Hi drec1500,

Congrats on the sully+2. It must seem like cooking on an aircraft carrier.

I could go on for about an hour or so disscussing roasting but this is how I cook a prime rib.

I never long roast in a convection oven. If you have your face turned into the wind, you get chapped lips right? It will dry your roast. Also electric ovens are drier than gas ovens.

I would sear it in the convection for the first 30 minutes or so at maybe 400 only to seal the outside and trap in the juices and then when golden move it to the gas oven at 300 or 325. That is plenty low. It would take forever in the warming cabinet.

The "per pound" doesn't work as you know. If you buy a larger prime rib, it just gets longer so actually it will cook in the same time as a smaller one. It is the thickness that determines cooking time and the temperature of the meat before it goes in the oven. Some people let their roasts stand at room temp for a while before cooking. It should take 3-4 hours to cook to medium rare but again it depends on how it is trimmed.

If it gets too dark, tent it with aluminum. If you want to pretend that you have a La Cornue vaulted oven, place a pan of water in the oven along with your roast to keep the air moist. The roast will be the juiciest it can be.

Anyone wonder what a trullo looks like? Here is ours under construction. Opps! How do you post photos?

Marty

Thank you Chef Marty. That sounds like a plan. I was using the Per Pound thing just to give me a start time in order to coordinate with the guests...lunch is 3:00PM tomorrow so I'll work backwards from there...I was checking out the temps in the warming cabinet today...they were a bit all over the place 50 to 75º swings, so your right, bad idea.

Thanks again

D.

Let's see if this works. drec1500, how did the Larry do?

[URL=http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2752659930102425525zMAKrM][IMG]http://inlinethumb37.webshots.com/23844/2752659930102425525S425x425Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

I got it! Here is the new home of my Lacanche in Puglia Italy.

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Very nice Chef Marty...by the way, the roast came out really well...I pulled it when the internal got to 115º and it carried over to 135º!!! I got a bit worried since I like it rare, but all was well. It cooked really fast which was surprising...Lots of meaty goodness had by all!

What part of Puglia is this, my Grandfather was from Foggia.

Seems like many people have family from here. From Foggia, go 2 hours south to Brindisi and then west 20 minutes to San Michele Salentino. We have 4.5 acres with olive, pear fig, almond and cherry trees.

Wow! 20 degree carry over cooking. How long did Larry cook for?

He was in there for about 3hours...It was really good, I don't know how much the oven had to do with it and how much was just that it was a good piece of meat. I'm in Spain and I had to convince everyone at the table to trust me and let me slice it thick...when they do roast beef here and serve it cold and sliced paper thin...But now I have a bunch of converts to American style Prime Rib!

Hello!

These are not my final finished pics, but the cabs are FINALLY painted (took 5 times to get it close to right! But thats another story ... ) and my island BB counter is finally in, and I have started unloading boxes here in "Hell Week 43" of this remodel. ;)

So here are some quick pics for those I know who have been waiting for them. Ignore obvious clutter and be aware that I have done NO final arranging of "stuff" anywhere. And yes, I know I have eclectic taste, so allow me cut you off at the pass on that one. :)

MaryT

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Some of those matching hoods have come from here...see link

Mary T,

Your kitchen is just beautiful! You must be so happy with it. I am still in the renovation grind, with my Lacanche crated in the garage, and getting a bit discouraged, but seeing your gorgeous finished kitchen really perked me up :-) Are you going to post details in finished kitchens blog? I especially would love to know what kind of granite that is and what species of wood on the BB (looks darker than maple?) Enjoy your lovely new space!

North40mom - Thank you so much! Yes, I'll post details over there eventually, after I get a bit better organized and take some more detailed pics. My granite is Crema Bordeaux and BB island is end grain Brazilian Cherry. I love my countertops almost as much as my Sully. Almost.

Hang in there on your reno grind. I know just how discouraging it is believe me! At times I grieved that all the delays and troubles were going to take away some of joy of having the new kitchen ... but that has not proven to be the case. One day you'll be cooking on your beautiful range and life will be good again!

My best,
MaryT

Hey everyone!

Has anyone ever had cabinet pulls fabricated to match the hardware on their Lacanche? Or found a source for ready made pulls that match?

