Hi Cindy

I went to see a Cluny. The hosts were very gracious. They had had their stove installed for several months but had not cooked on it very much. I don't think they had used the ovens at all. They were happy to let me turn on the burners and the ovens. They were clearly delighted with their stove and enthusiastic about Lacanche and Arts Culinaire.

The only thing that gave me pause was that the oven racks were sticky and hard to pull out and push in even when nothing was on them. I talked to Chelsea about this. She told me that this could be completely remedied by adjusting the side guides. I have asked other people about their racks and heard a few comments about sticky racks but no one thought it was a major problem. But it is something you may want to check out for yourself.

cinamom:
we bought sight unseen and now that it's in we are just as happy as we thought we would be, although we're still a week or so off from cooking on it. We had asked about an in person demo but couldn't find one in the Atlanta area.

Where are you located? If there is a GW LC owner nearby I suspect they'd be delighted to show theirs off.

We're in the Boston/Metrowest area (495 corridor for anyone more local). Perhaps I could bribe someone with a meal if they would allow me to cook it on their range.:P

Cinamon, send me a private email regarding seeing a Lacanche.

AC provided us a referral and they ended up being only a few blocks away from us. They were very friendly and answered all my questions. I didn't even think to ask to actually cook on it, but that's not a bad idea.

I know if AC contacted me to ask if someone could come see it I would more than happy to oblige.

pluckymom, I did send you an email. I've never used GW to send email so I hope it got through.

Chelsea at AC is looking into scheduling a local viewing for us. I am just wondering what to expect. I imagine it depends on the owner exactly what a "viewing" would entail.

Thank you all for the info!

cinamon,
There was someone here - meaning, both at the GW as well as in the Boston/95 area - who had ordered a LaCanche but had to cancel it because it had not made it onto the state or the town's UL approved list of ranges. Although AC had applied for approval ratings in Mass, apparently it was taking a while and she ultimately went a different way - I forget which one for. Our area became perhaps paranoically sticky about sticking by the books ever since the gas company/utility chaps blew up someone's house a few years ago by over-pressurizing the lines. So, do check both with AC as well as your town inspection office to see if the LaCanche is now approved for installation here.

I do hope they are; they're beautiful ranges and I think Mass - or Lexington, at least - was being a bit silly about this but still, better to know before you go banging your head against immovable objects.

FWIW: Art Culinaire states they are approved in all 50 states. This is from their website:

Lacanche ranges made exclusively for North America carry a UL listing for the USA and ULC for Canada. European Lacanche ranges are not approved for US installations. Failure to comply with local code requirements may result in failed Occupancy Permit, fines, removal or other restrictions.

The Uniform Mechanical Code mandates appliances be tested and approved by an "officially recognized US Testing Laboratory". Underwriters Laboratories complies with this directive and has been accepted by building inspectors nationwide.

Could it be that the range in question was imported directly from France rather than through AC? I know there are some sites that claim to be able to do that, though I would think it was a mistake given AC's superior support.

Could it be that the range in question was imported directly from France rather than through AC? I know there are some sites that claim to be able to do that, though I would think it was a mistake given AC's superior support.

No, they were going through AC. But this was also a couple of years ago. My comment was just a heads up to you so you didn't get caught having to replan as they had had to in the midst of their project. Sounds like you're all covered on that front.

Wow, thanks for the heads up, although it sounds as if the building codes issue shouldn't be a problem now. I will check on the UL listing for myself just to make sure. I can't even imagine how horrible it would be to have ordered something like a LaCanche and then not be able to use it.

Cinamon, I do hope you get to go play with one :) Plucky sounds ready and willing to let you fondle her baby :oP

If you're in Alaska, feel free to call LOL We are hoping to host Chelsea in the next month or so for dinner. As ambasador's we've said we'll either fix a meal for a guest or allow them to play on it, or just let them drop by...whatever they want. I'm sure we're not the only Ambasador's who feel that way :)

Igloo, I am so excited. Word is my baby is on the airplane now!!

Hope you get your pix up faster than I did!

Igloochic, next time we're near the Arctic circle we'll stop by!

Plucky, I hope it's flying 1st class.

Thanks to all for the input!

plucky, did your "baby" arrive safely?

Cindy

I saw it fly over plucky...it was comfy in first class as it rounded the pole...

Now where are our pics????

Yes, my baby arrived safely and she is a beauty. Unfortunately, she is all wrapped up after we examined her to protect her from any damage from the remodeling mess that is going on. Cabinets are being painted, then installation sometime next week they tell me. Meanwhile, we wait and are trying to be patient. The pics I want to see are Clinresga's! I think that will help tide me over a bit longer. Come on, Clinresga, a little preview??

We have an appointment to "view" a Cluny this evening. I feel like I'm going on a blind date ;)

Should we bring some sort of token of thanks (i.e. small box of chocolates)for the owners? It seems strange to show up at a private residence without some sort of "hostess gift".

Cindy

A modest thank you is a great idea, although knowing many Lacanche owners, I suspect the opportunity to show off their range is enough payback.

I'm still holding out on pix til we get backsplash. And maybe find someone who knows how to take competent pictures. Soon though!

Thank you for the advice, clinresga. I kind of wish I'd had time to bake something today, but... I hope they like chocolate.

Cinamom,
How was your visit? Can't wait to hear your thoughts on seeing the Cluny! Also, Art Culinaire sends a small gift to any owner who shows their Lacanche to someone. So you can rest easy that your "ambassador" will have chocolate and something for their Cluny.

