HI norcalnancy,
Right now I am using portable tanks. I have a conection that accepts two of them so I have some time between changes however later when the central heating is in I will change to what they call a bombalone or big tank. At that time my boiler will heat the house, water, pool and feed the range.

Hi norcalnancy,

I have only stayed there two weeks and I haven't seen an energy bill yet. Gulp! The Aga must be up north. It is too hot in Puglia for a range that is on all the time. That was one reason why I did not get a French top. Too much heat.

I am curious about two features on my Volnay: I cannot get my simmer low enough without using a french trivet. I also find that food takes longer to bake in my electric (non convection) oven than it did in my old Thermadore wall oven. It's calibration is 30 degrees cooler than it should be but I try to compensate by raising the thermostat. For some reason Stan has implied that 30 degrees often is normal. Does anyone else notice these quirks and how do you handle the higher than expected simmer flames on all the burners, but especially the small simmer hob?

Love the "feel" of your kitchen... especially with those great ceilings.....it really opens the space up. Congratulations!

You can adjust the flame on the burners to get them lower. There was a how to on the web site, sorry, don't recall where. If you phone them, they will tell you where to find it.

Joe

It still doesn't go down to an ultra-low level (no, I don't think I could melt a stick of butter on a paper plate over it...) but it does fine for my purposes. I have a Dacor cooktop at the lake house which has two dual inline simmer burners. The simmer settings are indeed incredibly low--so low, honestly, that they are not really useful for cooking. Maybe to keep a sauce warm, but you can't come close to an actual simmer on them, so I think they are more for show than go.

Here's the link:

WOW! Your kitchen is amazing! Love the marron glaze on the Lacanche.
It is the perfect color for your kitchen and flows seamlessly into your backsplash
(what kind of tiles did you use?) and your flooring. Just beautiful and so glad you are pleased with your range.
May take you up on the Italy rental offer. Puglia sounds incredible.

I am really pleased. It needs a little dressing up but I love the lightness. One sink still needs to be installed. I have very little upper cabinets to preserve the feeling from the cathedral ceilings. My tiles are nothing special. They are just plain ceramic with a motled anthricite finish. When I have the time to update the website for the house I will post a link here so that all who are interested in the property can see it in detail without taking up space here. Puglia is quite amazing but it is not the renaisance style of Tuscany. It is very wild and simple with the best beaches, fish and produce in Italy.

I have found that there are sooooo many bargins on antiques at Ebay Italy that I have become adicted. We are flea marketers by nature anyway and now 24/7 we can shop. And we have a whole house to fill!!! There goes what's left in our IRAs.

That flame adjustment video was great. My burners are different than the ones on US ranges. I hope that the adjustment is the same.

Thanks for all of the wonderful comments. Marty

US LC's have a cruder design which does not do this, and on a couple of occasions I've scared myself by realizing a burner was on but not lit. So far, have not exploded my house, which is good.

When I asked AC why this feature was not available in the U.S., Gregg replied "the European models are different internally, both parts and structure - they currently Do Not meet the existing UL/ULc or AGA/CGA (American/Canadian Gas Assoc) USA or Canadian appliance guidelines. They do meet the CE guidelines for the Common Union countries however. The factory hasn't given us any hints yet on new developments, they keep their "cards close"."

So, US owners just have to be careful.

Yes I do have the thermocouplers and one would think that since they are an improvement over the "cruder" US burners that they would meet existing regulations. The gas will not escape if there is no flame. I cannot imagine a reason to keep them off of US versions of LC.

Marty

PS: keep those kitchen updates coming. I just love fantasizing about your house in Puglia. Just lovely. Looking forward to hearing about what you cook there too.

Here are few shots of food from lacanche in Italy at trullo San Raffaele. Those shrimp are gamberoni from the Adriatic only a few hours from the water. I baked some pane pugliese and shortcakes for the strawberries that were in season. Not too much could be cooked because much of my equipment still had not arrived.

I will start an open cookbook that all visitors can contribute to and add their Lacanche experiences. I have a format that I can use. Maybe it will be published one day!

Marty

, ,

Thanks for all your photos and stories. It really helped me to have my kitchen fantasies when we were under construction.

Sorry I couldn't figure out how to place a photo in directly.

chef-marty, we were in Greece last summer and had some shrimp that looked just like the gamberoni you posted. They were out of this world delicious. Love the cookbook idea!

