Dreaming of a French Range? Learn everything you need to know about a Lacanche Range – design, functionality, cost, delivery, installation, pros and cons and alternative options.
When we undertook a remodel, we designed a classic kitchen with timeless style and functionality in mind. As an entertaining enthusiast, baker, cook and recipe developer, I designated a significant portion of our budget to a range.
I extensively researched professional ranges / ovens including Wolf, Thermador, Viking, Blue Star, Lacornue, Lacanche and Dacor. The Lacanche was the only range I couldn’t see in person (though it is more widely available today).
Why We Chose a French Range
Design
A French stove feels timeless, warm, and classic. When we installed ours over 8 years ago, they were rarely seen in American kitchens.
One notable difference between most Thermador, Wolfe, Viking and Blue Star ranges is that there are no windows on the doors. I was drawn to the simplicity and sophistication of Lacanche (and Lacornue). They feel understated yet elegant.
Performance
The French are known for culinary art. Technique and precision are highly regarded. With a passion for cooking, baking and entertaining blended with overuse as a test kitchen, I wanted a professional workhorse.
Custom
You can design a range that fits your style and needs! Both Lacanche and Lacornue are designed to fit your kitchen and configured to your cooking and baking style. The number, style and size of ovens, type of cooktop options and functionality and more are hand selected (learn more below).
French Range Configuration
Oven Options
Gas Oven – Gas ovens creates and maintains moist heat that naturally circulates. It makes everything so moist and flavorful. They’re perfect for baking breads and cakes as well as roasting meats and vegetables. A larger gas oven cavity is desirable to allow more space between racks and the ability to prepare larger items like a turkey.
Note: Broiler is not available in Lacanche gas ovens.
Convection Oven
Electric Oven
Warming Cupboards / Drawers
The number of ovens, style, functionality – gas, convection and or electric can all be selected.
Based on the style range you select, the cooktop is also customizable! You select number and style of each burner (circular or rectangular) including btu’s. Ceramic Induction, large or petite French top, Teppanyaki, even a Lava Rock Grill are options!
Pros
- Style – The brass knobs and burners make my heart sing. The grates are easy to remove to clean the cooktop (though Lacornue’s enamel drip plates would be preferable to the Lacanche that easily scratches). The ovens are easy to clean as well. The unlacquered brass knobs patina, adding warmth, character and interest. I don’t miss the windows, especially not cleaning them!
Cons
- Broiler – There is no broiler in the gas oven. I miss this feature and didn’t realize how often I used it. The broiler in the electric oven takes a considerable amount of time to preheat.
- Convection – I overlooked that Lacanche convection is not as efficient as modern convection.
- Gas Oven – The left side of our range bakes significantly faster than the right side. Items placed on the left seem to rise more naturally than the right. Even with rotating items, I must adjust bake times. The snapshot below is from one of many tests I conducted to learn more about our gas oven to enhance predictability.
- Quality – After a short period of time, the seal came out of our gas oven and soon after, the convection/electric oven. Despite reinstalling several times, they continued to fall out (and do to this day). I contacted customer service several times and was blamed for over use, temperature, etc. They requested photos, cook times, and temperatures when the seal would fail. The support manager said it was an oven gasket, separate from the peripheral door seals, but there were no techs. Luckily, eventually a reader who was considering a Lacanche and referred to my issues was the spark the company needed to address them. They sent a service tech from Florida since no one in the Midwest was available.
- Issue – I was told that ours was one of a handful of ranges isolated to early 2017 ranges, with a seal issue. I was never contacted about this issue and no attempt was made to resolve. I was disregarded and blamed while trying to resolve what I later learned was a known issue.
- Resolution – Seal and gasket was replaced, but both continue to fail and drape out of our ovens.
Convection Notes
Convection is preferred for baking because it provides an even rise bake in addition to reducing bake/cook time.
- Lacanche convection bakes on a bias, with fans solely in the back of the oven. Items must be rotated halfway through bake time to bake evenly. Even in doing so, I find that Lacanche convection is not the best choice for baking, yielding an inconsistent rise. Rotating is cumbersome when baking multiple items (or cookie sheets) at once. Opening the oven while baking allows air to escape mid-bake, which isn’t ideal. In addition, the fans consume 2″ of the oven. Recently, Lacanche has noted the convection oven is not recommended for smaller models including Cluny, Chagny, Beaune or Bussy due to further limiting the already small oven space.
