Which Lacanche?!

9 years ago

Hi All, I have been lurking for weeks and am so thankful to have found this site. I am doing a historic renovation and addition, and am beginning to think about kitchen appliances. I think I am 98% sure I want a Lacanche. I know people do not really understand the comparison but I have been torn between a BlueStar and a Lacanche. I love the functionality of the BS, but can't get myself to care less about the looks. So in this case, I guess looks is trumping function for me, and I am 2% worried that I will miss some of the BS function. Anyway, I cannot decide on what configuration will be best for me in the Lacanche.

I have three young kids and cook often. I consider myself an avid cook, although with a recent baby that has not really been the case lately! Anyway, I do a lot of baking, have recently gotten into homemade bread making and don't plan to ever go back to store bought. I bake cookies, cake, pastries, muffins, etc. So I feel I definitely want one electric oven. I also like to roast meats, make casseroles, do a lot of pasta and italian dishes, etc. So probably one gas.

So I am having trouble deciding between the Sully, Cluny 1400, and the Chagny 1400. The Sully because of the size of the ovens, but I feel like I would be remiss not to get a warming oven for proofing bread, keeping dishes warm, and all the other wonderful things I have heard people talk about, but can't fit a Sully 1800. I don't often cook HUGE things, but how small are the Cluny ovens really? I plan to host Thanksgiving and Christmas for at most 15-20 people, but haven't yet so have no idea what kind of turkey I would be making and if it would fit in a Cluny oven. Also thought I read on here you cannot get a Cluny oven that has convection and/or broiler? That would be hard to pass up too. The Chagny appeals to me for the broiler oven. I could imagine doing pizza in there (if it would fit) and steaks etc. But then one of the main ovens is pretty small, and I guess no warming drawer right?

Other options I have considered is a smaller range all together, like a Volnay, with gas only, then get wall electric oven and steam oven stack? Or get the Cluny 1400, one gas one electric, and just a small combi steam oven somewhere (that has a broiler too since a Cluny can't). Price is not really an issue, kitchen is about 17x16, so don't want it to be overkill. I know I want at least 2 ovens, 3 might be overkill but a steam oven sounds amazing for bread making and steaming things in general. Ugh help! Thanks for any input.

Any tips?! Thanks

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Comments (3)

ChristyMcK
9 years ago
Hi treebee,

Well, for what it's worth, we chose the last option you proposed. We got the Volnay with a 24" Gagg combi steam oven. I did consider other options and kept coming back to this option for a few reasons:

* I had a six burner cooktop in a previous rental and never used all six burners at one time, so I didn't feel like I needed more than a 5 burner cooktop. So, one thing to consider is how many burners you think you will use and how much hot proof cooktop is sufficient for your needs.

*Our kitchen is not big - it's probably considered medium, and the larger options didn't fit well into our space and would have required more modifications. The Volnay + steam oven was the optimal size and fit for our kitchen. I think it's worth considering the aesthetic and size of your kitchen in figuring out what would work best.

*I wanted two ovens and the ability to proof bread, make yogurt, etc. I got a little more than that with the warming drawer since both it and the steam oven go down to 80-85F, but better two than none! These were features I knew I wanted before I started looking at ranges. Is it something you really think you'd use?

*The pricing on the Volnay + Combi Steam oven was similar to the top competitor (the Citeaux) since I got the Gagg 1/2 off retail (it's last year's model).

*I really wanted a combi steam oven. So, maybe prioritize your must haves on a list and see what you keep coming back to.

I haven't heard that many people loving the broiler on their Chagny and the oven below it goes very low to the ground so I'm not sure that'd be high on my list. We got the electric oven on the Volnay. That was probably the hardest decision but I'm glad I did since the Gagg does not have a broiler either. The Lacanche gas ovens don't have a broiler for some reason.

Though some people find benefit in 3 ovens, I can't imagine using 3 ovens all at once and the combi-steam ovens (Wolf, Miele, Gagg) can function like conventional electric ovens as well as steam ovens so I would only get 3 ovens if you thought you'd use 3 ovens all at one time often enough to justify it.

Also, we also decided between the Blue Star and Lacanche even though to some it doesn't seem like a reasonable comparison. At the end of the day, the extra BTUs were not enough of a selling point to offset my preference for the beautiful fit and finish of the Lacanche. I just never loved the industrial look of the Blue Star. Anyway, our decisions have been made but the install isn't until mid-August so I don't have real world experience to speak of.

Hope this helps!

Best,
Christy
treebee
Original Author
9 years ago
Dear ChristyMcK,

Thank you so much! I remember many of your posts, and it was your posts that even got me thinking about the option of doing the Volnay with a wall oven. Please post once you have the installation done, I would love to hear how it all works out for you. The only hesitation, or dilemma with this option, is like you enumerated many times, the decision between gas or electric for the Volnay. Good luck and thanks for the advice.
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ChristyMcK
9 years ago
If you get the new Miele or the new Gagg for the combi-steam oven they both have broilers. I believe the Miele only goes to 437-450F though, whereas the Gagg would go to 550F I think? Then you could get a gas oven. But, that Gagg in a new model is a pretty penny at about 7k. I got our 200 series for 1/2 that price on ebay with full warranty.

I've had both electric and gas ovens in rentals over the years and honestly I couldn't tell a difference. So while it was a difficult choice because of the 'what if's' I'm pretty sure I'll be very pleased with our choices. Good luck and let us know what you decide! I'll be sure to post pics when it's all said and done. Our Volnay just shipped from the factory yesterday so we are getting excited!