So what's your budget?

And if you don't have a vent, anything will stink up your house. That's not a function of the range, it is entirely a function of ventilation, so this point is unrealistic. Sorry.

Budget, I would say under 10k for sure.

The vent was not the issue, it was more that I like to cook seafood. We just moved in and the kitchen is antiquated.

Hello Soshh,

You may want to check the new CornuFé in Burgundy...

Here is the link

Here is a link that might be useful: Burgundy CornuFé

Have you thought about Bluestar? About $5K for a 36 inch I think and 42 inch about $7,500.

The CornuFe would be at the higher end of our price range I bet...I think they are about 9k, or more?

The Bluestar is definitely on my list. Unfortunately, it doesn't have the smaller oven/warming drawer feature I would love. Price for me is better than above, obviously.

I really do want something that will last and function well. In our last kitchen we put a Jenn-Air ProStyle (because we needed the downdraft, it was in an island) and I wasn't crazy about the power of the burners. I did like the grill option, but it didn't work that well.

A 48" Bluestar would be a good choice for you. It has one large oven and a smaller one that your could use for kid meals or set at a low temp for keeping dishes warm. The 22K burners are awesome for pasta and sauteing, and you can get the top configured to have a grill, griddle or both. And best of all, you can choose from 190 different colors. As breezy_2 pointed out, it will run you ~$7500.

Here is a link that might be useful: 48

Soshh,

Please be aware of what's under the hood of the beast.

Bluestar is in a fine range but it is a muscular look with a small engine. The 22K burner is great but an option.

CornuFé starts at 17,500 BTU with its powerful central burner. It's $8,000. Solid metal with enamel everywhere. The famous all metal policy of La Cornue and 3 years warranty straight up. No discussion.

The ovens were conceived with one thing in mind: pack a lot of power in a smaller cavity for maximum efficiency.

You can review some videos here:

Here is a link that might be useful: CornuFé videos

alku05...I meant the 48, they don't make a 42.

Food nut... HUH??? Small engine? Where do you get that? Don't get me wrong, the La Cornue line is very beautiful and I would love to have one but for the money, the Bluestar is pretty tough to beat. The 22K burners (2 of them) are standard on all of the RNB models. For example, the 36 inch all burner RNB has 3 15K burners, 2 22K burners and a simmer (total output of 95K BTU)compared to the 43 Cornufe' at 1- 17.5K center burner, 3 12K burners and a simmer (total output of 59.5K BTU). As for broiler temp, I could not get a comparison but the Bluestar is 1850 degrees which is strong.

So have you looked at the Volnay or Vougeot in the Lacanche line? You'd get the warming cabinet and an oven and your lovely red :o) in about 39 inches. And within your price range. It's priced right there with the Cluny (which has two ranges and no warming cabinet).

I like it because it holds the heat in the ovens better than the CornueFe and many others (the front of the door won't get as hot) and since I've got little ones running around that was a big concern.

Foodnut: I don't think the cabaret red with copper is available in the US: it isn't an option listed on the importer's website.

If you have info to the contrary, let us know!

There are a couple of 36 inch ranges out there with two ovens. The smaller one is pretty shallow, but would still be very practical for things like cookies, cakes, pizza, baked potatoes. Probably more practical than the side oven on my 40" kenmore.

The downside is that one of the stacked ovens is going to be very near the floor. I think it would make more sense to have the small one down there, but it really depends on what you cook the most.

Here is the GE version:
{{gwi:1424363}}

Maytag puts the little oven on top. I see it has only a 3 out of 5 star rating from the epinion userers, but didn't look into the results further:

As to color, I really think your only option is to get one in white, and have the doors custom painted. Not as expensive as you probably expect, and it would be %100 custom-- no one else would have one just like it, and you could have the vent done to match.

Igloochic, I love the look of those too. Not sure whether the Cluny or the Volnay would be better for me. DO you know what the price is for that? I know that is what you are getting, correct?

And the Aga 6-4 really interests me too. Igloo, did you look at those or not at all?

