Dreamhouse,

Do you have a local showroom that you can visit where they have a display of the different ranges? If you do, I would take my pots and pans with me to test out the configuration.

I was initially looking at a gas rangetop to replace my Dacor Rangetop but decided on Induction instead. I liked the configuration of the 30" bluestar in that I could put a large 16" wok and a large 12" Le Creuset pan on the front burners without the items touching. I find most 4 burner configurations to be pretty good. I have an older Dacor Rangetop that is a 48" cooktop with 6 burners. I like the configuration of the cooktop but not the sealed burners. I am not sure what Dacor is doing these days. You did not mention what size Range you were looking for.

Good luck!

Probably 48" but only because I'd like to have either built- in griddle or two burners dedicated to a griddle accessory. I've heard mixed reviews on if built in griddles work any better than just using an accessory griddle.

Thanks Corie! That helps tremendously! Do you know if you had to make any special modifications to electrical or gas/LP for connection (if you're in U.S.). Just curious...What color did you choose? To stay relatively neutral, I'm considering white, black, or maybe the light silvery-blue color.
Thanks again for your useful comments!

No, the ranges are made to meet US requirements for electricity and gas. The only issue I have seen is it isn't a standard US size, so I have to mention that to the kitchen designers. The first one did a mock up using a US sized pro range before I met or spoke with her (she works for the GC), so of course all the cabinets are wrong. Have you spoken with anyone there yet? If not, Elisa in their NY office was very helpful throughout the process and not pushy at all.

I got the terra-cotta. It sounds crazy, but I think the color was the hardest decision to make! The colors are all so beautiful.

I would have gone with black, but my family really wanted a color. My husband said if you are going with a range that unique it has to be a color, so I let them chose. They originally wanted Portuguese Blue, which is beautiful but goes with absolutely nothing else in our house.

Fortunately, when the paint sample arrived they came to the senses. The terra-cotta will go very well with our furnishings. The new kitchen will be white with a rustic, wood, island countertop and Carrara marble countertop (I hope) next the the range, so I think the terra-cotta will really pop.

I've been in contact with Victoria and am currently eagerly awaiting my samples and brochure (all the colors ARE so beautiful, you are so right! Am hoping the samples will help narrow my choice. I would never be brave enough to choose it, but the coral blue is gorgeous). My husband says the same thing as yours. I'm not too worried about the smaller oven size--other than cookie sheets. I've read regular size cookie sheets won't fit. Did you get or recommend the simmer plate?

I didn't go with the French Plate, again from research and online recommendations. I am getting the Classic burner instead which comes with a portable French Plate/Simmer Plate. It will work just fine for me, for melting butter, chocolate or other sauces that require a low temperature. I think the Classic burner will be more useful for my family for boiling water, cooking stir fry meals, etc.

I'm glad you've talked with them! I'm sure you've seen the 40 plus Lacanche threads already? They are full of great reviews and information. I'll be posting when I finally get mine installed and get to start using mine; hopefully early July. The GC has pushed out completion date yet again. Please let us know what you decide to do!

dreamhouse, Like Corie, we also got a Lacanche. The configure tool on frenchranges.com is great and it's nice that you can configure the range to your liking. We paired our Volnay with a combi-steam oven so, like Corie, we end up with two ovens and a warming cupboard. Ours is just not all in a Lacanche package. I love our Lacanche. We've had it since 9/2014. It's beautiful, powerful, high quality and truly functional. I can't imagine wanting higher BTUs. I too love smaller ovens. My understanding is that 1/2 sheet pans will fit (snugly) in the Cluny ovens. I often roast multiple sheets of vegetables on multiple racks in our oven without a problem. We fit an 18lb turkey for 13 people. Quite frankly I can't imagine needing a larger oven. The colors are all so gorgeous - you can't go wrong with any of them. We got the french blue. I post this photo all the time but just in case you haven't seen it. Our little sous chef, aka boxer, always makes me smile when I look at this photo. She's got quite the palate that one....turkey, duck, beer, butter, pumpkin, dumplings...

It is hard to beat the French ranges for aesthetics. They are beautiful. I think for some they are very functional as well.

If you cook with cast iron I would consider something with a star shaped burner. While I love cast iron for its nonstick properties and that you can get it hot, it is a poor conductor of heat and the star burners would spread the heat out more. BlueStar and the American performer both have this type of burner. I tend to cook with really big pans and when I have to go to 14", I have heavy gauge aluminum to make the heat even. The depth of the range top is important if you cook with big pans. Some pro style ranges are deeper than others. Some have little lips that stick up on the back that limit the size on the back burners. We have frequent gatherings for 20-60 so I also need a big oven. I have a 36" range and wall oven but if I were buying now I would consider a range top and two wall ovens. This way you can pick each part based on what is best for you. The wall oven can be placed at eye level and can be replaced if it goes bad before the burners do.

As to griddles.

Built ins can be more stable but the are add ons that are fitted and stable.

You can have more heat with an add on. Most built ins are limited to 15-18K BTUs vs 2x the BTUs on your two burners so even with 2 15K burners you have 30K if you need it.

A big consideration to me is the metal that makes up the griddle. Steel and cast iron griddles whether built in or add on tend to have zones of heat. Many users like this because you can have an area to park cooked food and keep it warm. I like to be able to use my aluminum griddle at times because it heats very evenly and allows a much bigger area for cooking. Mine from Royal industries is 15x23 so 345 square inches vs something that is 11x23- 253 square inches and the cooking area may be less if it has cooler areas being made of steel or cast iron. Aluminum griddles are most often coated with a non stick coating but Royal makes theirs both ways. The aluminum griddle is also lighter weight than steel. It is still thick to allow good conduction if heat. I believe the chef king steel and royal industries are both 7 gauge. The bare aluminum will season over time but steel seasons much faster. Steel or cast iron take a long time to heat and a long time to turn up or down. Aluminum heats quickly and changes quickly. A built in griddle might have a thicker layer of steel but check the specs from the manufacturer.

Built ins may have a thermostat to control the heat so you can more easily reproduce ascertain amount of heat.

The portable simmer plate comes with the classique option at no extra cost. It's nice to have, but I haven't used it that much. For what it's worth I use a lot of Le Creuset and Staub cast iron pans, esp. for browning, and have found that the Lacanche browns very evenly even though the burners are not star shaped. I was a little surprised at this given so many like the star shaped burners, citing even heat distribution, but there you go. One poster mentioned that the cookware is an important factor in even heat distribution. I tend to agree. My Demeyere pots and pans also seems to have very even heat on this range. Keep us posted!

I have frequently posted about cookware being important in even heat distribution to your food. Here are two articles that talk about the thermal properties of different metals.

Understanding Cookware- egullet

Cookware for engineers

I have used cast iron on both types of burners. I really notice the difference on something starchy like gravy or fried potatoes because you can just about see the difference in the pattern of the burner. You might not notice as much with other things. There is also a big difference between copper and cast iron on a ring burner. There are many other articles online about cast iron. I have ring burners myself but use aluminum and copper because of that. I have some cast iron I use for bacon and fried eggs and occasionally when I need super high heat.