Cooking is an important part of forming relationships and creating memories. That explains the importance of ovens in our life. A new oven not only introduces adventure into your cooking, it encourages you to learn new techniques and cooking styles. This is why finding an oven that cooks evenly and efficiently must be important to you. There are many different styles and types of ovens befitting your own unique taste, wall ovens are one of them. However, even with wall ovens there are so many different things that you need to consider such as style, size, and features. This guide will help you to figure out what wall oven is most suited for your needs.
Wall ovens – Overview
Wall ovens offer an aesthetically pleasing and space saving alternative, for people who have more compact kitchens, it allows them to purchase a good quality oven without having to worry about the size of their kitchen. Such ovens look cleaner and slicker than normal ovens. Their ability to be placed almost anywhere is a benefit that gives you flexibility in the design of your kitchen.
Usually, a wall oven is an oven that doesn’t include a stove, and therefore you will need to buy a stove separately. You should also note that they can be complicated to install if you have never owned one before. Wall ovens are versatile in the sense that they come as gas, electric, or convection ovens. You can also choose sizes from single ovens, double ovens, some may even have a built in microwave.
Advantages of Wall Ovens
- Wall ovens are easily accessible and do not require any sort of bending or kneeling to access. The height of the oven is one of the most attractive features as it prevents you having to bend down to pick up hot, and sometimes heavy, foods.
- They provide such ease of access that every age group finds it quite convenient to cook with wall ovens.
- The style of wall ovens is more hidden. If you want your oven to be more subtle then a wall oven is perfect. Also, it blends in with your kitchen cabinets and decor.
- A wall oven is meant for a more streamlined look, it in turn makes your separate stove top also look more sleek and elegant.
- Having a wall oven allows more cooking space and less mess.
Disadvantages of Wall Ovens
Along with plenty of advantages, wall ovens have some disadvantages too. In case you don’t know, you must read them below:
- You might need to remodel your kitchen in case you have never owned a wall oven before.
- They need to be installed by the professionals
- They are expensive since stove and cooktop needs to be purchased separately
Types of Wall Ovens
Gas
Gas wall ovens are money saving in the long run in comparison to electricity. Although, they do tend to be more expensive to begin with, they may save bills over the years. You should also take into account whether you already have a gas supply or not. Separate gas installation can also add to the higher price. A lot of people avoid gas ovens due to the possibility of a gas leak. Overall, gas ovens are the best choice as they provide a more accurate temperature control with a faster heat up rate.
Electric
Most wall ovens are electric as their setup is less complicated than gas ovens. Electricity tends to be more expensive than gas; still people prefer them because of the convenience. Electric ovens are also known for providing a more even temperature within the oven. The upfront cost of electric ovens is generally less than gas ovens, they are also less complicated to install due to not having to install a gas supply. Gas ovens maybe faster at cooking food than electric ovens due to the more precise temperature control and faster heat up rate, electric wall ovens wins at the simplicity and convenience.
Convection
Convection ovens have a built in fan that helps to cook your food in an even shorter time, they also require a lower temperature to cook food, thus saving money/energy. These ovens are a safe bet, although they do often cost more. Both gas and electric ovens come with a convection mode.
Related Article: Best Microwave Ovens With Convection
Size
Electric and gas ovens often differ in size. Electric ovens tend to be larger, averaging at around 27-30 inches. Gas ovens are musty around 24 inches or smaller. Although you can get larger gas and electric ovens if you are willing to spend more money as larger sizes of gas ovens are pricey. Additionally, wall ovens come as single door, double door, and triple door as well.
- Single oven – A single wall oven is one that only has one unit and therefore one oven. Single ovens can be installed underneath a counter or worktop. They also have the option to add a warming drawer at an increased cost.
- Double oven – Double ovens have one unit with two ovens. Double ovens are often capable of using convection features. They are normally too big to be installed underneath a counter/worktop. Double ovens also allow two people to cook at the same time, or two dishes to cook at the same time. This will save the cooking time period.
- Microwave combo wall oven – These are similar to double ovens, the difference being that the top oven is replaced with a microwave oven instead.
- Triple wall oven – A triple wall oven features a single oven, a microwave oven, and a warming drawer. You can create a triple wall oven by buying one unit, or you can buy separate units and place them on top of each other.
Style
Most people will stick with the popular stainless steel finish; however there are many color options and door styles.
A stainless steel finish provides a modern look, but if that’s not to your taste, then you can find colors and styles that look less advanced and more vintage.
Popular colors include; stainless steel, black stainless steel, white, black, and many others.