I think the real question would be electric convection or not convection? While I've got predictable heat in my elec. oven, I wish I hadn't chickened out on the convection. I've heard nothing but good things about convection.

-a

We have been cleaning ours in a deep SS sink in our laundry room for the last 5 years. We are currently remodeling the laundry and have the opportunity to replace the sink with any kind of material. We are looking at another 16 gauge stainless but also wonder about siligranite as well in terms of scratch resistance. I cannot think of any other material that would fare well with the heavy traffic of these CI babies.

Your experience?

And just have to share a hoot - especially for those people who are nervous about the color commitment. In all the years we've had the kitchen (finished early 2006) what people notice when they walk into the room is either the copper backsplash or the countertop stone. The Provence Yellow has never been what's first captured their attention. The range blends with the modern elements & color around it. It's a "neutral". Ha!

annaleef - we use our griddle all the time. We have a Franke 9" deep x 30" wide ss sink with a grid. The grid's had parts of it melted. I try to make sure my DH remembers to put a towel down along the lip of the stone (we have no reveal), but he doesn't always. He claims to be careful. We never seem to carry it to the utility sink, just two steps down & one step away. We always just use our regular stink.

We have always loved the convection oven for baking and the gas for moist roasting, BTW.

If you have cooked on a Viking or similar and are now cooking on LaCanche...I would especially love to hear your thoughts on the pros and cons.
If you are less than 100% satisfied with your decision to purchase a LC, I would love to know why...
Thanks for any advice.

I wrote a message to Garden Web to tell them that we have lost 6 months of entries. If I get a response, I will let you know.

Marty

sggirl and mom2krypto:
Our cluny 1400 has been in for well over a year. Been a while since I've posted as now that the kitchen is redone I've found much to occupy myself elsewhere. Still, it's fun to catch up.

I think I can be honest enough to start with my issues, which chef-marty and I referenced earlier in this thread. My biggest complaints are actually intertwined: the limited availability of a truly low simmer capability, and the failure of the US importers to upgrade to the Euro-spec gas-sensing auto-shutoff burners. Because I'm limited to only one 5K simmer burner, and because I find even that one is sometimes hotter than I'd like, I've adjusted the gas flow down as far as I think I can get away with. The result is that on a number of occasions I've found the flame has gone out with the gas still on. Fortunately the stove is in an alcove with a very effective ventilation hood so we've not exploded to date. Still, it's a concern. I'd love to know if others have experimented with ways to simmer even lower on their LC's. I had some correspondence with another owner regarding simmer plates to use over a burner but haven't gotten to that.

We also had some problems with our igniters failing initially. Had a service call under warranty, he said he couldn't find anything wrong, but ever since then they have worked perfectly. Still have not had the patience to calibrate the gas oven properly, it's a time consuming procedure.

So, post-honeymoon, you begin to see who you married for real. How do I feel about the LC? I still absolutely love it. The LC and the marble countertops are the parts of our new kitchen that I still think are the most fabulous. Wouldn't trade it for a Wolf in a million years. It has an amazing look and feel. Plus, I can brag that Kevin Gillespie, of Top Chef Las Vegas fame, cooked on it at our house and said "I'd come back anytime if I can cook on this range." I can guarantee he wouldn't have raved that way about a Wolf.

So get an LC!

Hi to chef-marty, plucky, igloo et al. Hope you're all doing great with yours as well.

The model, and (at least today) color of your range are exactly what I plan to do when the time comes to order my own (well.. tomorrow the color may be different, LOL!). It makes your comments especially valuable.

As I've written on another thread, I've decided that a Lacanche will be the range in the house we plan to build (still in the planning stages). Other than which color to choose (*SIGH*) the issues you've addressed – specifically, low simmer, no gas shut-off, and maneuverability of oven racks are the same issues I was concerned about before you wrote about them here. Also, initially, I was concerned about the oven sizes, and whether to go with convection or not. However, I believe I've resolved all that now.

Anyway, after years cooking with a monster Dynasty and its humongous, heavy, squeaky racks, I can deal with difficult racks again on a Lacanche (I rarely pull a rack out anyway and I've got the burn marks on my hands and arms to prove it, ). However, since you mention the issue, it is good to know what I am in for ahead of time. Not ideal, but workable.