Cluny starts at $7500 (two ovens and you can choose one electric with broiler/one gas or two gas or two electric ovens with broilers). The only up chaarge would be in premium color finishes ($900) Burgundy Red (GORGEOUS!) is a premium color. I brought home a paint chip of that because it was so gorgeous. We seriously considered it, but we'd have to have turned back in our granite (which has a great deal of gold in it) so we gave that up. You get 4 oven racks, 2 pastry sheets, 2 drip pans, 1 broiler insert, 1 wok ring, 1 reducing trivet and the backspacer vent in the price. They have some other accessories available and give you a choice of five burners or four with a simmer plate.

Volnay or Vougeot (only difference is which side the warming cabinet is) runs at $7900. Same upcharge for colors (your lovely red) and the same top configuration options. It does have an option for an electric convection oven with broiler (or gas or electric).

We were getting Cluny but found space for a Cluny 1400 which gives us two ovens and a warming cabinet. ($9975) Considering we had planned on a Molteni, this stove is a bargain LOL (so I can go over budget elsewhere I guess). Every week I say I'm ordering, but I think we actually will early next week. The bank wasn't terribly quick and I'm tired of paying for things out of pocket so I wanted to wait for them to buy it :o)

I have always thought Aga's were beautiful, but the style isn't right for this kitchen, and the options for the burners was not optimal in our opinion. We kind of skipped over Aga and into the Molteni quite quick after deciding Wolf was too run of the mill. We'd have gone Molteni if we had liked the dealer. We rejected Molteni after the visit and just chanced to be driving in the area of Lacanche on our vacation and decided to stop by for a quick look (we were there about six hours LOL). What I really like about the Lacanche was the somewhat old fashioned look, but not quite as old looking as the rounded ovens on an Aga. We wanted a centerpiece appliance and this one is a great option at a very reasonable price. It's actually a bit cheaper than the wolf we'd decided on. Given that I've blown the budget by thousands, I didn't mind the savings at all LOL

My DH is the chef in the family so this was his decision primarily. Thank god he never saw a La Cornue LOL I'd have to give up formula for the baby :oP

I have a 36" Bluestar with a grill. I do not have a griddle plate, but there are several you can purchase and use on two burners.

A 48" bluestar gets you essentially everything you want, and comes in your choice of colors.

I too hate toaster ovens-they toast poorly and are really too small for an oven(please, no flames, it's my opinion). I have a small Toastmaster convection oven that I frequently use that works well. Another poster purchased a similar Cusinsart (I believe) oven and liked hers as well. Very inexpensive, under $200 or so.

This gives you all but the warming drawer, which you can easily buy seperately, or get a tall backguard and shelf, and get a hood with infrared lights.

As to the Aga 6-4, it has no grill or griddle, and the ovens are really only 2, and smallish-19 pounds max for a turkey. It's a good piece of equipment, but expensive.

Thanks for the more detailed info.

Our stove wall/alcove will be about 7 feet, so I need to use that space wisely. I was hoping to have space on each side of the range to store pots and pans, so 4 feet of range will make it tight, but not impossible.

Not interested in the GE or Maytag specifically because of the look. That might sound superficial, but we are in a neighborhood with lots of old estate homes and though our home is not gigantic, I want it to have a higher end feel.

I will definitely try to find a LaCAnche dealer and get a feel for that.

The CornuFe seems very straightforward. But I don't why it doesn't sing to me the way the LaCanche's do...

The Bluestar 48 with a shelf/lights might be a good option. I don't necessarily want to buy a separate warming drawer.

Re: the Aga, I don't mind a small oven since I don't cook turkeys. The most I've ever cooked for my extended family was a 10 pound brisket. On a daily basis the smaller ovens/separate broiler and warming oven would work really well for me. The cost though, if it's higher than the LaCanche, might make it a no-go.

My husband, who only makes french toast, doesn't understand my obsession!

There is only one Lacanche dealer in North America. They are lovely folks. One worry I had (being in Alaska) was that we'd have difficulty with servicing. They were kind enough to check on options here and had established a relationship with a company to provide service should we need it. Basically it's a very simple appliance, and it fortunately does not have big service problems, but I was concerned that we wouldn't be able to get help when we needed it. You might feel the same (I think a lot of us do) so I wanted to mention this to you in advance.

