double oven – size vs ease of cleaning

[2under2s]

Hi,
We need a new built under double oven to replace the old whirlpool that came with the house. Top on my criteria is big oven capacity and ease of cleaning, especially from the fat splatter from grilling and roasting. Ideally, it will have the capacity of 35ltr/63ltr top/bottom oven respectively with catalytic liners on all surfaces sides, back and roof but alas, the ideal does not exist. I have narrowed it down to Smeg and Neff but happy to consider others (Siemens/Bosch etc) if anybody has alternative suggestion. From what I have researched, Smeg DUSC36X has the biggest built under cavity of 35ltr/63ltr for top and bottom cavity respectively. But it has catalytic liners only on the side and back of the main oven, the rest of the inner surfaces (ie roof of main oven, sides, back and roof of auxiliary oven) are enamel. It does have a roof liner for the auxiliary oven which is removable for ease of cleaning. What I don’t get is that they don’t have a similar for the main oven where there is an exposed grill element which is not removable. I rang Smeg up just to make sure I wasn’t missing anything, they agreed that cleaning the roof of the main oven will be difficult and advised that I use a brush to get in between the grill element. Not something I am looking forward to do. So I look again and found Neff U17M42NSGB. It’s a compromise because the main oven is smaller (56 lites) and the catalytic linings are only on the back and roof for main and auxiliary oven. Any suggestions or comments between the Smeg and the Neff, or indeed alternative maker/models would be greatly appreciated.

I read your guide on ovens, so are large cavity oven (ie Smeg DUSC36X) not that great because they have likely compromised on insulation? What is a reasonable oven capacity without compromising insulation? There is nothing in your guide on oven cleaning (pyrolytic or catalytic etc), is catalytic lining overrated? I have also read that pryrolytic self-cleaning program can be harmful to your oven (not to mention fire harzard) due to the high temperature the program runs on. Any comments or advice on cleaning?

PS: I tried googling ‘do not buy Smeg’ and ‘do not buy Neff’ to help unveil nasties if there are any. Both makers had people writing reviews and comments about appalling customer service and experiences when their appliances do go wrong. Is it cautionary when people uses words like ‘stay away’, ‘you have been warned’ or is it just bad luck? :rolls:

[Martin]

Re: double oven – size vs ease of cleaning

If you are in the habit of fat splatting cooking then why not go the whole hog [roast] and buy a self-clean double oven? 💡

Catalytic liners have their limitations and need replacing often to maximise their effectiveness. Fry-ups in the grill and roast spuds in the oven, blue smoke setting off the smoke alarm even few minutes will soon put paid to any catalytic lined oven. 😉

[2under2s]

Re: double oven – size vs ease of cleaning

I haven’t been able to find a pyrolytic built under double oven.

[Martin]

Re: double oven – size vs ease of cleaning

2under2s wrote:I haven’t been able to find a pyrolytic built under double oven.

Google is your friend, and mine, Here’s just one example Google cooked up earlier 😀

[2under2s]

Re: double oven – size vs ease of cleaning

Self cleaning in ovens falls into 2 category – catalytic and pyrolytic. The former is a grease absorbing lining, the latter is a program setting in the oven which basically runs the oven at high temperature for a few hours leaving you to only sweep the burnt ashes afterwards.

I have not been able to find a BUILT UNDER double oven that has pyrolytic self cleaning program.

Thanks for your responses Martin, but the link your provided specifically said that the Bosch oven has catalytic liners which you previously said has limitation. I rang up Bosch to enquire (just to be sure) and they confirm that they do not have any built under double oven with pyrolytic cleaning function. They have what is called Eco-clean program, which is basically catalytic liners.

[pol_bishop25]

Re: double oven – size vs ease of cleaning

Self cleaning can be a fine solution in the short term, but it won’t always work. I had my oven professionally cleaned recently and I can feel the difference in the cooked food. Anyway, self cleaning is great option to have and I think it’s a must for every oven. You just need to deep clean the oven once in a while.

[2under2s]

Re: double oven – size vs ease of cleaning

Thanks for your response. By self cleaning option, do you mean pyrolytic? Or will catalytic liners do the job as well? Do you mind sharing how much it cost to have your oven professionally clean?

Does anybody have comments about thinner insulation in bigger size ovens? Read that this is one of the causes for uneven heating and browning. Is big not good?

[Martin]

Re: double oven – size vs ease of cleaning

2under2s wrote:Thanks for your response. By self cleaning option, do you mean pyrolytic?

Self clean = another name for pyrolytic

2under2s wrote:Or will catalytic liners do the job as well?

Catalytic liners are placed in the more vulnerable areas of the oven (sides in the oven and top in the grill) leaving the base and glass exposed to most of the rest.

2unders2s wrote:Do you mind sharing how much it cost to have your oven professionally clean?

A mean average across the country is £60. That includes cleaning everything including wire shelves to like new.

2under2s wrote:Does anybody have comments about thinner insulation in bigger size ovens? Read that this is one of the causes for uneven heating and browning. Is big not good?

Total nonesense!

[pol_bishop25]

Re: double oven – size vs ease of cleaning

2under2s wrote:Thanks for your response. By self cleaning option, do you mean pyrolytic? Or will catalytic liners do the job as well? Do you mind sharing how much it cost to have your oven professionally clean?

Does anybody have comments about thinner insulation in bigger size ovens? Read that this is one of the causes for uneven heating and browning. Is big not good?

Martin explained it quite well, so I can just shed some more light on the professional cleaning. The price mainly depends on how big your oven is. It can go from £30 for very small ovens and up to £80 – £90 for the biggest ones. Source] is the guys, who cleaned for me.

[pmoe69]

Re: double oven – size vs ease of cleaning

If you like to spend precious time chasing faults and sending back new parts that do not match because the part numbers are wrong (even when you triple check with the manufacturer), then by all means buy a smeg. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I have stripped my Smeg range cooker down. Looks great but that’s where the good points end.

[kwatt]

Re: double oven – size vs ease of cleaning

I’ve posted about pyro ovens before, a number of times.

They are good, to a point. I’ve owned two and used a number more, repaired a bunch of them going back twenty years to the old Gaggenau ones, when Gaggenau was actually Gaggenau and nobody knew what the blazes a pyro oven was.

You cannot leave the shelfs in them normally as they’d warp.

They don’t clean round the doors.

They cost a lot more usually.

So, not Nirvana. Good points yes, but not the retirement of rubber gloves and oven cleaner just yet.

On thinner insulation, there is a case to be made in that ovens are all about keeping the heat in and, keeping it stable. If you cook, you know this. Insulation is a key element in accomplishing that.

You can compensate for it to some degree but, to be honest, if it’s a double oven most will fit just about any requirement you might have. If you do cook and entertain though, it often seems you can never have enough capacity for a large meal.

Oven cleaning company links will be zapped by the way, so please don’t bother to post them. Thanks.

K.

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