The issue regarding the low simmer is somewhat surprising to me, and, I must admit, a disappointment. You'd think that a FRENCH range would have that down pat. And, for me, a very low simmer IS important. I have a small family, and often sauces are heated in a small saucier. I'm curious to know how you and others deal with this... does keeping a small saucier or pot on the edge of the simmer plate work? Reading many posts, I'm getting the idea that even the simmer plate can become too hot for many recipes. Grrrr.

Finally, no-shut-off for the gas has always been a concern, almost enough of a worry for me NOT proceed with Lacanche. Such a stupid, unsafe way to go when the option is available in Europe. Very disappointing. However, I realize the problem is bigger than Lacanche.

Again, thank you clinresga, and everyone, for sharing your experiences. Your thoughts have been invaluable to me. I am only sorry that I can not access the older GW Lacanche threads. I can't wait to see photos of the new ranges that GWers have on order...

One last question: I know several of you have the Cluny 1400. It is my range of choice, and I plan to add have BOTH the simmer plate and big 18,000 BTU burner. I am most interested to hear owner's thoughts regarding Classique set-up (simmer plate over the warming cupboard, and 18,000 BTU burner in between other burners) vs. Traditional set-up with 18,000 BTU burner over the warming cabinet and the simmer plate in between the smaller burners). I keep flip-flopping about this...

BTW, I've also posted on this before, but I purchased an extra grate. It's the same two-piece burner grate that sits over the 18K burner, and it also is an exact fit over the simmer plate burner if you remove the actual plate. That gives me two 18K burners, which I find helpful when cooking a major meal--e.g. searing on one 18K burner and boiling pasta in a big stockpot on the other. The main caveat is that the opening around the simmer plate burner is much wider, so anything that spills can drip down into the range, but as long as you're careful it's not a big deal. However, most of the time I leave the simmer plate in place as I really use the landing zone all the time.

You need some soul searching to determine if convection is for you.

In a regular oven you get three different cooking zones because the hot spot is at the bottom. Bottom rack cooks the bottom crust of a pie better and leaves the top light and golden. The middle is good general heat. The top has another hot spot at the roof since heat will gather there and this gives good top browning for gratin potatoes that need to browned more or a fruit cobbler that needs to be crispier. In a good oven there should be no difference in cooking from front to back or side to side unless you keep opening the door.

Convection throws its heat out from the side and this means that you can use the entier oven from top to bottom with the same results on each rack. The down side of this is that you almost always have to turn the pans to compensate for the hot spot near the fan. This good for large quantites of cookies, buns or rolls. Long roasting times are generally not done in convection since the wind would dry it out. Think chapped lips. Poultry cooks magnificently in convection. The skin covers the meat completely so it does not dry out and it takes only about 50-60 minutes for a 3-4 pound bird. The skin browns well and renders crisp.

I choose convection for my Lacanche because I foresaw doing more breads, coverd casseroles and desserts in large quanities for parties and give-aways. I do have a 9 function second oven for other roles. I believe that in most cases, if you do not need to make a lot of one recipe all at the same time, that the regular oven is best and more versitile.

I hope this helps people with their choices.

You are so lucky!

clinresga, I've never cooked with a simmer plate, so, I've had to imagine working with one, and then try to imagine which position on top of the range would be best for me. So far, I am still thinking of going with your set-up. Just going with my gut, I think...

jcoxmd, WOW! I envy you... great find, great range and great color. Congratulations. Also, I love kitchendetective's color suggestion of greyed purple. Some highlights around the room in an eggplant hue would be gorgeous. My husband has started haunting craig's list and he's found some great buys. One day it occurred to me to ask him to keep on the look out for Lacanche, then, I figured, there would be NO WAY someone would list a Lacanche (too good to be true, I guess). Now, you have proven me wrong and ruined me for life! I'm inspired. I'll be scouting craigs list 24/7!