The Cluny was lovely. The owner, a very nice lady, is in the middle of a huge renovation of a historic home, so the kitchen is not completely finished. The range is hooked up and we were able to turn the burners on, but not do more than that. In general, we (dh was there, too) were impressed with the construction of the unit. My one concern/disappointment is that the edges of the sheet metal in the storage drawers is pretty sharp. I could envision myself scraping my wrists accessing the drawer. Have you found the inside of your drawer fronts sharp?

The range is a real "looker". This one is matte black and has the Classique top. In that setting the color seemed to have a blue cast to it. We are more interested in the "traditional" top with the simmer plate, so I'm hoping that Chelsea will be able to find someone with that top for us to view.

One surprise for me (I don't know why as I have the dimensions) is just how small those ovens are. We are leaning more toward the Volnay, so the oven would be a bit larger. There is no way our annual Thanksgiving turkey for 25 would fit in one of the Cluny ovens. On the other hand, it must take very little energy to heat a space that size for most "normal" meals.

At this point, we are definitely leaning towards the Lacanche. I think we can start finalize our cabinetry plans now that we are feeling more confident about what dimensions we'll need for the appliances. It's starting to feel much more like a real project rather than just a "wouldn't it be nice to redo the kitchen" thing.

The inside of the drawer fronts is sharp. I felt that was a drawback and DH and I were talking about what to do about that the other night so that no one is hurt.

I don't think there is any way you could fit a turkey for 25 in a Cluny oven. Maybe a turkey for 12? We cook our turkey in our Big Green Egg outdoors, so that wasn't so much of an issue for us and the ovens will work for the way we cook. But I totally understand your concerns about oven size as I went back and forth over that issue. It's funny though when I saw the ovens I was relieved as the measurements I had pictured were even smaller. We did consider the Sully for that reason. The Volnay has a bigger oven and the warming cupboard. Would you go with gas or electric?

We got the matte black and in our house there is no blue cast to it. We also have the traditional top.

In answer to the discussion above as to whether or not Lacanche is licensed in MA, I had seriously considered either a Cluny or Volnay late '05/early '06. When I spoke with AC , Lacanche wasn't licensed but was applying. I couldn't afford to wait to see if it happened, so I ended up going with Bluestar for a variety of otherreasons - cost, burner shape, they also began to offer colors, bigger size oven.

Out of curiosity I just checked the MA website, and Lacanche IS certified for 10 different ranges. It took a while to find - if you search by mfr it's called Societe Industrielle de Lacanch (the 'e' disappeared).

I still think the Lacanche ranges are beautiful. As an homage, I ordered my Bluestar in red with brass bezels and handles.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lacanche certification in MA

dee, thank you for the link. The Volnay is there so I don't have to worry.

plucky, how funny that you are Eggers. DH bought an Egg just this summer and we've been extremely pleased with it. I never considered using it for the Thanksgiving turkey. I'll have to look into that possibility, but it would be a tight fit. We would opt for gas (propane). I've never used a gas oven, but will have a seperate electric wall oven for "pickier" baking. I'm kind of sorry to hear that your's doesn't have that blue tinge to it as I rather liked it.

plucky, dh and I were discussing the sharp edges issue this evening and he came up with the idea of using some type of rubber gasket over the edges. I don't know if that would interfere with how well the drawers close, but it may be worth a look. Perhaps something like the "extrusions" that this company makes.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rubber gaskets

cinamom: I had never noticed the sharp edges you mentioned but just went and looked. I assume it's the top of the two brackets that hold the front panel onto the drawer base. Gasket might work. Crude solution: take some vice grips and bend the top corner so that the "point" rests against the front panel. Haven't done it but seems like it would work.

We went around and around the oven issue as well. We had initially spec'd a 48'' range, and wanted a warming cabinet. That left only a few options and we ended up with the 55'' Cluny 1400. The ovens are indeed small, though prior discussions on earlier threads certainly show that you can get more into them than you might think. Still, I hedged our bets as you did, and installed a single Miele convection oven.

I love the Miele. It's kind of the diametric opposite of the Lacanche--ultra high tech, with touch screen, Magic Chef, sensor probe, built in rotisserie, etc. It's spacious and cooks well. I honestly use it as our primary oven: it's big, it has a light (!), and the touch screens are very easy to navigate. Also, it's self cleaning and I'm totally lazy and would rather run that every month or two than attack the Lacanche with a can of Easy Off.

To me it's the best of all worlds: a big convection for the turkey, and two small ovens so that for those big occasions (like the upcoming Thanksgiving cookathon) I'll be able to bake in all three. I would in all honesty be less than totally satisfied if all I had were the two LC ovens, mainly for the lack of convection and the inability to cook multiple sheets of cookies etc.

Overall I love the LC and it has not yet failed to draw admiring comments from those who've seen it. It cooks wonderfully and I am very happy we decided on this splurge. Hope you take the leap too.

clinresga, My DH wondered about bending the top corner as well as a solution. I worried about the oven size (so many sleepless nights), but didn't have the room in my kitchen for another oven. I'm hoping I don't miss it too much :(

cinamom, I think if you can have the separate electric oven, you will be like clinresga, and have the best of both worlds. The rubber gasket is a good idea. We'll have to look into that.

If we can manage to fit it all in our less-than-spacious kitchen (and the market doesn't continue to plunge), I will definitely opt for a seperate electric convection oven for marathon cookie/pastry baking. We've been using the downdraft Jenn-Air range/conv oven that came with the house. The oven is pretty small due to the space the downdraft and grill "drain" consume. I'd be pretty happy with any improvement, so the thought of three ovens, even if one is only a warming cupboard, almost makes me giddy. lol