LaCanche range vs La Cornufe range

11 years ago

Building a rustic home and both these ranges would look lovely in my rustic kitchen (likely the black matte finish). Haven't seen recent posts on quality, appearance, function, repairs, service comparing the lacanche v la cornufe. Service is a concern as not readily available in my area (distance). Haven't selected exact models yet, but am not considering the chateau. Would love your help in selecting the perfect range.

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gigi7

11 years ago

Dianie, I have had both, as a matter of fact. I had a Sully in the last house and I decided on the Cornufe with 2 ovens in the new house. Reasons? One issue was availability in a rather short order of time. I adored my Sully. I would have carried her out on my back if I could have gotten by with it! However,I found that it put out a lot of heat in that kitchen, but the ceilings were lower than in the current house. We put in a big vent hood over there (vent a hood, but not sure of the exact model, but way enough CFM for that range). The grandbabies were constantly accidentally touching the doors and I had to be extremely careful of that. But the cooking? Fabulous...and the look? Amazing. Now, my Cornufe... I got the forest green and it's gorgeous, also. (had the ivory Sully) and although the ovens are smaller, I have a large wall oven also, and that helped make my decision. The burners are exactly the same (5 burners). Rarely did I use the cast iron summer plate (also something to add additional heat in that kitchen). The Sully would not have fit in the space for the range in this kitchen, which was the main reason I didn't throw a fit over taking it. Now, it belongs to some woman who didn't even care to use that beautiful range! I'm so sad, but I'm hopeful that one day that house will come back on the market and one of my kids can buy it! Both ranges were bought sight unseen. The doors on the Cornufe are very heavy and substantial...love that!
When we moved, I came here to get some input and got a couple of terse remarks about my choice and so I didn't ask again. But really, you can't go wrong with either on on looks....and I'm happy with both as far as the performance. I cook every single day, bake a lot, and have a huge family (there are 22 of the immediate family on Sunday nights, more on holidays). I know that some people get these only for looks and don't use them. I'm not one of them! Cost was also a consideration and the Cornufe was less, too. Of course there are several models from LaCanche that would have worked, but we were in a bit of a time crunch and this ended up being the decision. Wolf would have also been a qualifier. Sometimes I wonder if I should have chosen the Wolf, but "looks" are a big deal to me, too. I spoke with a very knowledgable man at Purcell-Murray in California and he helped answer my questions about the Cornufe. And Stan at Art Culinaire was fabulous as well back in 2005 on the LaCanche end. This forum was the place I first found LaCanche when we were undertaking a kitchen remodel then. SO many great folks here with great advice! Just do your homework, decide on the look you like best, and go for it! I don't think you'll be disappointed either way!
Kathy

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Comments (13)

chris11895
11 years ago
I haven't used a CornuFe but have seen one at Williams Sonoma. I've visited with a live Lacanche Cluny and much prefered the Lacanche. People on here have stated that Art Culinaire have been outstanding with service too. You may want to contact them and see if they a can set you up with a live visit. Also make sure you read the Lacanche threads on here (linked below). If you go to the French Ranges website you can also find a list of US Service Provides by area.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lacanche 42 Thread
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Here's a list from Art Culinaire's web site of their "reserve" ranges, or what is available for sale right now. Of course, you can order anything that you want.... Here is a link that might be useful: Art Culinaire Reserve.
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Bonjour Elizabeth Cox ! Big congrats on the upcoming new home, it's an exciting time. Regardless of what Range you do end up welcoming to your kitchen, know that proper oven calibration is going to be paramount for even, stable cooking. While any oven range is going to rise in temperature, proper installation with your back-spacer should avoid hot knob issues, especially with electric ovens, and the Lacanche Ranges themselves are incredibly safe for a myriad of reasons, specifically when it comes to gas safety. When considering an additional warming cupboard, this is going to be so dependent on your own personal style of cooking. On a Lacanche Range, many people do opt for the Warming Cupboards for entertaining, warming plates, etc, but find their incredible advantage lies in the low temperature, slow cooking style it offers, similar to that of a crock-pot. Proofing yeast, dehydrating vegetables, or finishing grains you've started on the cooktop are all incredible uses for the warming cupboard, past just keeping food warm and ready ;) As for oven size, food is much smaller than we think, and the more intimate nature of the ovens offer incredible, even cooking style. Bear in mind that our smallest 'Cluny' size ovens can still support a 26 pound Thanksgiving Turkey, and our 'Sully' ovens easily welcome a 32 pound bird. As cheri127 mentioned, the burners are steeped in power, but the use of our Portable Simmer Plate is an incredible tool for slow, soft simmers, melting butter or infusing chocolate when the season calls for it. We suggest removing the grates around your lowest set of burners (usually the 5K BTU) and putting the simmer plate directly on top of the burners, which offers a soft, even distribution of heat across the cast iron, while eliminating any flame on your pot. This way you can move your pot away or closer to the heat source, as you are the maestro ;) Incredible versatility in one little accessory. As a Range choice is such a big decision, please know that no question is too small. Have a lovely start to the New Year and very happy cooking! Blair Lacanche US blair@frenchranges.com
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Hello All, First of all I want to chime in that I did not think Caroline was being snotty, I appreciate the directness. Second, I am currently debating what type of range to get and it has been really far more challenging than I thought. It seems the brands I like for looks just do not get solidly good reviews for performance or service. I love the looks of Ilve or Hallman, Aga Elise, La Cornue Cornu Fe, Big Chill Classic, and LaCanche. I would definitely like a gas top with two ovens and something with color options and brass knobs. But I have not been able to see some of the models in person (I am in a large market so it is surprising that none of the distributors have floor models for Ilve, Big Chill Classic, Aga, CornuFe). I can choose almost any size as this is new construction but I don't think I want anything larger than 48". And the range will be installed on an island so I am also trying to determine how service will be managed for the brands I like should something happen which seems to be the most difficult. I get lots of "we will help you get service" but nobody actually does the service themselves and the local appliance repair folks only service Viking and Wolff for high end brands. So far La Canche is the only brand that covers all the bases but it is 35-50% more in cost and in absolute dollars that is between $3-$7K (yikes). In the long run, if I am saved the hassle of some of the horror stories (wow, have you all read the better business bureau reviews on Hallman, eek) then I suppose it is worth it. I do like that there are no digital parts so i believe it will be something that lasts and is fairly easy to repair. I am not a major chef so I do not know if the lack of a convection feature is a deal killer for me (I too am leaning towards the Cluny) but I do love the idea of one electric and one gas range. As for oven size I have to believe it will be manageable, I don't cook for dozens of people. But that is the paradox, do I really need such a high end range? The answer is no regarding performance, but the answer is yes for looks and ease of maintenance. In this day and age of internet information it can be very hard !!
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Hello again, Did you already sell your beautiful Lacanche range? I’m still very interested if you haven’t had a change of heart... which would be totally understandable! My present range is broken and I am having trouble finding another. Nobody has stock because of Covid and I have my 94 year old father for whom I need to cook healthy food for each day to keep Covid from knocking on our door....so being able to buy your Lacanche would truly be a gift from heaven! Please be in touch 610-217-9742 / tjhambor@Verizon.net Cheers, Tim
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flevy
11 years ago
For what it's worth, I saw a Chateau 165 at the appliance showroom. To me...it just looked intimating. I don't know if that's how all the ranges look or it was just the way it was displayed. But it gave off a vibe of "don't touch" me.