My husband and I are just starting the plans to renovate an apartment we closed on this week. We hope very much that it will be the family home we have been looking for! I am really hoping that the kitchen, while small, will be the heart of the home and after seeing a Lacanche on the apartment therapy website two weeks ago I know that that needs to be the heart of the heart! I just got my brochure from AC yesterday and am thrilled to see that some of the European models are now available, giving me greater flexibility. We met with our architect today and time is of the essence and he wants our appliance decisions within a week! So little time since I "discovered" the Lacanche! I am going to call AC on Monday and see if they might be able to connect me with an owner in NYC so that I can see the real deal. It seems that many of you put so much thought into your purchase with years to ponder the best option. Am I crazy to go with something so new to me? Any advice on how best to give it serious consideration? I love to cook but am having a hard time defining what kind of cook I am. My husband, who does not really go beyond fixing up some hot cereal, is trying to help but is not sure what soul-searching questions he should ask. He is worried I will be unhappy with smaller ovens and does express concern that the metric sizing would require a whole re-do if the Lacanche disappoints -- no ability to just drop another 48" range in there. Where did many of you start the process? I have so much to do and yet this is the only thing I can think about!

I have been reading the older threads but it seems that the first 34 are missing?

Thanks, in advance, for any advice!

When you get down to it, assuming you are willing to pay for it, it cooks like mad, it looks freaking awesome, and I honestly think this is the last stove I'll ever own.

Joe

BTW, I've since sold this house and am contemplating another Cluny 1400 for the next one...perhaps a traditional in provence yellow this time, just to be different. I do still love the red, though. :)

Does anyone have any information on the Savigny? I am wondering if the larger main oven might be worth it but not sure if the smaller, vertical electric convection would actually fit anything!

vineyard, what a lovely picture! The red is my top choice so it is a pleasure to see it so beautifully installed. Must be fun contemplating another!

We have a 5 year old burgundy Cluny. If you are not able to connect with an NYC owner and would care to travel into Fairfield County, please e-mail me.

As far as performance is concerned, if you need more than what a Lacanche has, you are in the 99.99th percentile. It is like when I was young and everyone bought their motorcycles by which one did the quarter mile the fastest and had the highest top speed to do 55 mph on the highway (or get citations).

At the restaurant the only reason we need superfast burners is for recovery time. We have to cook the string beans and then the broccoli, then the potatoes then etc. etc. The burners on the Lacanche are professional strength and certainly more powerful than you need to cook with. Are there bigger burners on other stoves, yes, bigger ovens, yes, more gadgets, certainly.

I bought my range because it is simple with less things to break, well reviewed by everyone who owns them and it is about the most gorgeous thing on this planet. I see stainless steel all day long and I couldn’t imagine an industrial looking range in my time-off kitchen. The colors are fantastic.

It really was an artistic decision but by no means does that mean that you would be lacking in quality or performance.

* New safety gas valves with thermocouples on every burner—which means if no flame is present, the gas flow stops (WHOO HOO!)
* Viewing lights in all the main, electric ovens
* Reinforced, smoother gliding oven rack system
* And several other enhancements which will only improve your cooking experience

I needed the order to be delayed anyhow (welcome to the world of remodeling), so I was thrilled to read this! These improvements are much appreciated!

Grill plate: It depends on how you like to cook and eat. The grill plate is our most frequently used accessory - we literally stopped using the outdoor grill after we got it.
However, proper ventilation is key. We throw on veggies, seafood & steaks routinely. It is heavy and it's always been worth the weight and the storage space it takes for us.

But, if you live somewhere where grilling outdoors all year isn't an option, perhaps this is the ticket. As annaleef says, ventilation is key

Joe

I saw diane's post on the new LC's and immediately emailed AC to see if the new safety burners would be retrofittable to our Cluny. Sadly, here's Gregg Overman's reply:

"Yes, Lacanche has completely redesigned all USA/UL range chassis substructures, gas manifolds, oven cavities, and control panels to accommodate new safety valves, oven burner systems, new piping, new electrical parts and switching, etc. – none of which are retro-fittable to any pre-existing chassis, unfortunately."

Would love to know more about what I'm missing. Man, if they have found a way to make the oven racks glide, I'll be totally over the top.

Ah well, mine is still a classic and I wouldn't trade for the world.

Also, I don't own an Element, or see a pre-owned Cluny in my future (I should be so lucky to find such a thing), however, somehow, I like knowing that the range fits inside an Element. Jcoxmd, I hope you will spoil us with some pics once your new/old Cluny is set-up!

Anyone know if the new "Rully" model will be available in the US? It is a Cormatin with two short and wide ovens -- looks just brilliant.

We plan on posting pics of the kitchen when we are done to let you gw's see what you got me into.

