We have a 39" range now from the 1950s and though I believe there are some other ranges out there in this size, none came in such a beautiful package as the Lacanche. We bought a Volnay (awaiting it's arrival) which is 39" also only it has the bigger 21" oven and a smaller warming cupboard. I have a 21" oven on my current range and love it - it's a perfect size for us. I don't have any trouble getting roasting pans in or out or bumping my hands/arms on the sides.

I was told the Volnay oven would warm up in 15 minutes (ambient air) and then the walls and all would continue to warm up after that. I actually think 15 to 20 minutes is pretty good. I was comparing it to an oven on a 36" range and I think they said the blue star was 30-35 minutes warm up time. That really turned me off. Comparatively 15 (or 20) sounds pretty good!

What do you cook on now? Have you tested exactly how long the oven takes to come up to temperature? What you currently work with could inform your perspective. It doesn't seem there are that many ovens that will heat up faster, especially ones that are full 30" ovens. It actually takes me at least 15 minutes to prep for any meal so waiting that long isn't really waiting. I'm only semi-informed but I think only speed ovens and steam ovens would heat up faster and that's in part because they are much smaller.

I've heard others complain about the racks but I guess I don't move racks so didn't notice during my test drive of the Lacanche. The griddle is reportedly very heavy. I'm just going to buy an off the shelf one that's lighter. I won't use a temperature gauge to know when the oven has come to temp - I'll just time it and then by feel/time over time. I think the light does go off and then starts to circulate after that so you should now the oven is ready.

BTW, I researched the Ilve and the depth of the oven is really shallow if I recall so I'd be sure to look at the interior dimensions. IMHO the craftsmanship of the Lancanche was better than the Aga ranges. If you really want super speedy oven heat up times I'd look at pairing a Lacanche with a speed oven. Some of the Lancanche have 21" ovens (e.g. Volnay) which might work better for you based on your comments than the smaller ovens on the Cluny. I think some people just learn how to navigate the smaller ovens with time and are very happy with them.

Some have looked at vintage O'Keefe and Merritt ranges. The range top does not have as many BTUs as the Lacanche, if that matters. But the OM ranges are lovely to look at.

Good luck!

Hi ChristyMcK,

Nice to meet you - I've enjoyed your other Lacanche posts, and thanks for weighing in. My current Kenmore gas oven heats to 350 in about 11 minutes, I had no idea that it was so quick (probably because I'm always in a hurry, lol). It's 30'' and I very rarely use all the capacity, so I thought the Cluny's smaller ovens would be better for everyday meals.

The Volnay is a great choice! What color are you getting? Gas or electric? Did you get to try out the broiler? I have to confess, I will miss the cool blue flames of my current broiler, electric just doesn't seem the same.

The rep I spoke with said the Lacanche was usually finished preheating after it had done two heating cycles - so wait to see the red light click on and off twice and then put the food in.

Thanks for the insights on Ilve - if the ovens are shallow, that's definitely a deal breaker. And I would be beside myself waiting for the BlueStar, that's out of the question.

Keep me posted on the delivery of your bebe!

Our french blue Volnay will have electric ovens because I wanted the broiler - the gas oven doesn't have a broiler for some strange reason. I didn't try out the broiler. I don't actually use a broiler that often - just for pizza which we make mostly in the winter. It does go to 700F which will be nice for pizza making!

My guess is that the Lacanche take longer to heat up because they are more solid than a GE but who knows?! You could test the Lacanche heat up time using your method at home in the GE and the Lacanche to do a side by side. Methods definitely vary and so if you did it in both you'd get an accurate side by side comparison.

We are pairing the Volnay with a Gaggenau steam oven which I think heats up in about 5 minutes because it's relatively small I think. I didn't chose it for it's quick heat up time, though I'm sure that'll be nice, especially for left overs.

I do think there is no perfect range and everyone's choice is a tradeoff of power, cost, beauty, function, etc. Looking and testing out other ranges in person is very informative so keep doing what your doing and I'm sure you'll choice will become clear.

Heart and head are a funny, sometimes at odds, combination when investing in appliances. What seems monumentally important in the moment is sometimes much less important later.

We have owned a burgundy Cluny for 10 years. It all came down to it or the Wolf for us, but the enamel beauty seduced us and I love all things French. Our son has a Wolf and we have also enjoyed using it, especially appreciating the lower simmer ring.

We are frequent users of the Lacanche heavy grill plate, in preference to our outdoor grill. We used to use the griddle a lot, but now more often use a smaller, lighter griddle. We have the Classique cooktop and did not try the traditional plate until a few months ago, in search of controlling the lower simmer range. Now we keep it over the smaller burners all the time and are happier with results.

Ovens, one gas and one electric, have always been happy with. Would prefer a better rolling mechanism for rack, but since they are smaller in scale compared to American ranges, this is not a significant inconvenience.

We roast lots of meats and veggies, bake lots of cookies, only prepared popovers once and not in volume.

There are lots of good choices for your kitchen, just comes down to personal preferences. I would not get hung up on small details. Too often we see good performance and reliability are not tied to cost. We have found our range to be simple, highly reliable and with its own quirky personality, like a family pet.

The oven heating time is something you just adjust your schedule to and remember to build in the time. I am always multitasking while cooking, so it is usually ready before I am ready to place food in it. Biggest adjustment for me was remembering that the convection oven cooks more quickly so that I learned to stop burning the brownies.