I just installed my Cormatin (at last!!) and I have yet to find cabinet hardware that I feel really works well with the range. I have an incredibly tiny kitchen (7'x7') with a fair number of cabinets for such a small kitchen. The sheer number of pulls that will be needed in such a small space and everything pretty much clustered around the range... you get the idea.

(I am new to the forum and just figuring out how this works. If my question has caused a breach in forum etiquett, please excuse a newbie!)

Laura

Mary I love your kitchen. I hope someday to see my lacanche in such a lovely setting. (It's currently the only thing in the kitchen besides a saw horse). And that danged crema bordeaux! I waffled between that and my Vulcan gold sooooo many times that I finally quit visiting the stone yards so I'd quit wanting to change. It's hard to have your granite picked out a year and a half in advance LOL the other ones keep teasing you....

Your eclectic taste is right up my alley. I can't wait to show off my finished kitchen, from the chicken backsplash to the art deco lighting LOL oh and the 26 different knobs....heh heh

Laura I answered you in the thread you started. I have seen a couple knob styles that would probably work (I'm such a knob freak that I ordered cabinets to fit...and highlight my knobs, verses knobs to highlight my cabinets LOL).

26 different knobs?? Wow!! You are a creative (and daring) soul! I would love to see photos of the finished product!

Any sources you might suggest would be greatly appreciated. It is the long handle on the front of the stove that I am after. I had originally thought of using knobs but my efforts to fill the holes left by the previous handles were not satisfactory. I am rehabing some very old cabinets, so that is not altogether surprising.

Thanks for your response to my inquiry!

Laura

P.S. What does LOL stand for?

Mary,

Your kitchen is just absolutely beautiful. If ever remodeling hell was worth it, yours is it.

Well done!
Ivette

Here's a few of my knobs...

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The twisted bars are the foundation knobs (I have about 40 of those, and some little knots that match), then by the same maker...Anne at Home....I picked through the animal collection and DH (dear husband) and I just grabbed the ones that caught out eyes :) They all have the same finish (antique pewter) and the animals will be scattered around the kitchen at random. I actually had to carefully pick my cabinets to work with them because some are quite large (the squirrels are about 4" wide from tail to nose) so we had to have a trim that was flat, and 3 1/2 wide at least so they fit. Since they're very plain cabinets, it's ok to go knob crazy. The same combo in a room with very detailed cabinets would look very overdone. (At least that's my theory and I'm sticking to it) LOL (laugh out loud) :o) (and if you look at that sideways it's a smiley face).

I hope someday to have a finished project to show!

One of the things I love about the Lacance trims is that they use the combo of gold/silver, which really makes it easy to have fun with trimmings throughout the kitchen. My art deco lighting (antique that has been rewired) is a combo of silver and gold as well. I tried to pick that up quite often in the kitchen design (if you haven't seen the Franke pot filler...don't look LOL because it's PERFECT with the Lacanche).

I am doing a second kitchen at the same time and in that one I'm using the existing cabinets and will have the same issues you have (finding pulls that cover holes). That's a little more challenging but for a knob freak :) It's fun too!

I'll go ahead and just paste some links here with some two tones to look at. I don't know your budget, so I am going to just look to style, verses money (My favorite way to shop heh heh)

I don't know if you've thought of going two tone with a different style, but just in case, I'll include a few bars like that as well just to give you some ideas... if you look further you'll see that many have matching knobs as well.

http://www.knobgallery.com/shop/display/27196

http://www.knobgallery.com/shop/display/11120

http://www.knobgallery.com/shop/display/19537

http://www.knobgallery.com/shop/display/19538

http://www.knobgallery.com/shop/display/19540

http://www.knobgallery.com/shop/display/15313

http://www.knobgallery.com/shop/display/15285

(note that on this one you pick the bar and the mount finish separately to customize your look)http://www.knobgallery.com/shop/display/4865

http://www.knobgallery.com/shop/display/4877

http://www.knobgallery.com/shop/display/20370

http://www.knobgallery.com/shop/display/20385

There's a little start :) I really like doing business with this company (Knob Gallery) I've placed several orders through them and always been happy. They also have a great return policy so if you want to order a few samples they can send you one of each and then refund you when you choose the perfect one. There are other places to shop (if you like one...do a google on the internet for that particular knob) but I think I've found you a few that work here :) Let me know and if not, I'll see what else I can find (I have a 300 page catalog that just arrived yesterday with knobs gallore...heh heh)

iglochic - Thanks so much! LOL just your Lacanche and a sawhorse? If you get another sawhorse in there, you can put a piece of plywood between them and have a workspace! Ha! Can't wait to see your kitchen. What a great idea to have so many different critter knobs!