The style of doors also vary, the most costly are ‘French doors’. The doors open to the side rather than down the front, allowing for safer and easier access to the oven. They do come at an extra cost and are most commonly seen on more high-end ovens.
Features/Settings/Controls to consider:
There are many different features to consider when purchasing an oven. Your decisions will depend on aesthetic, your cooking preferences, the size needed, cost, and your preferred maintenance. Here are some features to look for:
- Self-cleaning – Self-cleaning ovens cleans away any substances in the oven without needing to scrub the oven with oven cleaners. This is a handy feature, although some may not list this as a priority.
- Infrared grill system – An infrared grill system cooks food more quickly than grills that are not infrared.
- Gliding rack – Gliding racks are simply racks that slide out of the oven. These simplify cooking by allowing you to make more, or less, room in your oven depending on your needs. Gliding racks being removable also makes it easy to remove your food from the oven.
- Convection mode – A convection oven allows you to cook food more evenly and quickly by circulating the air more evenly and monitoring the temperature more accurately.
- Temperature probe – This feature monitors the temperature within the oven, it is also possible to get some that let you set your preferred temperature, and once it reaches that temperature it will let you know.
- Electronic temperature – Electronic temperature allows you to control the temperature of your oven on a digital display, allowing for a more accurate and even cooking temperature.
- Proof mode – This setting is great for if you bake bread, you can use it with bake and broil features in order to keep the temperature at a gentle heat.
- Steam oven – A steam oven adds steam into the oven when your food needs it, replacing the need for oil.
- Speed oven – A speed oven is simply what it says in the name. It is fast like a microwave although it uses the same features as a conventional oven.
- Digital display – A digital touch display allows you to control you oven easily and quickly without messing around with buttons. The digital display also adds to the modern look of most wall ovens.
- WI-FI – Some ovens even have WI-FI which means that you can connect your oven to your phone or other smart device and you can preheat or monitor your oven from elsewhere. You can also set alerts so that you remember when you put food in and when it needs to come out. You can even change the temperature all from your own smart device.
Installation Process for Wall Ovens
Installation for wall ovens range from around $150 to $300, if you have an already existing wall oven then you will likely pay the lower end of that price. Keep in mind that gas ovens may also need gas installation at an additional cost. You may also be paying for cabinetry, and this will be an expensive added cost. All of this must be done before you install your wall oven.
As mentioned before, installation of electric ovens tends to be less complicated than gas ovens. However, there are chances that wall ovens require hard wiring or direct wiring during the installation process. Therefore installation of your wall oven is best done by recruiting a professional.
Reliability & Timespan
Under counter ovens and wall ovens both share the same lifespan of around 13 years. Therefore the reliability is not an issue. You should however, consider that wall ovens are more difficult to access for repairs and may cost extra to maintain them.
Top 7 Ranked Wall Ovens For Your Kitchen
1. Frigidaire Stainless Steel Electric Wall Oven With Convection
The Frigidaire electric combo oven is a good option if you’re looking for a microwave and an oven. A combination oven provides elegance with both appliances, making them suit their environment better than two separate appliances would. The 27” microwave is bigger than most worktop microwaves and therefore caters for larger meals.
There is also a quick preheat feature that heats the oven up to your desired temperature faster than a normal preheat would. This feature is helpful when your schedule is hectic, or just for last minute cooking. Although, it is also just a benefit in general as waiting for the oven to heat up is an annoyance we have all faced. In addition to quick preheat button, there is also a delay start option that lets you preset the time that your oven will heat up in time for cooking. The oven comes with elegant stainless steel finish, as most wall ovens are now a days, the stainless steel provides an elegant and modern look while also being easy to clean and smudge-proof.
There is self-cleaning capabilities, one of the key features is the 2 hour quick clean mode that will quickly heat your oven up, removing and food remains from the trays and interior, allowing you to then wipe the inside clean. The buttons on the oven offer one touch, meaning that you can press one button to cook certain foods such as pizza, and you can also add one minute to the oven timer with one touch as well. For safety, the oven has an ‘auto-oven shut off’ that automatically switches the oven off after 6 hours.
The convection fan featured in the oven provides consistency by spreading the air evenly throughout the oven. This is particularly helpful when baking. The oven also provides bake, broil, convect, and warm modes. The bake mode allows you to simply press the bake button if you are baking and then set your desired temperature with the number buttons. The broil button allows you to activate the overhead heating to cook food quickly. It will brown the top of your food and leave the bottom, similar to grilling on a bbq. The warm mode is for keeping your food at serving temperature. It will simply warm up your oven and keep your food warm. It is recommended to press the warm button just before your food is finished cooking so that the oven has time to cool down to warm temperature rather than hot.