Sully 1800(hopefully my wife has started talking cancellation)
custom rangecraft hood(matches range sent a color sample)
calcatta gold marble baking center (wife)
grothouse lumber cherry and walnut 4 inch butcher block island(excellent service)
sub zero pro 48 glass
soapstone counters in main space
100 year old reclaimed heart pine floors
cherry cabinets(ceilings lowered to 10'6" from 12)
fireplace

Initially, it was going to be the traditional top, I talked to Victoria, the new salesgirl at Art Culnaire yesterday, and decided on the Classic top. Was going all gas ovens, now leaning toward one gas, one electric.

My biggest question is about the french top. Who has it, is it easy to get used to? Does it boil large pots? The reason I'm asking, I found an old thread on here where there was talk about getting used to it. I was going to go with the two 15,000 optional burners, but in this same thread, many owners were saying how they wished they had another 5,000.

If I get the french top, with the additional 18,000, would that make more sense? One person was talking about how the french top works good for oval shaped pans, and that is what has made me question my decision to NOT get it. The way I cook doesn't make a difference. I cook everything. Pasta, Mexican, Rice, Chicken, you name it, we are just a "what sounds good" family.

Anyone have any words of wisdom??

Thanks in advance!

About your specific question about boiling large pots, I use a direct burner for that.

I would definitely go one gas/one electric oven

Joe

With only one shot at this, it needs to be right! Do you find the 15,000 burners to be adequate for boiling big pots?

Thanks!

Do you mind me asking how y'alls tops are configured?

French tops are for when you are at the stove all day simmering or boiling things. Maybe a little saute work on a medium heat then deglaze the pan with wine etc... They are very French cuisine.

The way most of us cook today at home, they are not as useful as a regular burner. Here is a hint. What hot chef on TV uses a French top? They could have anything they want. I can't think of one. Not Emeril, Paula Dean, Lidia or Bobby Flay. Even the Frenchies, Julia Child and Jacques Pepin have shunned them.

For certain applications they are fantastic but most of us do not cook in that style at home anymore.

They sure look cool though.

Marty

I have a portable griddle and I use very often. You would only need a griddle and plancha if you need to cook more than one of them would hold. I imagine it is a one or the other situation. If I had bought a larger lacanche, I would have thought seriously about a plancha option but for me and my Vougeot, I get the most versatility from my adaptable portable griddle set-up. The splash guards to me would be a nusiance since it would obstruct access to the food when I use a spatula. They make clean-up a little easier though.

I use my griddle as a French top when I am in the mood.

Marty

I was playing around with it one day and realized that the grate that is over the 18K burner fits perfectly over the 18K burner under the simmer plate. So, I contacted AC and ordered a second set of grates (specifically, item 88.37025 "grates/central 1/2 pair" list price $230, they gave 10% off so final price including shipping $232.88--although that was early in 2009).

They fit perfectly over the FT burner. The only issue I can see is that the opening around the burner is much wider than the 18K burner, so it would be much easier to spill something into the interior of the range, a bad idea I am sure, so I'm careful not to put anything unstable there. Other than that, it's a really nice option when cooking for large crowds (my typical sear on one burner and boil pasta on the other scenario).

HTH

PS: the plancha looks interesting. Would love to hear from anyone who's used one.

Just ordered my Cluny 1400 TRADITIONAL (I AM going to learn how to use that thing) LOL

So, now, we have to "name" it?

Thanks for clarifying, Clingresa, I talked to Victoria at great length about that ordering a grate to fit over it. Of course, she explained just what you said.

I am so happy, so excited, now we HAVE to get this kitchen done! In time for ......what's its name.

I'm in Italy with my European specs Lacanche which means that I have thermocouples on the burners. If the flame goes out, the gas flow stops. I came here ready to tackle flame adjustments and found that the video available about adjustments won't help me because of this difference. However I can lower the flame as much as want to any flame height possible by using the area from 9 o'clock until 12 o'clock instead of the regular area from 6 o'clock until 9. How do the non thermocouple burners work?

Marty

BUT if you choose any range and go to the "Configurator" page, the drop-down menu under "Choose Your Range" lists ALL the models Lacanche makes, including the ones I thought were only available in Europe - the Chambertin, Chassagne, Citeaux, Saulieu and Savigny.

Are these now available in the US???

I'd appreciate any guidance you can offer!

Joe

I don't see these models on the website. They are 43-1/2 inches wide, so not a whole lot of leftover space with your 48 inches. The vertical oven has a broiler and is 12 inches wide, 16 inches high, and 16 inches deep.