The website is a fun look at Lacanche. I don't believe the price list is posted (I have one right here which is why I was able to quote for you). But if you contact them (I did via email) they'll get a full package right out to you with information. There's also a ton of info on the site to help out.

I don't cook turkey's in the oven either (we use a big green egg for thanksgiving) so oven size wasn't a concern, but those small ovens are able to handle a 22lb turkey. Just in case you have a yern for the bird one day.

I'm trying to get my darned email to open up so I can order today. They are out something like ten weeks so I need to get on the stick!

I understand your wants to have a special range. For me, it's the heart of the kitchen (kind of like the bed in the bedroom...it's a focal point) so our focus was both on the ability of the darned thing to cook (number one issue) and it's style. We are doing a very high end remodel and didn't want to plunk in the same old Viking you see in every other kitchen (they have a big dealership here). It sounds like you need to make the same effort in your neighborhood, which is a good idea. I also think that given your style, it's going to really feel right to have a lovely colored range with some style in the kitchen!

Now when you find the right one...let's talk backsplash LOL I'll show you the best chickens for the back of the range heh heh

Here is a link that might be useful: Lacanche Dealer in US and Canada

As always soshh,

Decide for yourself. Cook on a Lacanche, cook on a BlueStar, cook on a CornuFé. Test-See-Feel and decide.

Make sure you review the support you get too.

What is the size of the structure or organization backing you up? Will you get parts and service in a timely manner? will you be able to upgrade?

There is a CornuFé cooking class Thursday June 14th 11am  1pm on the Purcell Murray website in SF.

Tuesday June 26 11am  1pm is the date for the class in LA.

i don't know if you are flying there anytime soon

Here is a link that might be useful: 2007 Schedule of Live Product Education Cooking Classes

FWIW, I checked with Purcel Murray, the importers of the CornuFe. It is now available in the US in the red:

{{gwi:1424367}}

The copper trim as seen on this one is a special order item, current wait is up to 12 weeks.

The wait is fine, we don't even have plans finalized yet. My guess is we will not begin work for quite some time yet. (It's a large addition, not just a kitchen reno.)

Soshh, I hope this isn't too late to be useful to you (maybe it isn't useful anyway!). I have had an Aga 6-4 for close to two years, and love it. I considered the Blue Star, but didn't like stainless and wanted smaller ovens, wasn't wild about the fit and finish, but the fire power is awesome based on testing and in real life. I struggled with the LaCanche, and would probably have gone for that if not for the stainless top, and because at the time I was not liking the center big burner. Aga has since slurped up Cornu and Heartland among others, but the cornuFe wasn't available at the time.

I'm satisfied with the burners and configuration, 20K for the wok, another 17.5 in the back middle, and two of the same size (no longer can recall the BTUs) for a griddle. I use the broiler "oven" a fair amount (it's very good) and the roasting/non-convection a lot, and the low heat slow cook oven, but not the convection oven very often. The size is really not a problem: I discovered that my food is often smaller than I think, and there aren't very many pans that don't fit (I do not have any full sheet sized anything, but cheated and have a dacor for the massive cookie baking days and large crowds). I love the look, find it easy to clean (the enamel is great) and it has wonderful simmer on all burners. I like it enough that I moved it to the new house, and would buy it again. If I were into stainless I'd get the Blue Star (in red!) for pure power, or reconsider the Lacanche. BUt I really like my Aga!

Claybabe, thanks for that info. I really think the Aga 6-4 is the closest to my ideal.

My biggest concern is the price. My husband was not happy when he heard 8k, and I'm seeing them priced even higher. One plus is the low heat (I assume like a warming oven) built in (that would save about $1k over buying a separate warming drawer).

Speaking of which, how do you use the low heat oven?

I am not a huge baker, and most of my meals are cooked stove top. I actually think the smaller ovens would suit me much better. (Roast potatoes in one while I broil fish in the broiling oven...sounds ideal!)

How much did you pay and where did you order from, if you don't mind me asking?

