. Power and Associates. Wolf's L series ovens (which include the Wolf SO30F/S) are also available in a double oven version (the Wolf DO30F/S) and as a single 36-inch oven (the unframed Wolf SO36U/S).

The Electrolux Icon E30EW75GSS (*Est. $2,000) costs about half as much as the Wolf wall oven and offers a stylish look, but it lacks the truly noteworthy luxury touches found on the Wolf oven (the hydraulic door and two-fan convection). This stainless steel single wall oven has a number of extras nonetheless, including a single-fan convection mode. Experts say it doesn't deliver the same results as Wolf's dual fan system, but it's still a useful feature. The Electrolux Icon's other features include a self-cleaning function, electronic touchpad controls with LED display, three smooth-rolling oven racks, a child lock and a porcelain-covered lower element for easy cleanup after spills.

We were unable to find professional testing of this Electrolux Icon oven, but the previous version, the Electrolux Icon E30EW75ESS, performed well in expert baking and broiling tests. Overall, the Electrolux Icon wall oven's cooking ability doesn't appear to be too distinguished from cheaper wall ovens'. Of course, with the higher price tag you're also getting the brand name, appearance and luxury image. The double-oven version of this model is the Electrolux Icon E30EW85GSS (*Est. $3,300). Unfortunately, Electrolux wall ovens aren't included in the large owner surveys at J.D. Power or Consumer Reports, so we don't yet have a clear idea of this brand's overall reliability. However, Electrolux also makes appliances under the Frigidaire brand, and Frigidaire wall ovens do have a good reputation for reliability.

Sears offers several wall ovens under the Kenmore name, some of which are manufactured by GE and Frigidaire. The 30-inch stainless steel Kenmore Pro 41003 (*Est. $2,000) performs well in one professional review and receives a Consumer Guide Best Buy award. It has a 4.2-cubic-foot interior capacity, self-cleaning system, hidden bake element, variable speed convection feature and ceramic-coated element. We didn't include this model among the ConsumerSearch Best Reviewed, however, because of several complaints from owners that the oven displays an error code and stops working entirely after the first time the self-cleaning feature is used. It's hard to say how widespread this problem is, but most of the owner comments we saw about this model at Sears.com and GardenWeb's appliance forums described the exact same problem.

The Frigidaire GLEB30S9FS (*Est. $1,200) provides many of the same key features as the Electrolux Icon, and it rated almost as well in testing. But the differences are obvious -- the Electrolux model just looks sleeker than the Frigidaire wall oven -- but the Frigidaire costs much less and there is no stainless steel option (it comes in white, black or bisque). The Frigidaire wall oven features convection baking and broiling. There are three oven racks and two different self-clean settings (for speed or maximum cleaning). It also features electronic touch controls. The double-oven version of the Frigidaire is the GLEB30T9FS (*Est. $1,925). It has two full-sized ovens and the same features as the GLEB30S9FS. Both top and bottom ovens have a convection fan. Although we didn't find any professional reviews of double ovens, there are a couple of positive owner comments on this model at Buzzillions and Epinions.

The Maytag MEW6530DDW (*Est. $1,200) is a 30-inch single convection oven that gets good marks in testing -- baking and broiling nearly as well as the Electrolux Icon. This model is self-cleaning, with adjustable cleaning levels for the different types of food buildup. Features include electronic controls, three racks (including a half-rack), four rack positions, an electronic timer and dual controls that keep oven temperature consistent. Compared with the Electrolux Icon, the Maytag just doesn't have that high-end commercial look. While the Electrolux Icon has a discreet, almost-invisible control panel, the Maytag has more obvious touchpad controls. The oven window on the Maytag is quite a bit smaller as well. The Electrolux comes only in stainless steel, while the Maytag comes in black and white. With a stainless finish, the Maytag MEW6530DDS (*Est. $1,500) costs about $300 more. The double-oven version is the Maytag MEW6630DDW (*Est. $1,950), with an upper convection oven and lower standard oven. The Maytag MEW5530DDW (*Est. $800) is similar to the MEW6530 but it does not have the convection feature. Consumer Guide names it a budget buy. One advantage to Maytag is its far-better repair history compared with Thermador, Dacor and Jenn-Air wall ovens.