Ivette - Thank you for your kind words. I am loving it, even if I am still tripping over my GC doing "punch list" stuff LOL. Coming from you and your gorgeous kitchen, that is a high compliment indeed. :)

Still unpacking boxes. Hopefully this weekend or next week I will get more detailed pics taken and will post over in the Kitchen forum - with a heads up post here for anyone who doesn't go over there.

My best,
MaryT

iglochic -

Thanks for the references! I checked out the images that you cited, then called Knob Gallery this a.m. I am going to try pulls cb1304, you can see them at:

http://www.knobgallery.com/shop/display/4865

Those can also be done in two different finishes: brushed nickel rod and brass caps and mounting stems. Pretty close. I ordered a couple of them to see how they look. Even at $17/piece, it is way cheaper than having ones fabricated. The woman on the phone was incredibly nice. I am still going to keep my eyes open for a closer match, let me know if you see anything in your monster sized catalogue - but this one may work just fine.

Thanks!
Laura

I really liked those when I found them. I love the option of being able to piece together a knob JUST for you :)

Just curious...who did you talk to about fabrication? I'm thinking my stainless steel manufacturer could do something like a lacanche knob for under $20 each, but I'd have to chat with him to find out. Someone like that might be cheaper than an artist...

Your fabrication reminds me of my chandelier problem. I purchased a fabulous art deco chandelier from France for a steal!!! It was gorgeous!!! Well until they didn't package it well enough for the trip to Alaska and two globes broke.

So now I can have them fabricated. It will take approximately 3 years and several thousand dollars and I have to agree to allow for the chandelier to be reproduced as well if they do it. So much for my deal :) That darned chandelier still sits in the garage with it's two globes, teasing me every time I visit the house...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just a heads up - I posted my kitchen pics over in the Kitchen forum. Link below.

Sorry it has taken me so long to follow up on the knobs/handle discussion (out of town).

I spoke with a a gentleman at Heritage Metal Works, he quoted me a range of $100-$150 or more per pull given the need to fabricate the mold and accomodate multiple finishes. The cost was based on an order of 15 pulls, it would go down with increased quantities. The design would be a an excellent match, but did I mention the cost???? Yikes.

If you know of another possible source, I would be very interested.

Thanks!
Laura

Momto4kids---
Your KF friends are meeting this weekend, Sat., same place, 10am. It won't be the same without you.

Please check your email.
Pamela

Okay, okay, you have all talked me into a range that I hadn't even heard of two weeks ago. I really love the idea of two full size ovens plus the warming cabinet. I have my sights on the Sully 1400 - because I do want the big ovens. But do I NEED the big ovens? Sully vs. Cluny is a big jump in price. The Cluny ovens are the same measurements as the interim wall ovens I have now. I have always thought they were small. Can someone who has seen them both let me know their thoughts? (I do have room for either size - we are starting from scratch in the new kitchen)

And - does anyone, anyone have anything negative to say about these ranges? Anything?

MaryB

MaryB - I have only seen my Sully so I'm sorry but I can't comment on the Sully ovens vs the Cluny ovens. I had the room, so I went with the Sully for the larger oven size - but if I had not had the room, I would have been comfortable with the smaller size of the Cluny I think, because my old wall ovens were 24" and pretty narrow and I was used to that. However, I had a lot of larger pans from my previous kitchen that would not fit in those 24" wall ovens so I went bigger because I could. I am happy happy!!!

The silence in asking if anyone has anything negative to say, well, says it all I think!

HTH,
MaryT

Hi Mary B.

I've been following this forum for a year and the only negative I have heard is that in transit, the ovens get out of calibration by 50 degrees or so. Big deal right! So I am buying sight unseen. I am buying a Vougeot because my pans will not fit in a Cluny. The Sully has two ovens the same size as mine will have. If I could, I would buy the Sully+1 like you talk about but it is 1800 not 1400. 1400 is the Cluny+1.

Marty

Hi MaryB!

First, welcome to our world!