If price is a concern - dare I suggest the Berta? I have no personal experience with it and I know some people love them, others, not, but still; red, pretty and affordable!

I've used the slow oven a few ways: Its lowest temp marked is 150, so for bread proofing I'll turn it on to heat up the oven for ten minutes or so and then turn it off. Same for warming plates, but I don't do that very often--usually just glad I got the food on the plates and everyone in the same general vicinity. Keeping food warm is a cinch in it, and on a couple of occasions I've put my dutch oven in there for a nice long simmer. The walls are surprisingly easy to wipe off even if I haven't been diligent keeping up with it. I was a little worried about my ability to make huge messes and planned to put liners down, but haven't needed it. I like that there are no exposed elements so you can put the pot directly on the floor of the oven if you wish.

I bought a floor model for 7500. At that time I occasionally saw them on ebay, but felt like I wanted an easy warranty and local service.

Colleen, I read the berta needs to be open to turn on? Not cool to me.

Claybabe, thanks for more info! DId you just buy it from a local store? It seems like not too many places have them.

"-small oven for quick kids meals (hate toaster ovens)"

I would think something like the 120V Advantium speedcook wall oven would be perfect for that application.

Any link for Berta stoves? When I googled, I got several references to Ibsen's Hedda Gabbler...

My local retailer (Foremost Appliances) is running a sale on 36" Blue Star ranges ($4,700) and offering any color you want for free. You've no doubt seen plenty of the positive posts regarding the range itself, so I'll not go into it here.

Good luck choosing.

Oruboris, check out this link, I think it may be Bertrazzini that you are referencing...........

Here is a link that might be useful: Bertrazzini ranges

Sorry, Its's "Bertazzoni".............

This is from from someone who's still holding a purple/aubergine Lacanche Cluny in the garage waiting on construction of a new house. Anyone interested in Aga should definitely join the agalovers "group" on Yahoo groups - I learned about the Lacanche from the Aga Lovers Group. The Aga group, to me, is similar to Mac users vs Microsoft - it's a religion. You either are in love and respect it or just listen and walk away. The groupsite is amazing and so devoted to sharing recipes, techniques and ideas for their Agas. I do want to say that I finally did get to visit a showroom in Austin Texas (McNair's Appliance) and they had a huge, beautiful Aga range in British racing green completely hooked up and working - didn't feel any appreciable heat - this was always a concern for me in Texas and hot summers But I still love my Lacanche and its two ovens but especially because it's purple - best to you.

Auberginecluny,

Thanks a million for the tip about the Agalovers Yahoo group!!! As one who is about to purchase one, I have been starved for as much info as possible about my new "religion." LOL!

Still thanks for the tip, Auberginecluny. But, just so you and anyone else might know, I have discovered that my new religion is very discriminatory. My membership in the Agalovers group was denied on the basis of class, I suspect. The Agalovers Yahoo group is only for those who have true, classic Aga cookers --not the modified, contemporary, "watered-down" pro style ranges that are now being sold to the US market. In short, if you are an Aga lover of a Legacy or 6-4, you don't qualify as a true "Aga lover!" Sigh.

Not that anyone seems to care but. . . . The Agalovers group administrator emailed me to say that the denial of group membership was all a mistake. All Aga lovers,from traditional British cookers to American pro style ranges market are welcome. :)

I care! That's funny!

Martha, which one are you getting? It's still high on my list.

Hi Soshh,

I wss hoping you'd care! (It was you who started this thread I've become a major contributor to, after all! LOL!) At any rate, I'm hoping like heck it will be an Aga 6-4. I'm checking out a floor model tomorrow that's being offered at 30% off. If I find that it has not been abused by casual window shoppers or used for cooking demos, it will surely be mine! Like you, I'm doing a 1920's era kitchen reno of my old house. Having had to toss my lovely antique stove in the course of this project, I'm now looking for an excellent, versatile replacement range that also has lots of old world/traditional character. IMHO, the 6-4 more than meets that criteria and, at 30% discount, it will allow me to meet my budget. Gee, am I crossing my fingers this all works out!

