When I first saw a wall oven design at my cousin’s house warming party, I resolved to have the plan in my kitchen. Her new kitchen looked stylish, modern, and well organized.
As I came to learn, the wall oven is also known as a built-in oven design. The oven fits perfectly in the wall space or cabinetry. It is not like the free-standing ovens or the cooktop ones that are flexible and consume lots of kitchen space. The cooking gadget fits snuggly in wall openings giving the room a classy touch.
Other similar arrangements include wall microwaves, conventional ovens that give you a degree of flexibility that matches your kitchen layout, flashes with your countertop, and allows you sufficient space to prepare your ingredients. Every part of the oven is within reach, and you do not need to bend, squat, or stand on a step while cooking.
But these wall ovens come with pros and cons. Here’s what I found out
Pros Of Wall Ovens
- No Bending Or Squatting
A wall oven is at eye level. You do not have to pull stems or bend when cooking. Pulling your bakes out of the range is effortless compared to over-the-range and cooktop ovens.
2. Great Aesthetics
Do you love flashy designs? A wall oven pulls that look for you. Your designer will install the appliance in a cabinet or wall opening and make it match with your cabinetry, microwave, refrigerator, and other fixtures in your kitchen. The wall oven fitting adds beauty to the already existing design.
3. No Support Required
Because they fit into cabinetry, the wall ovens don’t need structural support. However, the installations may cost you a tooth.
4. Extra Cooking Capacity
The double one features a pair of identical ovens. Even a free-standing 48” unit cannot offer you this capacity. So, if you are on a super budget, drop down a free-standing range and get the wall oven.
5. Maximal Flexibility
In terms of placement of the appliance, a wall oven is more flexible than a free-standing unit. It helps you avoid overcrowding, which takes us to the next benefit.
6. Space Saver
Unlike the cooktop stoves, wall ovens do not consume the workspace. If you have several kitchen appliances, an air fryer, juicer, blender, and other utensils, consider a wall oven so that you can create space for other engagements.
Fix a wall oven to avoid overcrowding, especially when guests are around. And you will be surprised that an extra person can join and help you prepare food without space limitations.
7. Allows You To Get Multiple Ovens
I already said that you could pull in a pair of identical ovens as a wall unit. More good news is that you can add even three, according to your desire. That means you can maximize your wall space or pair your unit with another appliance like your microwave.
Cons Of Wall Ovens
1. Costly Installations
A lean budget will not be friendly with wall oven installations. You require enough fixtures to give your oven a proper structure. Other than the fixtures, you need the services of a qualified designer and electrician. If it is a renovation project, like the one I carried out in my kitchen, the installation cost will go high.
2. Permanent Fixtures
The fact that a wall oven is a permanent fixture is something I did not figure out before engaging my designer. My wall oven will be there to stay.
In case of repairs and whatnot, I will have to engage an expert or go through tedious DIY processes trying to remove the installations to fix a single part. A free-standing oven unit requires a plug-out, and you are good to check or replace the parts.
3. Heights
If you are short or have shorter family members, using a wall oven is not fun. It is a concern if your height, especially the higher range.
The lower one can be readily accessible, but reaching the cooking racks and hot broiler tray will give you trouble. Just go for a cooktop oven if your family members are short. That will keep you and your loved ones from the likelihood of burns.
4. Consume Vertical Space
A wall oven will take up more vertical space and often requires cabinetry. You could utilize that space as storage for other appliances and utensils. If you still count on vertical space, a free-standing oven will serve you better.
5. No Cooktop
I had to sacrifice the benefits of a cooktop when I installed my wall oven. You will enjoy the benefits of a cooktop when you install this model; however, I got a quick solution for you. Get a separate countertop installation.
6. Wall Oven Installations Require Professional Touch
Installing a wall oven will require a professional contractor to reconfigure your cabinetry if the space for a wall oven does not exist. You should plan for extra costs before desiring a wall oven installation.
7. Baking And Broiling Challenges
Have you ever heard of baking blues? I love broiling and baking, but my experience with wall oven is finger-biting as I always have trouble cooking bulky and oversized meals.
An example is a turkey broiler. This one requires expansive space and multiple interior oven trays to cook flawlessly. And the same case to giant platters, big casseroles, and oversize cookie sheets. A solution would be getting a second oven which might be impractical because of limited space and expensive makeovers.
8. Undesirable Layouts
Wall oven doors open at chest level and into your kitchen’s center. That limits space, especially if yours is a narrow or small kitchen. The layout becomes undesirable as it often creates mobility hazards. A free-standing model will fit at a corner area or along a back wall and not block traffic in your kitchen.
At A Glance! The Top 4 Best wall ovens
Conclusion
Deciding on wall oven design requires a calculated move. One of the rarest kitchen installations comes with benefits that do not outweigh the cons, and neither do the cons outweigh the benefits. The oven gives your kitchen a stylish look, space-saving, maximal flexibility, and more benefits.
On the flip, there are cons, including an undesirable layout that poses a danger to your folks. You don’t get to enjoy vertical space, and you experience baking challenges, especially when using large utensils.
Before you rule out that the pros or cons win, check out your kitchen space, layout, cooking style, installations, and your budgets.