Now unlike Kathy who has real experience, I have none with either range so take my comments with a grain of salt. I ended up ordering the Changy 1400 and am still waiting for it to arrive.
marcolo
11 years ago
CornuFe is not a La Cornue range. It is a rebadged Rangemaster with features added to La Cornue's specifications. I saw it in a showroom next to a real La Cornue and it looked cheap. IMO it is vastly overpriced, especially when you factor in the fine-print that says you're buying it a $1000 one-way ticket for delivery.
gigi7
11 years ago
I beg your pardon?
clinresga
11 years ago
marcolo is usually pretty savvy. I had heard, years ago, that Cornu Fe's were built not by hand (as La Cornue's are) but on an assembly line shared with the Aga line of ranges. I had not heard of the Rangemaster connection.

Still, it's a beautiful stove.

For some real entertainment (and with a bit of self-promotion, as it was from I was just purchasing our LaCanche), check out this old thread:
La Cornue ranges
Especially enjoyed the bottom part of the thread where it got testy.
weissman
11 years ago
Actually, according their website, La Cornue is now part of the Aga Rangemaster Group.

Here is a link that might be useful: La Cornue
gigi7
11 years ago
In 2005, we undertook a huge to-the-studs kitchen remodel of a 400 sq ft kitchen. I had been a member of the Southern Living message boards and heard about garden web through a member on that site. My husband and I had already purchased a Dacor 36" cooktop as I'd had one previously and I found the Lacanche. Fell in love from the good people here. Got some amazing information here, especially from momto4kids. Purchased sight unseen, as I said previously. I had the Sully which I loved more than anything I'd ever owned. My dh let me have it and we sold the Dacor. We ended up moving to another house and I was faced with another purchase for MY personal cooking style. I had constraints on time and on space. My Sully wouldn't fit here, even if I could have brought it. And I did hours of research on the two ranges. This range is NOT a piece of junk as alluded to previously. I only gave my experience to the OP since I have owned both ranges within the last 7 years after I joined this site. My Sully was great but the right door was completely warped and never closed correctly. Couldn't be fixed. We had numerous ignition problems and had to have repairs. I haven't complained once on this site. Art Culinaire answered my questions without fail and in no way am I complaining. The Cornufe has been great as well, certainly equally as good in my eyes as my Sully. Just a different look and color, solid as a rock. I give thanks to all who posted here helping me previously, and I won't be back. This is why I'm always hesitant to post here. I've seen many a post by so many Lacanche owners here, including chef marty, marcolo, clinresga, joeboldt, momto4kids, claire de luna, pirula, and many others. I read the posts all day and night. I don't regret that purchase and I don't regret my Cornufe. Thanks for a great time and lots of great information.
clinresga
11 years ago
Religious strife notwithstanding, the Cornu Fe's I've seen in person were gorgeous, and like an LC, are such a distinctive option compared to the more generic "pro-style" Wolf/Viking/Bluestar etc. That's not to say that those don't have some advantages (a light in the oven, for example!) but we love our LC and would certainly be happy with the CF as well.
chris11895
11 years ago
Gigi7, I'd love to see pictures of your finished kitchen with the CornuFe!
marcolo
11 years ago
Actually, according their website, La Cornue is now part of the Aga Rangemaster Group.

Yes, but I'm not talking only about corporate relationships. The CornuFe is built on a Rangemaster chassis, not a La Cornue chassis. It's like an Aga Legacy but with an extra 2-3K added to the price. And yes, shipping charges exceed 1200 bucks. I saw a CornuFe next to a real La Cornue and ruled it out immediately just on looks alone.
Dianie
Original Author
11 years ago
Thank you all for your time and help. Your comments will certainly come in handy as I continue my search. Thank you much Gigi for your comparison, much appreciated. I'll keep you posted in this journey. I've never been so excited about a range!!!!
cheri127
11 years ago
If I remember correctly, shipping prices for our Lacanche were about the same.

LaCanche range vs La Cornufe range

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LaCanche range vs La Cornufe range

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