Good luck! Please let me know how it goes.
Did you post where you're getting it from? I know Domain sells them and sometimes has sales on floor models.

I'm now beginning to think there's a whole lot of substance in the title you gave to this thread, Soshh!

I went to one of the Domains yesterday where they were holding a black Aga 6-4 floor model for me to check out. (Earlier, at a different Domain, I had seen the claret red version which kicked off my obsession with the Aga 6-4 in the first place.) IMO, the black 6-4, on visual grounds alone, just did not live up to my expectations. Further, on this floor model's exterior, near the handle, there was a notable section of missing paint and the handle was loose. The salesperson said all that would be taken care of before delivery. But still. . .

More importantly,I think my Aga obsession is slowly starting to fade. It's certainly a gorgeous stove, but for me, an empty nester living single -- it may be way more stove than is needed. And, even with a floor model discount of 30%, plus an additional architect's discount of 10% -- a whopping 40% off in total -- I'm beginning to seriously question whether I should go forward with such a purchase.

One of the things that makes it so hard for me to go with the Aga is that I've got NO support for doing so from anyone I know personally! A friend who took the hour+ drive to the store with me yesterday (a Wolf owner)questioned my sanity about this for the entire time of the drive. Once we got to the store, where we could examine the range in detail, her critical comments increased all the more. We met another friend for lunch who, upon hearing I was considering the Aga joined in to form a "why would you do that?" chorus. The final straw came last night, when I returned home to voicemail message from yet another friend. Having polled some supposedly knowledgeable co-workers on the virtues of the Aga, they too chimed in with admonitions against my purchase on the basis that it is a range that exists "for design purposes only but is laughable on performance."

Frankly, I think there is still a lot of confusion between those who only know Aga as the traditional British cooker and don't understand that the Legacy and 6-4 are different models for the US market. At the same time, I just haven't been able to find significant support for going the Aga route -- even in more knowledgeable venues such as Appliance Advisor and here on the GW forums. In the end, just about all agree that it's a very beautiful and very expensive range. The few who have it, seem to love it, but the fact that there are so few who tout its praises -- based on direct experience -- scares me somewhat. Well, a whole lot really.

Bottom line? I did not purchase an Aga 6-4 floor model yesterday. And, while I did not completely close the door (told them if they could find me a floor model in red or cream to let me know), I find I might be starting to lean back towards the more familiar, traditional pro-style range market. . . like towards a Bluestar or Wolf, maybe? Sigh.

marthavila- I feel your pain. I am currently debating the purchase of an Aga.

While I love the looks of the Legacy, I'm finding it hard to justify the cost of it based on looks alone. It doesn't seem to be made any better than the Kenmore that I currently have.

The 6-4 is also beautiful but for this build I need all electric which isn't an option.

As for the traditional cookers they are available in all electric but I don't even like to cook, so $11,000.+ is just unrealistic.

Ah, but only once you have one can you truly understand. I inherited mine (traditional 4-oven) when I bought my house. I planned to redo the kitchen anyway, figured I could live with it for a few months until I did. Then I actually figured out how to use it properly and I fell in love. I put off the kitchen remodel several times because DH kept suggesting we ditch the Aga. Then he fell in love. I redid my kitchen, kept the Aga which cost me $4K to have removed, refurbished and reinstalled - I was moving it about 2 feet so it had to come out and I figured I might as well get a complete overhaul while it was out. I have also extracted a promise from DH that if we ever move he will buy me another or pay to move mine. I can't begin to explain what a joy it is to have a cooker that will outlive me, since there's nothing to go wrong with it (aside from rusting if it's ever turned off too long and not oiled). I do have it professionally serviced every year, but I don't need to. As long as it's wiped off periodically with a damp cloth it's fine. It had never been serviced in the 15 years before it became mine and it was in great shape. No oven cleaning needed, EVER. No smells since it vents outside. Cooks the best bacon in the oven without grease spattered all over my kitchen. It makes the best toast, it's a great slow cooker, great for stews and casseroles, great for pasta, great for profiteroles and gougeres, you never have that first crummy pancake since the simmer plate you cook it on is always at the right temperature....In fact, I can't think of anything I haven't been able to cook in/on it well. And it's wonderful for drying clothes you can't put in the dryer. Oh, and on a cold day, a jacket left on the warming plate for a couple of minutes before you put it on, socks too....heaven. Can you tell I'm in love? It's been four years now and it only gets better. I love it so much, that when DH offered me a La Cornue if I wanted one, I turned him down.