I have the Sully+2. I had 30" ovens in my previous house and was afraid to go smaller. As I now consider the kind of oven cooking I do throughout the year, I think I, too, could have been quite happy with the Cluny oven size. When building this house, I didn't have to consider space issues, so I figured why not get the larger ovens?!

I haven't heard any negative feedback where someone wished their Cluny ovens were bigger. There was some talk a few threads back about particular roasters or cookie sheets, but I think those folks found alternative pans to use and went Cluny. (I think that's an accurate statement!)

Chime in with any other questions you might have. Post them on this thread vs a new thread as many Lacanche owners just come back to visit this thread and may miss a separate post.

Good luck in your decision process!

I don't know if anyone remembers me, and I am surprised to see some old timers here, lol! but I was the one who prompted the Massachusetts approval for Lacanches before I could order one, legitimizing secret ranges all over my commonwealth!

It has been a long hard road, and I abandoned GW about a year ago in despair over remodel stress and overload, but it is (almost) done, and in fact, my kitchen has been done for a while and I move back in the house (after leaving 16 months ago) on Dec 10!! woo hoo!

Anyway, I have been excited to get back to this thread, as I have only cooked one "one pot" meal and I have yet to really test my cluny out, but I am so excited to do so.

Here she is, ready for action:

(the gas oven clicking thing was timely too. That was on my contractor's punch list! I'll take it off. :)

congratulations lpolk!
Yes, I remember your aggravations. That picture is beautiful. Congratulations on moving back in. May your kitchen be as much fun to work in as I've found mine to be. May you look back in a year or so and say, "Yes, it was worth it."

I've got the Cluny & just load both the ovens up when I'm baking. I've got all my roasting & cookie sheets to fit in there. I just ended up replacing a pizza stone for a smaller one. I've never had the wish for a larger oven cavity. I can bake 4 sheets of cookies at once. I've gotten a 17 lb turkey in one oven and pies in the other.

I love the scale of the Cluny in my 9' long range wall.

-a

Haven't been here for awhile, but wanted to comment on the Cluny oven sizes. Most of the time the oven size is just fine. I'm more than delighted with my Cluny. However, it must be said that at Thanksgiving, when that Cluny is crammed full with turkey, I find my hands and forearms look like a self-mutilator from the little burns that come with a) trying to adjust the aluminum foil covering the turkey; and b) trying to move the pan in and out. Be careful!

Also--this site is as slow as ever! :)

Get a big green egg to cook the turkey on :o) It's more fun and leaves room for the sweet potatoes in the Cluny!

Andrea, I'm going through remodel hell as well (in fact it's so bad we purchased another house to live in while we are out of ours) so I understand your pain, but sheessshhh it's wonderful to see your Cluny did finally find a home! I hope to see my 1400 find one as well soon!!!

lpolk...Congratulations! Yes! I remember you, too! I'm so glad you're finally ready to go! It HAS been a long road for you..so now...just enjoy cooking!

Hi Everyone! It's been a while since I've been here too. If you remember, we lived in Illinois and were planning a whole house reno. The very day that I finalized the plans with the architect, my D(ear)H came home with news about a new job, new industry & cross-country move. Needless to say we didn't proceed with construction on that house. Fast-forward 10 months....we've been here in Northern NJ since August. We downsized, since the last "child" (she's 26) at home decided to not move with us. I've planned a modest house facelift and naturally the star of the kitchen will be a Lacanche! I'm thinking it'll be a French Blue Cluny Classique with brass, but I drooled over the burgandy Volnay that was on reserve all fall. Still on the fence as to exactly what to do. Wish I had room for a Cluny 1400 but I don't. I've ordered color chips again, just to double check and then I'll decide. I want to get my order in before the price increase.

My question is: did anyone get the splatter guard for the griddle/grill plate? If so, what do you think of it?

