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A wall oven, or built-in oven, are fitted into your kitchen wall or under a bench and can be installed off the ground. Wall ovens can be either a gas or electric model which will heat up the chamber in order to cook food. While this is the main function of a wall oven, this appliance can be used to:
- Defrost ingredients for cooking
- Blanch different vegetables
- Proof dough or yeast
- Broil fish
Wall ovens are available in the standard widths of 24 inches, 27 inches, and 30 inches and will cost from $700 to $3500. This will depend on whether or not the model you will purchase is a single or double wall oven. There are models on the market that have self-cleaning settings which can save you $300 from manual professional cleaning services. A wall oven will also cost about $200 more if you decide that you need convection cooking or $200 to $500 more on “Sabbath mode” which will turn off the oven after a set time.
Wall ovens with different heating settings make it possible to bake different desserts. This appliance can also be used as a herb dehydrator to preserve them for future use. Also, a wall oven is great for keeping meals warm until it is time to eat. The other ways to use a wall oven include being able to:
Bake Desserts
A wall oven can be used to bake different desserts. To make a batch of chocolate chip cookies, preheat your conventional wall oven to 350°F (176°C.) Crem you butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl and add in your eggs. Beat this together before stirring in your vanilla. In a small bowl, dissolve your baking soda in 2 teaspoons of hot water and add this into your batter. Sprinkle in your salt before stirring in the flour and chocolate chips. Use a large spoon to scoop the batter onto a lined baking tray and bake this in the oven for 10 minutes. If you are using a convection oven, bake your cookies at a temperature of 320°F (160°C) to 325°F (163°C.)
Bake Pizza
Another way to use a wall oven is to bake pizza in it. Before preparing your dough, preheat your conventional oven to 400°F (204°C) or your convection wall oven to the highest temperature which is usually around 450°F (232°C) to 500°F (260°C.) Place your pizza stone or a baking tray inside the wall oven.
To start making your dough, sift the flour into a bowl and add your salt. Using a separate bowl, add your yeast, sugar, and warm water and stir it gently. After the yeast has activated or there is a light brown froth forming, make a well in the middle of your flour and add in your yeast broth.
Slowly work the flour into a paste and start kneading your dough. Add your oil and continue to let it form into a ball. Cover your bowl with a damp cloth and let it rise for an hour.
Afterwards, dust a chopping board with flour and transfer your dough onto it. Punch down the dough and divide it into two portions covering it before letting it sit for 20 minutes. Take your dough, roll it out and brush it with olive oil. Add your tomato sauce, cheese, and other toppings. Take your pizza stone or baking tray and dust it with cornmeal before placing your pizza on top of it. Bake your pizza for 10 minutes to 12 minutes in a conventional oven and 8 minutes to 10 minutes in a convection oven.
Blanch Vegetables
The wall oven is an appliance that can blanch vegetables. Preheat your oven to 400°F (204°C). Prepare your sturdy greens by coating them in a light layer of oil and salting them. Place your vegetables on a lined baking tray and let them blanch in the oven for 10 minutes. The dry heat of a hot wall oven will wilt and crisp your greens.
Boil Water
Also, a wall oven can boil water. Set your wall oven to a temperature of 212°F (100°C) to 225°F (107°C.) Pour water into an oven-safe dish and place it inside. The water will begin to boil after 15 minutes to 20 minutes.
Broil Fish
An alternative way to use a wall oven is to broil fish in it. If you have a gas wall oven, the broiler may be in a separate compartment, the top, or the bottom of your appliance. Electric models usually have the broiler at the top. Place your broiler rack 4 inches to 6 inches from your broiler and put your oven on Broiler mode on High.
Place your fish onto a broiler or metal baking tray and drizzle 3 tablespoons of butter over it. Sprinkle your seasoning over the fish and then let it broil in the wall oven for 5 minutes to 7 minutes. Turn your fish over, brush with butter, and let it broil for another 5 minutes to 7 minutes.
Crisp Bacon
A wall oven is also a crisper which can be used to make crunchy bacon. Preheat the wall oven at 400°F (204°C) while preparing the bacon. Line a baking pan with foil and place an oven-safe rack on top of it. Spray your rack with non-stick cooking spray and arrange your bacon slices so that they are not touching each other. Crisp the bacon for 20 minutes. If you are crisping turkey bacon, you can leave this in the wall oven for 11 minutes to 13 minutes.
Defrost Ingredients
The wall oven can thaw and defrost food for cooking. Preheat your wall oven to 325°F (163°C.) Place your frozen bread on a lined baking tray and put it in the oven for 15 minutes to 30 minutes depending on its size (the larger the loaf, the longer it will take to defrost.) Smaller baked goods can be defrosted for 5 minutes at the same temperature.
Dry Herbs
Another way to use a wall oven is as a dehydrator. Pre-heat your oven to a low temperature from 170°F (77°) to 200°F (93°C.) Rinse your herbs and pat dry with a paper towel. Place your stems or leave on a baking sheet and dry in the oven with the oven door open for 1 hour to 2 hours. Make sure to rotate the baking sheets every 30 minutes or so. After the herbs have dried, let them cool completely before storage so that there is no moisture that can grow mold.