The GE JTP70SMSS (*Est. $1,550) is a single 30-inch wall oven with unusual modern-meets-retro styling. It includes a compact convection feature, glass touch controls and a large 4.4-cubic-foot interior capacity. In one professional review, this oven performed well in baking and broiling tests. There isn't much user feedback for this wall oven, although it is highly rated in a few reviews at Buzzillions. The GE wall oven is available in black, white, bisque and stainless steel (for an additional $250).

GE wall ovens get good reliability ratings from one major consumer product testing organization. However, in the 2008 appliance satisfaction survey of nearly 15,000 respondents at J.D. Power and Associates, GE built-in cooktops and wall ovens slipped from first place to second-to-last place, with GE Profile falling from third to last place. The 2007 and 2008 surveys are not completely comparable, however. Five brands were included in the 2007 survey, while 13 are included in the 2008 survey.

If you're not stuck on having a convection oven, you can save quite a bit of money without losing other convenience features. The 30-inch Frigidaire FEB30S5DS (*Est. $775) features a 4.2-cubic-foot capacity, a dual-radiant element system for improved browning and even heat distribution, a large glass viewing window, a child lock, a self-cleaning feature and electronic touch controls. This model received a Consumer Guide Budget Buy award, and it has good reviews at owner review sites. The 24-inch gas-powered version of this oven, the Frigidaire FGB24L2ECS (*Est. $600), is the top-rated oven at Buzzillions with 10 glowing owner reviews. Both versions are available in white, black and stainless steel (for an additional $200).

Smaller wall ovens are available in 27-inch and 24-inch widths. These might be large enough to serve as your only oven, but they might be nice as a supplement to a range. One smaller model is the 24-inch Whirlpool RBS245PRQ (*Est. $900), which features a 3.3-cubic-foot capacity. Features are pretty standard, with a self-cleaning feature, a child lock, electronic touch controls and a broil function. There are no major reviews or ratings of this model, but 10 owners at Sears give this wall oven above-average ratings. Most are happy with it, but two owners say that it blew a fuse when they tried to use the self-cleaning feature. It comes in black, white and bisque, or you can spend more to get the stainless steel version (*est. $1,100).

Kenmore has a 27-inch budget wall oven that gets great owner reviews at Sears.com. The 3.5-cubic-foot Kenmore 47782 (*Est. $850) has a large window, a self-cleaning feature, porcelain-coated oven racks, and electronic touch controls. It's available in white, bisque, black and stainless steel (for an additional $100). There's no convection feature or 30-inch version of this particular model.

Steam ovens

Professional chefs have used steam ovens for years to produce moist, tender meat and crusty bread with a soft inside. Home steam ovens are just starting to appear on the market. This new kitchen appliance claims to cook food more healthfully. These ovens use a combination of steam and traditional radiant heating to penetrate deep into food, melting the internal fats while leaving the food moist. Consumer Reports tested three steam ovens. Editors say that claims about steam ovens cooking healthier food are unfounded. Steam ovens are also smaller than regular ovens. Some are countertop models about the size of a microwave, and others are wall ovens.

The Miele Navitronic DG4080 (*Est. $2,500) is a convection steam wall oven that has an interactive menu system. This wall oven is only 24 inches wide, and because part of the interior is occupied by the water reservoir, interior capacity is only about the size of a large microwave. Sharp's new steam oven, the Sharp AX-1200 Superheated Steam Oven (*Est. $850), combines steam, convection and microwave heating, and it can be used on a countertop or built into a 30-inch wide cabinet. In tests, no steam oven produced food that was better tasting or healthier than food cooked in a conventional oven.