Judy

Hi, have been reading all of these and am so overwhelmed with all the possibilities. We are redoing our kitchen and had originally thought a 36" Wolf with the Miele wall oven - but then the lacanche reared its ugly head - oh my - I'm smitten! Now I'm thinking the Volney (matches the 36" almost ) and stay with wall oven OR get rid of wall oven and go with the Cluny - the Volney looked like it might have a larger compartment than those with 2 ovens and since we have wall space for another oven - ideas, anyone? anyone? Thanks

Hi gbmom,

I'm doing exactly your first choice. For me it is perfect. I will have a warming cabinet, which to me is indespensible, and one large oven in the Volney with convection (Lacanche convection ovens are not adjustable to static cooking. The fan is always on.) My sheet pans will not fit in the Cluny. Then I am buying a wall oven as my back-up. This is a multi-function oven with rotiserie and the works. Then for further versatility, I am getting the five burner top and a portable simmer plate so that I can make the stove into a French Top for when I need to do so. I am placing my order this week. Marron Glace and all chrome with matching fornair hood. I must be dreaming. Good luck!

I have not checked into this wonderful sight for a while since I have been in remodeling depression for many months. It is heartening to see old timers return to give us consul.
My Volnay has been waiting in Washington since September (I had an August move in date). I am now praying for March and waiting anxiously for my black and brass friend to find its home. I decided on the Volany because of its one large oven and a 27" Gaggenou wall oven coupled with the combi-steam. My dear H never lets me forget the "overkill" decision. I will let you all know if indeed these luxuries get used on a regular basis.

We did out remodel with only structural engineering blueprints, no elevations or designer drawings. Big Mistake! I thought I could handle the design because I was so sure I knew what I wanted. That was before we found the dry rot, termite destroyed wood floors, walls that couldn't be changed etc. All my original plans have been altered and I am still waiting for kitchen cabinets to go in. However, I am encouraged by all your posts and the recognition that time will eventually end this seemingly endless process.
Happy holidays to all and again, welcome back momto4kids,jaedwards, vedazu, lpolk and the rest of you "happy in your finished kitchen" returners.
JanieO

Oh Janie, I can so relate. I was supposed to have a 9 month remodel. Just today I was unpacking kitchen boxes, and I saw the newspaper date on the paper I used: Dec 5, 2005. That's when I packed my kitchen, 2 months after starting my project, exactly 2 years ago! I too left GW alone for a while in a bit of a depression, but it DOES end. I definitely hit the wall, and stuck to it! Time does march on, and it will end for you too.

The funny thing is my kitchen was done first, months ago, and I have just "visited it" during the other construction (addition to old house). I am a little freaked out because my appliances were bought so long ago, I think most are out of warranty!! You will have a lot of fun testing it all out when it is done, that gaggeneau will get lots of use, I'm sure!

Hang in there. I still have a storage pod and dumpster in my yard. No front porch. And a sheet of ice in front of the side door, where the movers are coming on wed.

But today I unpacked all my old baking pans, and only 1 jumbo muffin pan didn't fit in the cluny oven. Even my lg roaster fits, which I was sure would not.

Keep us up to date!

Hello all! We finished our 6 mth remodel in 20 mths (hmmm) and moved in the house right before Halloween. Have been using the Lacanche for a few weeks and need help calibrating. I thought I read somewhere where you could calibrate it yourself. This may be my imagination. Will try again to contact Art Culinaire, but they have not returned my calls. The electric oven was off 25 degrees, the gas 50 degrees. Now the electric oven doesn't heat above 400 degrees. Ugh. Could use some help. Starting to wish I had gotten something else.

gbmom:

Just my two cents' worth on Cluny vs. Volnay: I have a Cluny and am quite happy with it; I bake a fair amount and roast a lot of meats and veggies. When I bake, it is not so much cookies, as scones, so I don't fill up my oven and pan size isn't an issue. The roasting veggies on a 13x18" half sheet pan does fill the oven front to back, so I turn the pan at quarter-time, flip the veggies at half-time, and turn the pan again at 3/4 time -- because air circulation is ample on the sides of the pan, but not front to back. If my kitchen had been bigger (and as Chef Marty suggested), I would have loved to have the Volnay and have a convection wall oven, for additional versatility (it would have compromised a 30" floor to ceiling pantry, which I couldn't give up). I do love the visual balance of my Cluny and it is an ideal width centered in my average-sized kitchen (15 feet wide on the range wall).

Good luck with your remodel!
kg

Lacanche two-year report

We have had our burgundy Cluny, "Julia," for nearly two years now. This forum was a great help at the time, so I thought I would pass on what our experience has been.