Pros:
- Relatively big at 27”
- A glass window to take a peek through
- Has a convection fan
- Has self-cleaning
2. Gasland 24” Single Wall Convection Oven
This Gasland oven is a single wall oven that features a 24” electric, convection oven. The oven comes in two colors, either stainless steel or black. The stainless steel provides a more modern look, whereas the black is more traditional. Your color preference will be down to what color and style your kitchen is. The convection fan provides an even heat within the oven by blowing the hot air around rather than heating up one section of the oven, therefore blowing the air around evenly and cooking your food faster.
The rotisserie feature allows you to roast food on an automatic spit that will turn slowly in the oven while heated up using the grill at the top of the oven. The fan can be used to distribute the air more effectively and thus reduce the cooking time. The conventional mode is the traditional way of cooking, it heats up the top and bottom elements of the oven, heating your food centrally. This can also be used in combination with the fan for even faster and evenly cooked food.
The grill with a fan mode allows you to cook your food more quickly while also browning it with the grill, the fan works to spread hot air around the oven distributing the heat more evenly and therefore taking less time to grill food. However, you can also cook with the grill by itself, although it will take slightly longer. The defrosting option defrosts food more quickly by simply using the fan in the oven. The fan blows air evenly around the oven and helps to speed up the defrosting process.
The oven even has a pizza mode that heats up the bottom of the oven ensuring a crispy pizza base, in collaboration with the fan that blows hot air around the oven, melting the cheese on top. The 3D cooking element uses the fan to blow an even temperature on all shelf levels while preventing the flavor of foods effecting each other. This is helpful for when you are cooking dinner and dessert at the same time. The easy knob control makes controlling your oven effortless and also simple looking by sticking to a more traditional style without the complications of any digital technology. The oven also caters for five shelves which is helpful for when you have a lot of guests.
Pros:
- Comes in two colors; stainless steel or black
- Has a glass window so you can see the food through it
- Has a convection fan
Cons:
- It is a smaller oven at 24”
- Does not have self-cleaning
3. GE Combination Wall Oven With Microwave
The GE electric combination wall oven and microwave provides a sleek design and allows you to get your microwave off your worktop, therefore providing more free space. The design of the oven is modern looking and features dials and buttons as controls. The stainless steel color further ensures a modern and elegant look for your kitchen. The buttons for the lower oven are; light, bake, broil, warm, and self-clean. The light option simply switches on the light in the oven so that you can check on your food through the glass window.
The bake option lets you press the button and then enter a temperature for straight-forward baking. The broil button is the same as grilling, it allows you to cook food using the overhead grill. This is good for toasting or browning food and it cooks fairly quickly. The warm button is there to keep your food at serving temperature, although it is also good for heating up foods. The self-cleaning feature heats up the oven and burns off any crumbs or substances within your oven so that you can wipe the interior and racks clean with ease.
The size of the oven is not clear, although it seems to be around 27” and the lower oven has space for 6 racks. There is also a delay start feature that provides you with the ability to set your oven a time to switch on and heat up. This will help around dinner for when you can’t be bothered waiting for your oven to reach the right temperature. It will also be useful if you wish to cook something when you are coming home from work etc. The oven also has a safety control lock feature, preventing access to children.
Pros:
- Great at browning & toasting
- Relatively big at 27”
- Has self-cleaning
Cons:
- Does not have a convection fan
4. Empava 24” Single Wall Oven
The Empava electric single wall oven is a simple but elegant and modern design with only three dials and a stainless steel color. The simple knob control is efficient and easy to use, especially for people who do not do well with more advance technology such as touch screens and buttons. The 24” oven has space for five racks and is perfect for family use, it even has an easy clean surface. The oven contains features such as roast, bake, pizza, broil, keep warm, and timer. The roast option uses the overhead grill in combination with the lower heating in order to brown your food. The overhead grill is set at a higher temperature than the heat coming from below in order to keep your food moist while browning it.
The bake option lets you simply set it to bake and then set the desired temperature for your straight-forward baking. The pizza feature simply heats up the base of the oven, this is perfect for crisping the base of a pizza while slowly heating the rest of it. The broil option is simply grilling. It lets you brown or toast foods by cooking them using the overhead grill. This is a relatively fast way of cooking food and it can provide great results depending on what you are cooking. The keep warm dial allows you to keep food at serving temperature, it is also useful for heating up some foods such as naan. The oven timer is a useful tool that lets you manage your cooking in a simple way by letting you monitor your meals more efficiently.