Keep Meals Warm
As you are cooking other food, a wall oven can keep cooked meals warm in the meantime. If your oven has a Warm setting, it will automatically heat up to 170°F (77°C) to 200°F (93°C.) However, if your wall oven does not have this setting, use a temperature of 200°F (93°C) 250°F (121°C.) Transfer the food you would like to keep warm into an oven-safe dish, saucepan, or baking sheet and cover it with aluminum foil. It is best to keep food warm in the oven for 15 minutes to 20 minutes before serving.
Proof Dough
A wall oven can proof dough too. Turn your oven to the lowest temperature possible which will be from 170°F (77°) to 200°F (93°C.) When the internal temperature of your oven reaches a 110°F (43°C), turn off the appliance. Place your dough into the oven making sure that the bowl or pan it is in is oven-safe. You can open the oven door so that the chamber will have a temperature of 75°F (24°C) to 85°F (30°C.) Following your recipe’s proofing time, keep the dough in the oven for 1 hour to 3 hours for the first and second rise.
Reheat Food
Also, you can reheat food in the wall oven. Set your oven to a temperature of 250°F (121°C) and let it heat up. Take your steak or leftover meat out of the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature before reheating it. Place the steak on a wire rack and place it on top of a baking sheet to cook evenly on both sides. Put the steak into your wall oven and let it heat up for 20 minutes to 30 minutes depending on how thick it is. Afterwards, the steak will reach an internal temperature of 100°F (28°C) to 110°F (43°C) and you can serve right away or sear both sides on a pan with oil or butter.
Roast Meat
An alternative way to use a wall oven is to use the appliance to roast meat. Take your beef out of the refrigerator and let it come down close to room temperature so that it will cook more evenly. This will take 1 hour to 2 hours so sprinkle all of the sides with salt and wrap the meat while waiting. Preheat your oven to a temperature of 375°F (191°C) and move the rack that you will be using to the middle of your wall oven.
When it has cooled down, pay your roast with paper towels, make incisions around your roast to place sliced garlic inside. Rub down your roast with olive oil then season with salt and pepper. Place your roast right on the oven rack with the fatty side to the top of your oven and place a roasting pan underneath it. Let the roast brown for 30 minutes and then lower the wall oven’s temperature to 225°F (107°C) and cook for 1 ½ hours to 2 ½ hours. Check the internal temperature of your roast, it should have a temperature of 135°F (57°C) to 140°F (60°C) if you want a medium-rare finish. Take out your roast and let it rest for 20 minutes to 30 minutes before cutting and serving.
Slow Cook Food
The wall oven can be an alternative appliance to use instead of a slow cooker. Take your meat out of the refrigerator and let it cool for 1 hour to 2 hours before cooking. Preheat your wall oven to 250°F (121°C.) Season your meat with salt, pepper, and spices. Rub a coating of vegetable oil over your meat and turn the oven’s temperature down to 200°F (93°C) before placing your meat inside. Let your meat slow cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 118°F (48°C) which will take around 4 hours.
Take your meat out and cover it with aluminum foil then turn your oven’s temperature up to 500°F (260°C.) Place your meat back into the oven and cook it until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 125°F (52°C) for a rare finish. A medium finish will need an internal temperature of 135°F (57°) and a well-done piece of meat will need an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C.) Let the meat rest for 20 minutes afterwards before serving.
Steam Food
A wall oven can be used to steam food. Preheat your oven to 375°F (191°C.) Prepare your vegetables by washing them and chopping them. Place a sheet of aluminum foil on a baking tray and place your vegetables on top. Add olive oil, salt, and seasoning. Cover your vegetables with another sheet of aluminum foil and crimp the edges to seal your food so that the steam will cook it properly. Let the vegetables steam in the oven for 15 minutes before you carefully remove the top aluminum foil sheet and let the vegetables cook for another 15 minutes.
Roasting time will differ and depend on how hard or dense your vegetables are. Tuberous root vegetables and squash will take 20 minutes to steam while tomatoes and leafy greens will only need 10 minutes to be steamed well.
Sterilize Soil
Another way to use your wall oven is to sterilize soil in it. Place your soil into an oven-safe container filling it until it is about 4 inches (10 cm) deep and then cover your container with foil. Bake the soil at 180°F (82°C) to 200°F (93°C) for 30 minutes. Remove your container from the oven and only remove the foil when you are going to use the soil.
Toast Nuts and Seeds
The wall oven can consistently toast large batches of nuts and seeds. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C.) Prepare your nuts by placing them on a baking sheet as a single layer. Bake the nuts until they are fragrant, golden, or a shade darker. Soft nuts, like pine nuts, will only take 5 minutes to toast. Almonds, walnuts, and pecans will need 7 minutes to 8 minutes to toast well. Remove your nuts from the oven and transfer them to a plate to cool.
What are the common mistakes of usage of a wall oven?
When you are learning how to use a wall oven, there are mistakes you should avoid which include:
- Checking on your food too often. When you let the hot air escape every time you open up the wall oven door, it takes food longer to cook and your appliance has to work harder.