Marthavila:

If I were you, I would start a different thread asking people for their opinions on/experiences with the Aga 6-4 specifically. Also, you might want to ask one of the forum regulars, Cpovey, for his recommendation. He is a caterer and pro chef and his opinions/experience were invaluable to me when I was shopping for appliances. He will be able to tell you if it's just hype or truly worth the investment. I do know that he recommends Bluestar, Wolf, etc. gas ranges for those who truly love to cook as he considers them the very best home cooking machines as far as performance goes. It all depends upon what is most important to you: performance, appearance, etc. Whatever you choose will probably be a compromise one way or the other.

Madcow, I'm wondering how much of the 6-4's electric ovens and grated burners compare to the hobs and gas ovens of your traditional Aga cooker. Sounds to me like you have a true winner.

Zoenipp, I just took you up on your advice to start a new Aga 6-4 thread. Thanks! Btw, after following Cpovey's sage advice, can I ask what range you have in your kitchen? :)

I went with the Wolf AG 36" range. My other major contender was the Bluestar. I started out looking at the Wolf DF and, in fact, first stumbled upon the Appliance and Kitchen Forums while trying to research it. I was advised by forum members to consider a gas range with an electric wall oven to get the best of both worlds as far as oven function is concerned. In the end, I went with the safer choice for our area, Wolf. We do not have a Bluestar showroom in Raleigh, NC (yet). My husband and I drove up to see the Bluestar live in Asheville and decided after seeing it that Wolf had the better fit and finish (although Bluestar's star burners are undoubtedly the best if you need the firepower and want the best flame pattern). However, my husband was enamored with those Bluestar burners. In the end, we based our decision upon owner reputation, build quality, cooking functionality, and ease of obtaining repair service, probably in that order.

At some point, you just have to go ahead and make a decision based upon what you really want/need for your kitchen. If you have done your homework on this forum, you probably can't make a bad decision. For most of these appliance categories, there is not a single "indisputably best" model, just several best options that are universally well-received. I think this is true for ovens, fridges, DW's, etc., as well as ranges.

BTW, I am not certain that Cpovey will know anything about Aga's in particular. He is just so knowledgeable about pro-style ranges that I think he will probably in fact know something and give you great advice, especially if you love to cook. The Aga is certainly beautiful and would look lovely in the kitchen you are describing. You know, when you told me your friends were all questioning your purchase of this, I thought that either (a) they give lots of unsolicited advice or (b) they know something about you that we don't that would make them think this is an unlikely choice for you. Good luck with your decision-making.

Martha - I know cpovey is not a fan of the Aga - at least the traditional one that I have, because it's on all the time. And yes, it is; but, because it's a heat storage cooker, it really doesn't use that much energy. I have the bills to prove it - with the Aga running and without during my remodel. Anyhoo, I don't think the traditional cooker really compares with the 6-4, other than in the "general" appearance. I say general, because I don't even think they look all that much alike. Oh, and one great benefit of my Aga, I can cuddle up to it on cold days and it doesn't complain about my cold hands and feet, unlike my DH!
Btw, I have a friend in England who has the 2-oven and he likes it quite a bit too - that's got to be more reasonably priced. In any event, I agree with others, you really need to decide what works for you.

"Unfortunately, it doesn't have the smaller oven/warming drawer feature I would love"

I was told the Bluestar can be ordered with a thermostat that goes down to the warming drawer temp on the smaller oven side.

Thanks all for your helpful, encouraging responses.

Zoenipp, you hit the nail on the head: yes, some my well-meaning friends give way too much unsolicited advice. LOL!

CTkathy, if true, that might bring the Bluestar up yet another notch.

Thanks for the info!