Joe

I do find that half sheets are my go to pans for lots of uses, not just cookies. Do you get decent circulation around the half sheet pans? Is it okay to put in two half sheets at the same time? I don't really mind needing to, for example, turn cookies half way through (I do that now with my Viking convection), but I gather that a half sheet fills the Cluny oven from stem to stern, so to speak!

jcoxmd: I have an all-clad wok that I received as a gift. We don't stir fry that often and it works pretty well, so I haven't persued getting anything better..

-joe

No one has written for such a long time! I did a catering job for Christmas and the hosts (Super model Paulina Porzikova and husband from the rock band "The Cars" Ric Ocasek) had a beautiful French Blue Sully. It felt great to cook on one since my Lacanche is 4500 miles away in Italy! They have a great townhouse here in NYC and the tree was almost 15 feet tall!

How's everyone?

Marty

What a cool experience! It seems that more and more I'm seeing Lacanche is design magazines. Still loving my Cluny. Hope to see more activity here and new pictuers if anyone has them.

I was leaning towards the sauvigny, but wasn't too wild about the vertical oven being convection only. Does anyone have the convection ovens and what do you think? I am not a huge baker, using my current oven mostly to broil meat and roast vegetables.

I spoke with AC today, and they suggested the cluny based on my usage which I was thinking initially before I saw the sauvigny.

Is it true that the new ranges do have the gas shut-off when the flame goes out? And do the oven doors get really hot? Concerns about 18-month old daughter.

How low can you turn the heat down on the ovens? 200-250?

Do you have to turn cookies that you are baking half-way through? And how is the broiler on the electric oven in the cluny?

Sorry, so many questions! I am currently waiting for AC to send me some paint chips and hopefully get me an appointment with an ambassador in my area.

Finally, colors... We are strongly considering the matte black, but I do love the provence yellow and portugese blue. just nervouse I would get tired of it after so many years.

Thanks for keeping this great thread alive over the years for new people to discover the lacanche's.

My ovens go down to about 150. I do turn my cookies half way, but I've always done that even before my cluny showed up. As you mention you are not a huge baker, this shouldn't matter too much anyway. We have a burgundy cluny and have yet to get tired of the color.

Joe

How exciting to be in the market for a Lacanche. I remember those days. After using the Cluny for a few years now, I think the new Saulieu and Savigny ranges are an exciting choice to the Lacanche line. More expensive, but I would be very tempted to go that direction. Here's why. Although I can cook everything, including a 20 lb. turkey in the Cluny, the larger oven of the Savigny is attractive. I would do the the larger oven in gas, and would be happy with the vertical electric convection w/ broiler. As it is, with my Cluny I find I use the gas oven the most, and that's probably because I grew up using gas ovens so it is my preference.

Regarding cookies, sometimes I turn and sometimes I don't. Turning probably is a good idea.

About the oven doors, mine are not too hot at all.

Now the fun part, the colors! I have the matte black. It's beautiful. It's fine. It's great! But if I had to do it again I would go with a color. Really, how many ranges out there can you get in so many beautiful colors. At the time I was ordering my Cluny they had this beautiful limited color called Aubergine which was a beautiful purle/maroon color. But I too was afraid I would tire of it. I still think about that color to this day. If I ever move and get a new Lacanche, because, of course, now I would never get anything but a Lacanche, I would get a fabulous color.

Good luck!

They must be selling a boatload of these ranges in this poor economy (sarcasm)to be so casual with actually getting the range ordered AND communicating with the buyer!

Every day they dawdle means a contingent of people on MY end must wait. Guess they don't get that. What's up with that!!??

Do you think the vertical convection oven would be as useable as a Cluny oven? I'm having some difficulty imagining loading pans in the vertical oven.

Oh, and although I've been trying to talk myself into black - which is beautiful, it is the burgundy red that calls my name!

Thank-you for your post. Very informative which I really need at this point. Now you've got me reconsidering the sauvigny! Have you ever realjy ha an issue with the size of the cluny ovens? That is one of my biggest concerns. And the colors. Such a tough decision and to do all of this and spend the money sight unseen.

AC has yet to find an ambassador in my area. Anybody in the Kansas City area that has a lacanche, I would love to come view.

Ridingtohounds, I hope everhthin works out. In dealing with these type of products, you just need a certain level of service.