First, how we cook and what kind of stove we were looking for. We dont bake a lot of cookies and such. When we do bake it is usually cake or pie. We do make bread and a lot of pizza. We like to feed our friends and on a scale of 1 to 10 on the "Im not a professional chef, but I play one at home" I would rate us an 8-9. We wanted a stove that had enough oomph to sear, not steam food. It should look great. We definitely did not want something in stainless. It needed to have two ovens. We also wanted something less prone to problems. We have friends with a Viking that seemed to give them a lot of trouble and the tech support seemed lacking. Im not saying this is true of all Viking stuff, just my friends. We know there are more powerful, cheaper and equally reliable stoves on the market, but the Cluny was a perfect match for what we wanted.

We ordered, sight unseen. Art Culinaire was good to work with except the pause in contact that everyone seems to have after the initial sign of interest. I dont know what this is about, but perhaps by now they have that fixed.

Our stove arrived on Valentines Day and was installed the same day. We hired some movers to drag it from the garage to the kitchen. I could have done this myself with the help of a friend, but it seemed prudent to get two guys with lifting equipment.

I installed the rest. Very straightforward and doable by most DIYers.

We cooked a great V. Day meal.

Okay. From the top to the bottom.

The stainless steel top is easy to clean. I use soap and water followed by some variety of stainless cleaner. Going with the grain is a bit of a pain, but I only clean it this hard once a month. The brass burner tops can be cleaned, if you care, with Bartenders Helper if you scrub hard. When you get your stove, photograph the brass tops. They will never look like that again. The bottom portion of the burners can be cleaned the same way. I have tried other methods such as the dishwasher and even oven cleaner, but you just have to use muscle power.

We have the French top. We use it a lot less than we thought we would. Even with the burner set to low, it eventually gets too hot for a low simmer. We do, however, use it to keep stuff warm when we are cooking large meals. It also makes a terrific landing spot. When we first had it, we were instructed to season it like a cast iron pan. I suspect the only reason for this is to keep rust at bay. If it gets wet, it rusts. Easy enough to clean off though.

The burners are perfect. We dont cook with a wok much, but when we do the center, 18k burner provides more than enough power. The small burner is great for simmering. The other big burner, 15k, on the right can keep water boiling as you ad pasta, something my old stove could never accomplish.

The only annoying thing about the grill is that you need to use these little pan trivets if you use a small pan. Seems like they could have designed this better.

Two of my burners needed to be adjusted to simmer lower. Art Culinaire provided instructions for doing so. It was very simple to adjust.

We bought the griddle and grill pans. They came as a "buy one, get the other one free" deal. The grill is still in the box. If someone wants to buy it let me know. We use the BBQ. The griddle is good once you get used to it. It is F**ing heavy and it takes a while to get the temperature where you want it. I would just get a lighter weight one from a kitchen store.

The Ovens:

We have one gas and one, non-convection electric oven with broiler.

Oven size:
The ovens will take a half sheet pan lengthwise. When we do bake cookies we use two sheet pans and rotate them halfway through the cooking time. If you make a lot of cookies, this just may not work for you. You will probably want convection and a larger oven. This oven works just dandy for us.

Cooking a 20 pound turkey:
(Okay, we never really roast birds that big, but we typically do a 13 pounder.)
We have an all-clad 16"x13"x3" roasting pan. You put a turkey in it and it fits, just like the picture on Art Culinaires web site. BUT grabbing the rear handle of the roaster requires some dexterity. The oven shelf is pushed back to its farthest position for the roaster to fit. The shelf does not just glide out. What we do is pull the roaster out until it is just about to fall off the shelf, then carefully grab the rear handle. We cook a turkey about twice a year, so for us this is not an impediment. There is a similar experience when using our large La Creuset pan.

We bought two pizza stones from Willy-Sonoma. They are rectangular and thick. Do not buy those thin things from other places. They always crack. We find putting them on the second to lowest oven shelf provided the best results. We turn both ovens to max. (Just an FYI for pizza makers. Like most people, we put corn meal on the peel to slide the pizza in. It works but always leaves a huge mess. Recently, we used parchment paper instead. I pull it out from under the pizza about half way through. Very tidy!)

The broiler works great. We dont broil that often. We live in San Diego, so any broiling to be done is usually on the BBQ.

Oven Cleaning:
Take out all the stainless shelves and shelf guides. Spray with oven cleaner. Wait. Wipe. This is so not a big issue for us. We clean them every 4 months. I remember my previous, almost self-cleaning oven. It never did a very good job, and always left me uneasy with the heat it produced.