Pros:
- Simple knob control
- Elegant and modern design
- Pizza feature is very useful
Cons:
- Has dials instead of buttons or digital
- Smaller at 24”
- Does not have self-cleaning
5. Empava Electric Double Wall Oven
The Empava double electric wall oven is stainless steel with a sleek and modern look. There are five rack positions and so you can cook many things at once. The two ovens are helpful for cooking multiple meals and dishes at the same time. The ovens also feature different modes. The upper oven has bake, broil, convection, and proof modes. The lower oven has bake, broil, and warm. They both offer self cleaning as well, this heats the oven up and burns any residue off so that you can wipe the interior clean easily.
The bake option allows for straight-forward baking where you simply set the temperature and you’re good to go. Broil is another word for grill, this browns or crisps your food using the overhead heating element and can be used to cook food relatively fast. The convection fan in the upper oven blows hot air around the oven, cooking your food more evenly and effectively by reducing the cook time. The proof mode is used for preparing/rising dough for baking by activating the yeast inside.
The warming mode is useful for keeping your food at serving temperature and can also be used for heating up foods such as naan or bread. Delay start is also a feature on this oven, it is beneficial to those who work and come home around dinner time with not patience for waiting on your oven to heat up. The easy use touch control buttons are simple in style and use while providing a modern look to the oven.
Pros:
- Large at 30”
- Self-cleaning mode
- Easy use button control
- Has a convection fan
6. Bosch Single Electric Oven
The Bosch single electric oven is a modern looking oven with a stainless steel color. The oven features 12 modes and more features, some of which include bake, broil, roast, warm, self clean, fast preheat, delay start, and panel lock. The bake mode allows you to simply set the temperature of the oven for straight-forward baking.
The broil option is another word for grill. The grill browns and crisps your food relatively quickly, the convection fan can be used in collaboration with this mode in order to more quickly and evenly cook your food. The roast button uses the upper and lower heating elements in the oven, more so the upper element, in order to brown the food while keeping it moist.
The ‘warm’ button lets you keep your food at serving temperature, or heat up foods such as bread. Self-clean is a handy feature of this oven, it heats up the inner oven and burns off any residue inside, allowing for you to then wipe the inside clean. Fast preheat is simply used in order to heat the oven up more quickly. Delay start can be used in order to have the oven heat up at a certain time, so that the oven is ready for you getting home. You may even leave your food in the oven so that it starts cooking in time for you getting home. The panel lock safety features prevents unwanted use of the oven, it is child proof and also prevents any accidental turning on of the oven or button pressing. The oven is 27” and is therefore a reasonably sized appliance.
Pros:
- Easy use button control
- Relatively large at 27”
- Has self-cleaning
- Has a convection fan
7. Café Single Wall Oven With French Door
The Cafe single wall oven is perfect for those who are looking for a more unique style. The french door front is elegant and traditional looking while also having the modern look with the stainless steel and glass windows. The oven has features such as broil, roast, bake, delay start, proof, warm, and self clean. The broil feature is simply grilling by using the upper heating element to brown or crisp food. The roast option uses both the upper and lower heating elements within the oven in order to crisp and brown your food while keeping it moist inside.
The bake feature is for straight-forward baking and requires you to simply set the temperature. Delay start is useful for if you want your oven to preheat for you arriving home so that you do not need to wait on your oven heating up. Proofing allows you to prepare the dough when baking bread, it does this by activating the yeast inside the dough. The warm option simply keeps your food at serving temperature, although it can also be used to heat up foods such as naan bread. Self-cleaning is a handy oven feature that heats up the oven, burning any leftover residue within the oven so that you can then wipe the interior clean. The convection fan can also be used with some of these features.
A bonus of this oven is that it can work alongside Alexa and Google assist through Wi-Fi. The oven is also large, spanning 30”. This may be a pro or a con depending on what you are looking for.
Pros:
- Has glass windows so you can see the food through it
- Works with Wi-Fi alongside Google assist and Alexa
- Has an elegant french door style
- Large at 30”
- Self-cleaning feature
- A convection fan
Cons:
- The dial and button control along with the Google assist and Alexa may be complicated to some
Conclusion
The Cafe single wall oven, the Bosch single wall oven, and the Empava wall oven are standouts. They seem to cater for the most variety, providing the most features and the least cons. If you are looking for a new oven, then look no further.
Also Read: Best Meat Slicers