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There are three decisions in choosing a built-in oven that are hard to fix afterwards: a size that doesn't fit the niche; a heating type that doesn't match how you cook; and a cleaning method you never actually end up using. Everything else — colour, display, extra functions — comes down to taste. This guide walks through those three decisions, with real numbers and reasoning.
Size: 60 cm oven or 45 cm compact oven
The niche size for built-in ovens sold in Estonia is practically always 60 × 60 cm — regardless of whether it's a conventional oven, a steam oven, or a compact unit. The difference isn't in width, it's in height and volume.
Width is 60 cm on both — the difference is in height and volume. A compact oven leaves the column with a single niche for either an oven or a steam oven.
A 60 cm oven (typically 55–75 litres) is the standard choice when the oven is the only cooking appliance in the kitchen. It fits a turkey, several trays at once, larger dishes.
A 45 cm compact oven (typically 40–48 litres) is designed primarily for combining: two 45 cm units — for example a conventional oven and a steam oven, or an oven and a microwave — fit into the same kitchen column that would otherwise hold one 60 cm oven. This is a common solution if you're planning both conventional and steam cooking but only have room in the layout for one column.
Heating type
- Conventional (top/bottom heat) — heat comes from above and below, suited to most everyday baking. The cheapest and simplest option.
- Fan-assisted / 3D heating — a fan distributes hot air evenly through the cavity, so you can bake on multiple levels at once without mixing flavours. Almost all mid-range and premium models offer this alongside conventional heat.
- Steam / combi-steam — adds moisture, which keeps meat and fish juicy and gives bread and cake a crisp crust without drying them out. Combi-steam ovens (steam plus dry heat together) cover the widest range of uses, but cost more.
Cleaning method
Three common solutions, with very different day-to-day effort:
- Pyrolytic — the oven heats above 450 °C and burns residue to ash, which you simply wipe out afterwards. The most convenient, but it uses electricity and takes 1.5–3 hours per cycle.
- Catalytic — a special enamel coating on the oven walls absorbs grease at lower temperatures during cooking. Less thorough than pyrolytic, but needs no separate cleaning cycle.
- Manual — an ordinary smooth enamel surface that you clean yourself. The cheapest option, and it assumes you'll do it regularly.
If you use the oven daily, pyrolytic pays for itself quickly in time saved. If it's on a couple of times a week, catalytic or manual cleaning is entirely sufficient.
Installation and niche preparation
An oven installed in a tower at eye level is safer and more comfortable than one under the hob — worth planning into the kitchen layout from the start. Before ordering, also check the ventilation space above and below the oven: most manufacturers require at least a few centimetres of clearance, and the hot air needs somewhere to go. If the oven is combined with telescopic runners, it changes everyday use — a heavy dish slides out of the cavity without tilting — a small but real difference in comfort.
Our range
We carry everything from basic top/bottom-heat models to pyrolytic, full-steam premium ovens — Miele, Gaggenau, NEFF, ILVE, Electrolux and others. Every product page lists the exact cavity volume, heating types and cleaning method — filter by these once you've narrowed things down. For installation and maintenance, see our product installation and care guide.