I dont miss having a window. You could never see through them any way (see note about almost self-cleaning above)

I DO miss an oven light. Of all the things I could imagine complaining about, this is weird to me, yet it is so. You cant see the top of the pizza.

In general, I would say the ovens are quite adequate, with the two exceptions of making large batches of cookies often and if you wish to cook a dinoturkeysouras. When we go to a friends for dinner, it is interesting to see the huge amount of space around whatever they are cooking in their oven. I like the Clunys efficiency in this regard. I get two useful ovens in less than 48" of stove width.

The drawers under the ovens work okay. I do a lot of woodwork, and the glides they use are not exactly top of the line but shouldnt break.

Ventilation:

We live in a home built in 1959. There is a hole in the ceiling over the stove that leads outside. We were planning a remodel, but our old stove died before we could do the remodel (in fact we are still waiting.) Rather than buy an interim stove we just bought the Cluny. The stove is next to our back door, which is usually open when we cook. Yesterday we had Thanksgiving (everyone was out of town for real Thanksgiving) We had both ovens on and used all burners. This puppy puts out a huge quantity of heat. I cannot imagine using it without ventilation. We will be using a 900cfm VAH when we do remodel.

In general, we are totally thrilled with our stove and the decision to purchase it. Julia is a thing of great beauty and elegant simplicity. She has fulfilled our expectation completely. Wellexcept for that oven light.

After over one year of following this forum, I am ready to order my range for Italy but I have to announce that I will be changing sides. No I will not be ordering the Volnay I was talking about. I am ordering a Vougeot.

Really bad joke huh? That is why I cook for a living. I sent the deposit today and now the hard part...waiting. But all of you seem to know a lot about waiting and why should I not have the same experience. I should see my Lacanche in May. I wonder if I'll give it a name.

OK now something useful. I found some great instructional videos that you might not know about at french ranges. If you need some adjusting and like to do things yourself, maybe these can help.

Our 9 month build became a 2 year project. Sigh. Why do we think we will always be the exception? I suspect we are all pretty particular about our projects-a reason we love this range. And I do love my range, my new house, my new kitchen. To those in process, you do eventually 'forget' the painful times.
Joeboldt post was terrific. Covered many things I would consider important. Including the oven light-I keep a flashlight in the drawer beside the stove!
I love the efficent size of my Cluny ovens and quickly adjusted to smaller cookie sheets. I bake a batch each week, and now bake fewer at a time. We are only 2 at home, but entertain frequently. I no longer need dozens in pantry.
We prefer smaller turkeys. We usually cook two at a time. Eleven pounders are great. We like to do one in the bbq and one in the oven. Had an excellent Emeril brine this yr that made a heck of mess in the oven. I like a clean oven, but am not as obsessive as I was in the beginning.
I appreciate the tip on the parchment with the pizza-hate the cornmeal mess, too.I cook with a lot of parchment, special order, cut to size for my cookie sheets. Hadn't thought to remove it part way through and feared the high heat so will try that. Did pizzas on the bbq during the summer and it was fun.
Thanks for the reminder of the tech link. I have had burners that could use an adjustment-I have adjusted instead and love usuing my simmer plate during the winter-would be nice to adjust a burner lower for summer tho'.
Hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday season-this site was a great benefit to me during my long wait.
I found it took about 6 months to get really comfortable in my new house and kitchen and today cannot think of anything I would change. Such a trauma to get there-and can't remember the things that didn't work out and those I had to eliminate.
Enjoy-the food prep is such a special part of the season. Gives us great joy to share the experience with others.

Congrats Marty! I have also placed my order and should receive my French blue Cluny classique in March!!!! Like Randie, there are just the two of us at home and think the Cluny sized oven will work beautifully most of the time. After such a long wait, I am pretty much beside myself with excitement!!!!

Happy holidays everyone!

Judy

Hi everyone -- long time no post!! We installed our Cluny 1400 (black, Classique) in May 05. Yesterday, we used our gas oven for the very first time (Christmas turkey). So after the "first time you use it yucky smell which lasted for about 20 minutes", the turkey turned out great. I know, pretty darn pathetic to finally be using the gas oven, eh? Always use the electric but we are far from gourmet cooks (pretty basic stuff in our house).