- Modern convection utilizes multiple fans to circulate the air, eliminating the need to rotate halfway through which is user friendly and efficient.
More to Consider
(Our costs were from 2017)
- cost of freight – $1,575
- additional cost of color – black is standard, color upgrade is $900
- additional burners – I paid an additional $850
- cost of installation
- time/availability. It takes 3-6 months for your range to arrive depending on the shipping method you select and lead time, so plan accordingly
- the handles stick out several inches from the range, so be sure to include them in your measurements for walkways. Most cities have codes that dictate how many inches you need.
To make it fit seamlessly into our kitchen as a centerpiece, without standing out, we had our cabinet paint color matched to the Lacanche Ivory enamel sample.
Installation
Though we were already going through a remodel, installation was a considerable expense given the number of people it took to successfully get it through the door, placed in the kitchen at the proper height and properly leveled.
Our Lacanche was installed before our marble to ensure the marble would not be damaged, but that made adjusting the height a little tricky. It’s about 1/4 higher than our counters, but I didn’t want to go through the additional expense to have it disconnected and reconnected and before we knew it, the backsplash was in and we were committed.
While we had a lot of confidence in our team, they had never installed a Lacanche before and there was a learning curve, even with the abundance of documents shared from the Lacanche team.
Two of my burners left the warehouse turned wrong which is why we were having issues “firing” them up. As previously mentioned, it cooks flawlessly now.
Maintenance
Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the issues we experienced in our first year of ownership.
I looked at a French range as an investment – a workhorse for our family and business. I wasn’t concerned about service because it would be years before it would require any maintenance.
From the start, we had a few problems. I’ll be very honest – I become quickly overwhelmed and the manual, emails back and forth were just too much for me. We had our plumber out again (at our expense) to make adjustments that Lacanche recommended to the best of their ability with the information provided.
We had a second plumber, then my husband Chris attempt to correct the issues. I gave up. I wanted to enjoy it and let go of the frustration. Lacanche reached out a couple times about a fix, but honestly, I didn’t want to keep sinking time and money into it.
Limited Support
It is my understanding that Lacanche now has more installers/service techs nationwide, however we were offered very little support for both installation and repairs.
We were offered nothing other than manuals that our experienced plumbers, electricians and General Contractors struggled with. They did not have recommendations for experienced installers or technicians.
When we invested in the range, I didn’t anticipate any service needs for several years.
Tip
Plan, calculate placement, timing and rotation to ensure even baking.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends which one you purchase, but I can in my gas oven (on the left). I use 6 of these cookie sheets at a time in the electric / convection oven to the right.
Most Lacanche French stoves will run at least $10,000, depending on customizations and specifics. Of course, if you’re shopping in the US, shipping plays a large part.
This is a question that will receive a different answer from everyone. While Lacanche is more sleek, timeless and minimal in its aesthetics, La Cornue seems to have a better reputation for performance and upkeep.
Don’t Skip These: You don’t want to miss our guides to Panel Ready Appliances, choosing a Microwave Drawer, and a guide to Insert Range Hoods.
I know this is a lot of information and that it’s not everyone’s experience, but hopefully it helps you make an educated decision about whether or not it’s right for you and answers all of your questions.
You can learn more about my friend Chloe’s experience with her La Cornue here for a great comparison between these two brands of French stoves.
Do you have a French range or are you considering one?
Hi Julie, thanks so much for posting this. I’ve been obsessing over the look of this range as I prepare for a kitchen renovation in a couple months.
Curious, are you still having issues with the burners? Has Lacanche provided any help? I love the look of this oven but I’ve heard so many similar comments of issues with the gas stove or oven not lighting. I’m thinking of getting the electric oven option but still terrified to spend all this money on a gas stove that doesn’t turn on well.
Do you also find the oven cooks well/evenly? That’s another complaint I’ve seen.
Thanks!
There is just a delay to them lighting, often taking 10-15 seconds or 2-3 attempts. They said it was precautionary against gas buildup from infrequent use. I use it daily, but a couple of the burners are less frequently used. It’s frustrating, but it works.