And Nutherokie, I feel your pain on the creep! First just the cluny, then the sauvigny, now possibly a color, it just keeps adding up.

Oh, Nutherokie, if you're spending that much on a range, you should get what you love. Not what you're trying to talk yourself into.

If it's resale value that makes you think black is more "practical," IMHO if I ever had a Lacanche, it would move with me from house to house, making its color irrelevant to resale value.

Nutherokie, that statement just pulled me out of my chronic lurker status and caused me to join just so I could respond to you! I feel what you are saying -- I was agonizing over ordering a Cluny for over a year. My head kept telling me to order the matte black but my heart kept demanding french blue. I requested color samples from Art Culinare, and seeing the colors with my own eyes rather than on my laptop pushed me over the edge. So, despite the crazy looks I got from my mother-in-law :) I ended up ordering the French Blue... and now its arrived, I have no regrets. If a range can be called breathtaking, this is it. My vote is for you to follow your heart on this one!

I know your French Blue Cluny must be a thing of beauty ... and I think "breathtaking" sounds like a fair description.

And very excited that AC found an ambassador in my area with a lacanche so hopefully I will be able to view this week and order my range next week!

I think I might have been disappointed in the French Blue--it probably is less vibrant in reality than the on-line paint chip.

I make the point, as I have made it before, that when you see the range in color on the website, you are looking at it face-on. When you install it, you see the top, and are looking down at the doors and this mitigates the brightness. Still love mine.

I discovered Lacanche by googling for more information on the Aga that I thought that I wanted. I was sold except about I had gotten my heart set on Aga's beautiful aubergine. Well, I had emailed Victoria and have in my possession one of the few LC aubergine samples. It is absolutely gorgeous and I have no doubts that it is the color for my future LC! But, what will it be...at first, we were contemplating the Cluny or the Chagny, but experienced the creep and are now decided on a Citeaux (for the time being).

I think that we will do the classical with a FT over the warming cupboard...or maybe not.

After debating between the Cluny 1400, the Chagny 1400 and the Sully, I THINK we settled on Sully and a warming drawer elsewhere in the kitchen. Our budget and space constraints did not allow for the Sully 1800, and our choice was mainly based on oven size. We have 4 grade school kids and a large extended family and regularly cook for groups that are 25+ in size. These will be our only 2 ovens, save a microwave that can also function as a convection oven if we need an extra oven.

Now, here comes the wrench - while parusing the recent ELLE Decor magazine, I was prompted to revisit the Ilve. Is that traitorous to mention on this thread? It has some features that have given me pause - like larger ovens, a slighly larger cooking surface, glass on the doors to see inside the oven without having to open the doors, and ovens that claim to be easy to clean. (As one who has never cleaned an oven, I find the last one compelling, if true. Recall the part about 4 kids...). Did anyone consider the Ilve (Italian) in their search and go with the Lacanche? Any thoughts?

I have more questions should we go with the Lacanche but will save those for another post.

Victoria at AC is still searching for a Lacanche Ambassador in our area, so I hope we can see one in person before we order it. Now we just have to pick the color....

Will post pics when it arrives!

Meanwhile I've just added to my own confusion. My husband is once again lobbying for the restored antique range I originally settled on. It's so beautiful, but probably not a very practical choice.

Hi All!

Workingondreamhouse...I have the Sully 2200, along with the 4 kids (no longer all grade school, but they were when I bought mine!). I love, love my range...STILL. 2004. That's when I got mine.

And Working...let me just add a "burden" to your thoughts! I came from a previous home that had double ovens and a warming drawer. I loved my WD, was an avid user of it, and planned TWO in this current kitchen. When I discovered the Lacanche and the warming cupboards, I loved the warming cupboards SO MUCH, that I opted for two of them. I cannot recommend them enough. The vertical "cabinet-style" vs the drawer makes a world of difference in how you use them. You can get so much more in them. You can put big pots in them. I could go on for days.

I could easily do with one cupboard, though two is great for me. If you plan to use the WD a lot, I encourage you to look at your space again and see if there is any shifting you can do for the cupboard. It is soooo worth it!! :)

My house is in italy so I considered all Italian ranges before going Lacanche. De Manicor is another professional company that builds ranges in Italy.

So why did I go the extra mile to get a French range for my Italian house? To me the Lacanche was more elegant in looks and more funcional with the vertical warming cabinet.

