meg711, since I couldn't get the probe into the outlet ended up not using it so it didn't get dirty. I would've burned my finger too if I had kept at it. I wonder how many people use it.

I used to hate that thing in my last house, but I did use it often. I think I used a kitchen towel to hold it open with one finger whilst wiggling it in with the other. It is definitely not the easiest to use, but it works well. I think the kitchen towel is thinner and easier to use than oven mitts would be. I usually turned off the convection mode so as not to get blasted in the face.

Meg--I just hand washed the probe end. I didn't worry about the outlet end, as it never touched food.

It's a PITA, but I also like using it. I have a plastic thingy that came with the oven that I use to hold the flap out of the way while I wiggle the probe in. I'm not sure what the plastic thingy is actually for, but it works for that. It's also easier to plug in when I use my silicone half-mitts.

It needs two people!

Dumb question - can't you plug the probe in when the oven's cold before you turn it on?

I wonder why they decided to put a cover on the probe outlet. The Dacor electric wall ovens don't have a cover so it's easy to just push the prong in.

I suppose we could plug in the probe when the oven is cold and just leave the other end of the probe dangling until the meat goes in and when the hot probe goes into the cold meat it'll cool off to the correct temp.

mcmann, My Dacor is an electric wall oven with a cover on the outlet. Maybe we can somehow take the outlet cover off if it's not necessary.

I believe the cap seals the probe socket from the extreme temperatures during self cleaning. As far as putting it in cold, this would expose the sensor in the tip of the probe to oven temperatures like 350-400 degrees which it may not be able to withstand. Depends on the design. Remember the meat never gets much above 160 degrees where the probe sensor is. Best to check with Dacor. (My Dacor oven has the cap also.)

With many things that cook for a while like a roast you can put it in the cold oven while it's pre-heating so you can insert the probe into the meat when you start out.

I didn't realize that you had electric wall ovens. I thought you had the dual fuel range or the all gas range. I had both the Classic Epicure wall oven and now I have the new Discovery model that's about a year old and neither had a cover.

What models do you have? Maybe this is something Dacor has recently changed and you have newer models. In any case that's a shame it's so difficult to operate.

mcmann

I am placing my appliance order tomorrow and I really want the Dacor discovery. I have read so many discouraging comments about Dacor on this website that I am hesitant to get it. How have you liked your oven and have there been any problems with it?

Sorry for the delay - did you already order your Dacor?

I think any appliance can have major problems - sometimes it's just one issue, at times it seems like the thing is a piece of junk, other times you would swear the manufacturer is trying to see how far they can go in selling a poorly designed product.

I hope you searched through these forums for the opinions of other owners of Dacor appliances. My oven arrived in perfect condition, but others here have had a terrible time with cosmetic issues. I personally think it's a decent oven - I'm not prone to excessive praise. I was the first to report that the meat probe did not beep (as stated in the owner's manual) when the meat reached the set temperature and contacted Dacor. Dacor then redesigned the control panel - it took about 5 months - and then replaced my old control with a new one - which corrected the meat probe problem.

I haven't had any other problems with my Discovery. I've now had it for just over a year and before that I had the previous model - the Classic. I wish it had a continuous digital read out of the oven temperature - but most ovens don't have that feature either. The broiler works great, the glide rack is amazing - it holds a heavy Le Creuset casserole and still slides in and out easily.

Dacor had, or still has, a problem in how its distributors stored the ovens. The ovens themselves hip on a heavy palate, but some of the distributors are stacking these ovens on top of one another causing the body to flex and the enamel to chip. I went through four ovens from the local distributor before Dacor put one on a truck and drove it to my house from their HQ in California.

When the good oven was finally put in, we had the same temp probe issue as mcmann. Dacor sent out a new control board as soon as they could and the problem is solved. The temp probe is more accurate as well.

While I had some issues with the oven, Dacor truly stepped up to solve my problems. They also gave me, free of charge, a pizza stone w/ paddle, roasting rack, two additional glide racks, and a 3 year extended warranty for my trouble. I would call that outstanding customer service.

My oven has been performing flawlessly, reliably, and has exceeded my expectations. All of my recipes have come out perfectly, so I haven't found the need to check the oven temp with a thermometer -- judging by the finished baked products, I'm assuming it works.

Let us know how you like your oven!

I bought an oven glove at the local CVS and it is wonderful. It is the only way I can use the probe when the oven is preheated. Now, if only I could get my probe to work and not shut off my entire oven. :(