Hi Everyone, I bought my Dacor Epicure oven about three years ago. I have not used the oven that much until recently. One of the issues that I am noticing with this oven is that roasts or vegetables don't brown. They cook, but whatever I make looks pale and not brown when it comes out of the oven. This is the case no matter what cooking mode (bake, convection, pure convection) I use. My other issue is with the performance of the self-cleaning function. Since I have not used the oven much since I purchased it 3 yrs. ago,the oven was only lightly soiled when I decided to try the self-cleaning feature a week ago. Well, all I can tell you is that I am extremely unhappy with the results. While the self-cleaning mode burned the excess grease off (after two self-cleaning cycles) the oven walls, it left behind all the splatters and stains from the grease that was once there. I scrubbed and scrubbed ( I even used Easy Off for self-cleaning ovens) but it seems that the stains are permanent and the oven looks dirty. I have had cheaper ovens that were much easier to clean than this one! I called Dacor customer service and was told to send them pictures of the oven walls so that they can see what is going on and perhaps they can suggest a product I can use to get the stains off. Have any of you had similar issues with your Dacor oven, and do you have any suggestions for me as to how I can address these problems? Considering the money that was spent on this oven, I am really upset that we are experiencing these problems. Thanks for your help!

You are talking about a pop-up (telescoping) downdraft vent, right? You realize that you have to have support all around the perimeter of the flange of the cooktop? The spec from kitchenaid is 24" deep. You can't simply add the hole sizes together. You also have a MUCH wider apparatus beneath the countertop to house the blower and telescoping mechanism if you are talking about a pop-up downdraft. It's your money so order if you must, but I really foresee some pain in your future when you try to piece this all together. I seriously advise you to get the spec sheets out and review every dimension before you place your order. Don't just look at hole sizes, look at the front to back dimension of the flange surrounding the cooktop. You cannot cut a hole in that, that is what supports the weight of the cooktop and the heavy pots and pans you will be using on it. You need adequate support front, rear, and sides, and you cannot be cutting holes where that support must be in place. I urge you to slow down a little and make sure you get this right.

Linelle, I've looked at vintage ovens on eBay esp. since I"m a big believer that stuff was made much better "back then", so I"m not surprised you have a 12-year-old range you love. I called the link gracefullyaged gave me. Very friendly, and he's going to check on the burner sizes on the FiveStar for me, so I'm not giving up on that one yet. crl, I've noticed the NXR ranges and did see them on Costco. I'll take another look. I'm remembering Costco didn't have the 30" I need, or something like that, or they had a fifth burner...can't recall, but your comment will spur me to action again! As an aside, the kitchen floor tiles are just about done. He'll finish with that today and come back and grout On Saturday. It's gorgeous. Interesting, it is a kitchen floor that looks like you'd be crazy to eat off it! Lol. Based on brick from Chicago, so has all the authentic soot and grime and dirt look of city brick! Lol.

Do not buy Dacor!! Our double oven has never worked and we cannot get the warranty department to come service it or replace. We had to run all kinds of tests for them and we found out the temperature was too hot. We tried to adjust it based on their directions but it still doesn't work and they were brand new units. We have sent at least 5 new emails and they still haven't responded to come service the oven. The Dacor french door fridge has already had to be serviced too because the water line kept freezing and the water dispenser wouldn't work. I think a cheap $200 dishwasher would work better. I can't tell you how many times I open the dishwasher to find the detergent smeared all over the door and it didn't clean the dishes. The cooktop has been okay but still miss my thermadore appliances. Dacor not worth the headache or the money.