Since I am a professional, I have a trepidation of all those electronics and fancy controls. To me it is just more things to break. My range here in NYC has a window and it always looks dirty even after cleaning. I always open the door to look anyway.

Yes, it was those cool colors (I took marron glace)and that warming cabinet that I cannot live without. To me all that other stuff is fluff. I have a second 9 function oven with rotisserie but I never use it and I don't know where to store all of those parts! That convection oven on the Lacnache cooks sooooooooooooooooooo well.

Marty

The cool colors are a definite attraction! When I was first looking at Agas that was part of the draw. I am also looking at paying double to get my beautiful aubergine. So, I am obviously insane. lol

It is pleasing to note that it isn't just looks and that the Lacanche is a workhorse! I wasn't sure about the warming cabinet, but the more that I read, the more it is attracting me!

It has been a pleasure reading about your journey regarding your building. Any pictures of the final result? I would love to see them!

Twinklestars

I have read all the postings that people have made and they have been a great help. One of the questions that I have would be about service. Hopefully I won't need service once it is installed but is it a good idea to have it professionally installed? My DH is very adept (mechanical engineer) but not specifically knowledgable about gas (propane) hook up and necessary range hookup. Are the specs that are available at AC good enough for a DIYer? Anyone live in MA and want to give a refferal for their service person? I have looked up all the service providers that are on the AC website for MA and surrounds but I did not know how current they were.

Thank you all - from a LC newbie.
CorgiMom

I installed our cluny, it was pretty straight forward. Basically screwing it to the wall and going to home depot for a flexible gas line. I did get a couple of movers to drag it to where it would live in the kitchen. It's heavy!

Regarding service, it's a pretty uncomplicated stove and I suspect any reputable company could make repairs.

Joe

I took it to AC for a checkup before bringing it home, and had a great time visiting with the guys there. There were a bunch of ranges in various stages of disassembly, and I learned how to calibrate the oven temp and other useful info. The staff there at AC couldn't have been nicer!

Just in case anyone is wondering how moveable these are, I carried the range in the back of my minivan. If you remove doors, drawers and all the racks and such, it's actually not that heavy. Granted, this is the smallest Lacanche, but one of the service people said he and his wife moved their Cluny without a problem. I borrowed the AC suction cup set, which should help when we carry it up the steps tomorrow.

Love the name!

For anyone who is interested in the house in Italy, go to www.italytrullo.com.

I had an easy time of it. The renovation went well although slowly and i did not get ripped off but I wonder if I would do it all again. It is hard having to be here knowing that the house is there and I have to work!

Marty

I perused the website for your gorgeous home. Everything is absolutely amazing! Thanking for sharing the site. Just breathtaking!!!

kmcg,

You will have to tell about how the two ranges compare! I was all set on an Aga 6-4 until I found the Lacanche ranges. My dh is far more excited about the Lacanche, but ultimately the decision is up to me on this one!

.................

We had dark cherry cabinets picked out for the bottom and a glazed cream on top. I still can't decide if the range would blend in too much and may choose some of the cream cabinets for on the bottom tier around the range.

Twinklestars

I think you'd find that with any color you chose. 'Pop' or 'brightness' is a function of contrast. Even the lemon yellow could, under the right circumstances, be considered a neutral. And any color can seem scary when placed against a white background and white can be "popless" if there's no other color to contrast with it. That's what makes black 'dramatic,' as opposed to "dark". It's all about context.

So, the question you need to ask yourself - if you've made some color choices already - is do you want contrast, or complimentary? If you want contrast, going 'lighter' in color saturation (think new white tennis shoes and new jeans) or 'darker' (think black in the middle of a 4th of July party) than the surrounding environment should perform a function. If you want complimentary, you can pair orange and fuchsia together - if you've got a chocolate brown base & the colors are 'relaxing' instead of 'clownish'.

I started with my 'cabernet' stained bottom cabinets with lighter stained uppers & that drove the rest of the choices.

Marty

I have had a small adjustment period getting used to European-sized ovens rather than the much larger American-sized ones, but I find I'm much preferring the European ones! Hilariously, I found I did use my gigantic roasting pan (that I bought one year for a prime rib dinner I made -- this time around, it was for holding custards in a water bath) and it fit in the oven just fine.

Here's what she looks like:

A couple of our friends who are remodeling and buying new appliances have said they're getting Lacanches now too.