- Cooking too many things at once. When there is not enough space between food or dishes, the hot air that should be cooking your meal cannot circulate properly and you increase the chances of starting a fire.
- Letting grime and dirt build up. If your thermostat is covered with grime, it can glitch and short out which will cause the heating components of your wall oven to overheat and break down.
- Mistreating the oven door. Scrubbing too hard when cleaning your wall oven can scratch the glass and compromise it. Also, slamming your oven door shut can cause micro-fissures to form and over time, this can cause your glass to shatter.
- Not cleaning rust immediately. Your steel racks can become a fire hazard and damage your dishes. When there is a rust coating on your racks, your baking dishes can crack and when rust chips off, they can catch fire.
- Not using a surge protector. When installing your wall oven, protect it from future extreme weather with a surge protector.
- Only using the self-cleaning feature. While this is a convenient wall oven feature, it is strenuous on your appliance. The self-cleaning process takes 2 hours and heats up your oven to a temperature of 500°F (932°C) to 600°F (1112°C) so using this too often can damage your wall oven. Opt to thoroughly clean your oven every 3 months.
- Putting food in the oven while it is preheating. Most homeowners do not give their wall oven enough time to preheat which is why food for the use cases above may not turn out the way it should. A gas oven will take around 7 minutes to 10 minutes to preheat while an electric model will take 10 minutes to 15 minutes to heat up.
- Spraying liquid directly on the oven knobs. When cleaning, spraying your wall oven controls directly can cause the cleaning liquid to seep behind switches and knobs. This can cause the control panel to short out. So use a rag with the liquid cleaner to rub down your appliance’s controls instead.
- Using the wrong setting or rack. When using the wall oven for the use cases above, it is important that you are using the right setting and that the oven racks are in the right place to heat up what you are putting in the oven correctly.
Before using your wall oven for the use cases above, make sure to go through this list to protect yourself and your appliance.
What is the history of usage of wall ovens?
What is a wall oven and how has it evolved over the years? Open fires have been used to cook food for thousands of years but the first recorded oven in history was built in 1490 France. This oven was made out of bricks, tiles, and cement. In 1728, cast-iron ovens known as Jamb or Five-plate stoves were designed by the Germans and were being made in large quantities. The Castrol stove, or stew stove, was then invented by François de Cuvilliés. The Bavarian architect invented this enclosed oven in 1735 which contained smoke inside a chamber.
The first gas oven patented by James Sharp, this appliance was created in 1826 but only became a household appliance in the 1920s. Electric ovens were invented only in 1896 when electricity was more accepted and widely used. The wall oven was introduced in 1947 by Thermador which offered easy access and a bigger baking space. This wall oven has paved the way for today’s variety of models which include steam, double, and smart wall ovens.
Do the use cases of a wall oven change based on type?
Yes, the use cases of this appliance will depend on the type of wall oven you purchase. There are single wall ovens that maximize the space in your kitchen. These are typically installed right underneath a cooktop or a counter so that you do not have to bend down. Double-wall ovens often have Convection or Broiling settings and allow you to cook larger quantities of food. Also, there are microwave oven combination models which are two ovens but the top unit is a microwave oven.
Some wall ovens have self-cleaning features which come in handy but should be used scarcely. There are convection ovens that will cook food much faster and evenly than a conventional oven. There are also speed wall ovens that combine the capabilities of a conventional oven and a speedy microwave. There are also steam wall ovens available on the market which will inject steam into the chamber in intervals to cook food. Another type of wall oven is the smart model which may come with an LED touch display, more accurate cooking temperatures, and Wi-Fi connectivity so that you can set a timer and control the appliance’s temperature from your phone.
Which wall oven is best for making lasagna?
The best wall oven for making lasagna is a convection wall oven. This type of wall oven will cook the lasagna efficiently by circulating hot air around the baking dish that it is. The lasagna will cook evenly and will have a smaller chance of coming out of the oven with a burnt bottom.
Does a wall oven have more use cases than a toaster oven?
Yes, a wall oven has more use cases than an oven toaster. Wall oven vs. toaster oven, a wall oven not only offers more space but has more cooking abilities than a toaster oven. A wall oven is equipped to sterilize soil and be an alternative slow cooker which a toaster oven is not designed to do.
What are other kitchen tools with various use cases similar to a wall oven?
Other kitchen tools with various use cases similar to a wall oven include:
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- Air Fryer: an air fryer uses hot air circulated in a chamber to cook food.
- Multi-cooker: this kitchen tool has settings that can be used to bake, roast, brown, steam, grill, and boil different types of food.
- Slow Cooker: with moist heat, this kitchen tool is made up of a pot, lid, and heating element that cooks food in hours.
- Toaster Oven: often used for warming or toasting, this electric countertop appliance can be used to cook ingredients.
- Microwave Oven: this appliance channels heat into food molecules which will heat up or cook it.
These kitchen appliances have similar uses to a wall oven but have use cases specific to themselves. You can learn more about the 5 other uses of these 5 kitchen tools here.
