Texas_Cajun,

Are you asking about the CornueFe Albertine? If yes, I had one and I'm happy to give you a review. I had one in my old kitchen in New Orleans.

We are looking at the CornuFe 110, but I would still love to hear what you have to say about the Albertine! From what I understand it has the same top and oven style, the oven is just larger.

Well, let me preface this by saying that I think that if you are a good cook, you can cook on any gas or induction range top (and probably electric too, once you know your particular range). I liked the top and had no issues doing anything I wanted to do up there.

I loved my range top on the CornueFe; however, the oven was always a challenge for me because it took forever and a day to heat up. And a lot of somewhat normal things didn't fit in there. My daughter had a friend who would only eat Whole Foods pepperoni pizza and the large one wouldn't fit in the oven. If your oven is bigger, likely not an issue of size. That said, it roasted and baked very evenly. The door is well insulated and I never burned myself on it. We are a family of three so our somewhat tiny Thanksgiving turkey was fine, but if you're a Big Bird family, again, you'll probably be glad you have a bigger oven.

The Albertine is a dual fuel. I have learned that I actually prefer a gas oven for the type of oven cooking I do (I don't bake cookies or cakes). I missed having the old fashioned, top mount broiler. I'm glad to have one in my new range at my new house.

Overall, I thought for looks it was great (I also didn't want a Big Pro range in my space) and I'd probably give it a 3.5 out of 5 for function. We had the brass accents so it made a pretty nice impression - especially when polished, but the patina of use was warm and lovely. Just a few minor changes could have made it a perfect oven for me.

Have you looked at a Bertazzoni?

You made me smile - ...anyone who has had a CornuFe for at least 6 months...

I'm also underwhelmed by effusive commentary on items that were acquired yesterday or last week. How about negative commentary because the owner had some hassle with the shipper, like the package was left in the bushes? It's so much more useful to hear that someone has owned whatever for 3 years and it functions as expected or better, the ergonomics are great or only tolerable, or "I love the function, but it's kind of a pain to clean." Or they've owned it for 3 years and the repair guy is now on their Christmas card list they see him so often.

grlwprls,

Thank you so much for the comprehensive review! I will admit that while I try to be a big baker (cakes, pastry and breads) I work 60-80 hour weeks and can only really cook on the weekends. Looks are probably more important to me than top performance - my husband often complains I elevate form over function.

As far as Thanksgiving, we not only are not big bird people, we aren't even really bird people. I generally order out for a smoked turkey if we host, which has only been once (my grandmother still wants to do it and unfortunately we live pretty far from them so we travel for holidays anyway). In addition, I'm not a vegetarian officially but I don't eat much meat and if my husband wants a steak he wants a grill.

I have never had a broiler so I don't know that I would miss one. I'll try to find a live version of something with one and try it out. But again, I'm much more of a baker than a cook, and while my husband cooks, he's a stovetop kind of guy. The pizza thing is the only thing I could see being an issue, we do occasionally pop those in the oven.

We did look at the 48" Bertazzoni Pro, but no one here has one in a showroom and given my experience with the Lacanche (loving it in photos, not so much in person), it makes me nervous buying it sight unseen. I'm starting to think we may as well flip a coin. If we got the Berta I'd have room in the budget for a separate electric oven if we went all-gas there, so that might be the most functional option. My only hangup is whether it looks too modern. I much prefer it to my husband's choices, though!

Suzanne, that was definitely a reaction to seeing people rave about an appliance and then find out later in the post that it was still boxed up in the garage! I am definitely interested in issues people have had with things to decide if it's an issue I can live with. I.e., I'm willing to deal with things that are a pain to clean (we don't have kids and probably never will), but not an oven that has horrendous hotspots. If this process has taught me anything, it's that it's a matter of knowing what tradeoffs you'll need to make and whether you can live with them, because every brand seems to have its quirks!

I've been following this post with great interest. I have nothing to add in terms of reviews, as I'm one of those with a range "in the garage" (an Albertine). However, so much of what is posted above rings so true to me...

I too never took a test drive on the range, and took the leap. I chose form over some functionality, and the oven size issue has been a point of "discussion" in the household. If we had the room, we would have thrown a wall oven in to fit the large pizzas. My counter "discussion" point is that we can just cut it in two.

Oh, and our current oven has terrible hot spots.

I have a CornuFe 110. I have not burned myself on the doors. When you open them they stay open they do not bounce back on you. The outside of the doors do not get hot so no problem there. There are many negative reviews on this stove but they all come from people who own something else. I have been cooking on mine since last year and it is a joy! I feed a husband and two teenage sons so I do a lot of cooking. The two ovens bake very evenly. The temps are spot on! The cooktop has plenty of space, it is not crowded at all and I find the burners plenty powerful. If you have any other specific questions I will try to answer for you.