My brother did a lot of the cooking on the Cluny for Xmas and loved it. The turkey we cooked was a bit less than 13 pounds.

We've had the "cooker" long enough now that I think I want to take the time to polish up the brass burners ... just to see them shine again. I do not have a problem with them tarnishing... it will just be nice to see them shine again.

I hope everyone had happy holidays !! We love our Lacanche (bought sight unseen like many of you) and have absolutely no regrets.

Happy New Year to all!!

We had a very low key Christmas dinner. Our son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter spent Christmas Eve with her parents. Dinner there was a traditional Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes with ten adults at the main table and almost as many children at the table in the kitchen. Our son said it was total chaos. We took the opposite approach.

On Christmas Eve morning we baked an apple pie (two pies actually, but only one was for Christmas). In the evening we baked two loaves of semolina bread. On Christmas Day we oven braised a Yankee Pot Roast with potatoes, onions and carrots in a chicken broth/beef broth liquid. The only seasoning was salt, pepper and fresh thyme. No racing around, no craziness in the kitchen, just a leisurely day to enjoy with our kids.

The (gas) oven in our Cormatin performed flawlessly. Our daughter-in-law asked for the recipe for the pot roast. The bread had a nice crust and wonderful smell even the next day. The apple pie looked like a cookbook illustration and tasted better than it looked. (It's hard to beat a 50/50 mix of Macintosh and Granny Smith apples.)

MMMMmmmMMMMMM.....

I made a Christmas goose on Christmas Eve with fruit and chestnut stuffing and roasted potatoes with some of the goose fat. FANTASTIC.

My ovens never seem to hold a consistent temperature. I can't figure out what the deal is. I've learned to live with it, and work around it. It's not serious, just five degrees in either direction.

Happy New Year everyone!

Ivette

Ivette: Do you mean the temperature fluctuates as you are cooking? Ie, you set it to 350 and it goes from 345 to 355? If so, that is perfectly normal.

Joe

Joe,

I am interested in either the Volnay or the Cluny 1400. Originally, just the Volnay, but after this holiday season I felt the need for a bigger cooktop area, therefore, the Cluny 1400. The Cluny ovens measurements show 15.7" in width and I believe that is interior measurements, correct? I have the same All-Clad roasting pan, but mine measures 15.25" in width, so that would be a tight fit unless I put it in handles front to back. I also have the Gagg Combi and the 27" Gagg conv which are great, but I do miss a gas oven. I guess my question to you would be overall do you feel the Cluny's oven size is adequate for most of your roasting? Or would you have preferred the bigger oven size of the Volnay?
Thanks...Maria

Maria,

The pan will not fit with the handles on the sides. The handles make the pan about 17.5". The only way to put the roaster in the oven is front to back. Let me see if I can elaborate, without making this overcomplicated.

The oven racks in the cluny, in their normal position, do not go all the way to the rear of the oven. There is also a small, upturned lip on the back of the rack. In order to put the roaster (or for that matter a half-sheet pan) in the oven, the rack needs to be pushed further back. This puts the rack lip against the rear of the oven. The roasting pan will now slide in but the front will over hang the rack a couple of inches - not really a problem. What IS kind of an issue though, is removing the pan after it has gotten hot, especially with something tall in it like a turkey. You have to pull the pan forward. Then, before it falls off the rack, you need to reach over the turkey to grab the rear handle. This is doable without burning the top of your hand on the oven roof, but you need to pay attention! If the racks slid out more easily, this would be less of an issue, but once loaded with a heavy turkey and pushed to the rear of the oven, they just don't slide that easily.

My personal opinion about the oven size is that, for my use, they are more than adequate. We use both ovens fairly often and only something the size of a turkey presents the issue noted above. We make turkey two or three times a year.

Hope that helps. -Joe

I thank you Joe for the information. I, too, only cook a turkey 2x a year, but I use my roasting pan for roasts and chicken breasts at least once a week. I understand what you mean about pulling the pan forward and either supporting the bottom of the pan or grab the other handle. Your previous post was very helpful too.
Maria

Yes Joe that is exactly what I mean. I had no idea that was normal! Good thing I've decided I can live with it. LOL. Since this is the first time I"ve actually had a thermomter inside the oven telling me the temp independantly, I guess I just never noticed before.

Color me relieved.

Ivette