To be honest, I struggle a bit more with the top of breads, cakes, etc browning on convection while the inside still needs to bake than I had anticipated. I’d love to know where you are reading about it – I couldn’t find a lot of information when I was searching.
Hello Julie,
We also looked at many different ranges and ultimately decided on the Lacanche on recommendation by a friend and seeing the Sully in person through our designer.
We chose also chose the Savigny because it allowed us to fully customize the range to our wants: dual electric convection ovens, gas burners, large central burner for wok cooking (Classique) and a pair of induction burners.
We kept ours black with polished nickel knobs, and it fits in well with our inset white cabinetry.
We had some minor issues with the switches for the induction burners, and the Canadian dealer for Lacanche, The French Barn, were very responsive in having them replaced locally by an experienced technician.
The range works wonderfully and I would highly recommend our rangetop configuration for a best of both worlds of gas and induction cooking.
We also added a stainless steel cover for our wok burner which gives additional space to rest our pots and cool our dishes coming out of the oven.
One thing that impressed me with the electric ovens is the consistency between both our ovens ( one horizontal, one vertical). Our first peach cobblers to break in the ovens both cooked to the same amount of browning and carmelizing with both set to the same temperature.
For our range hood we also did an insert (Best 48”) in a wood cabinet fabricated by our cabinet maker.
It is truly a beautiful range. We were also greatly relieved that it cooks well too.
I love my ILVE range. It has the same design flexibility (8 standard colors and 220 RAL colors to choose from) 4 metals and mixed metal finishes for the trim, handles and knobs – and it’s gorgeous! The lead time is 12 weeks max and the US Importer has an inventory of most of the standard colors and sizes – if it’s in stock you can have it in weeks instead of months! Custom made in Italy, with a complete service and support network in the USA.
I would loooooooove to have one at our lake cottage! They’re beautiful!
You can! Did you know that Hallman industries in Smithville, Texas have struck a deal with ILVE to import their ranges and brand them with there name HALLMAN and sell for 1/3 of the price? We just recently bought an antique white 48” with brass trim for $ 4,500. We love it so much and we arw now in the process of choosing caninetry. I was so excited to see your lacanche and see the color of cabinetry! It is very elegant!! Perhaps your color range is similiar to ours. I am curious what counter tops did you go for? Thanks! Love your blog!
That’s SO good to know, thank you! I wonder if they have an electric range as I desperately want a blue one for the lake cottage! We used marble. You can read all about our kitchen here. Thanks so much for sharing!
Hello Julie,
I love your Kitchen! Every single detail!
Is the colour of the Lacanche Oven called “Frangipane”? If so, it looks so much lighter in your photos than it does in the brochure at the Lacanche website.
Tanya
It’s ivory 😉
Hi Julie,
I’m so happy to find your blog. I now live in California but I grew up in St. Louis (Kirkwood) so in addition to your fabulous posts, it’s especially fun for me to hear at the lake and things happening back home. I just ordered my Lacanche range–same as yours but with the small oven on the left in Vert Silice. I love your hood and wondered what insert you used, your sizing and if it was a custom design? Your proportions are perfect and would sincerely appreciate any insight you can share.
Now my big decision is to figure out my paint color–I love that you matched the cabinets to your oven. It’s lovely! Thanks again for sharing all of your experiences and paving the way for your readers.
Cheers,
Siri
Hi Siri! Thank you for your kindness! It will be beautiful! I used a Zephyr vent because it has a lot of power, amazing lighting and minimal noise. Our carpenter made the hood. I hope that helps! Kirkwood is lovely, but California sure is, too! Let me know if I can help as you embark on your remodel!
Hi Julie,
Thanks so much for your prompt response. With so many models to choose from, I really appreciate your counsel. The Zephyr inserts look superb. Did you go with the 42-inch Monsoon or Monsoon DCBL? I think based on the photo it looks like it’s the 42 inch since the range is 43.5 but I see they also offer a 48-inch option too. My cabinet maker is doing the hood for me, so this insert seems like the perfect way to go. Again, thanks for all of your guidance!
Siri
I can’t recall, but I can find out for you!