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corie_hall

Lacanche Thanksgiving

10 years ago

Our first Thanksgiving dinner with our Lacanche Cluny 1400 and it preformed like a star!

We cooked a 14 lb turkey in the gas oven and it could have easily fit a much larger one as there was still plenty of room. In the electric oven I baked sweet potatoes and stuffing then moved them to the warming oven. The second round was cauliflower with cheese and roast potatoes and carrots, which also moved to the warming oven once finished. Then came my husband's Yorkshire pudding which were put in after we pulled out the turkey. The fruit crisp went in the electric oven as we ate. On the range top, were potatoes for mashing, gravy, brussels sprouts and fresh cranberry sauce.

Everything that was ready and needed to be kept warm was put in the warming oven till the Yorkshire pudding ready and the turkey had finished resting. I was shocked at how much it held!

This was the smoothest and most pleasant Thanksgiving meal we've every prepared and we do it every year for at least six people. This year we cooked for seven people, but had enough for at least fifteen; so plenty of leftovers. Everything was warm when it was served and there was no juggling the burners trying to keep everything hot.

Clean up for the range and ovens was a breeze as well. I like not having the self-cleaning ovens because I think it is so much easier to clean them up after each meal than it ever was to use the self cleaning setting which still had to be wiped down and never seemed to fully get the burned on stuff off.

Before we finished building I had seriously considered getting a wall oven for just this sort of meal. After yesterday's experience, I'm pleased I decided against it.

Everyday, I'm more and more pleased with my decision to buy the Lacanche! If you are considering one, I would highly recommend it!


Comments (20)

  • 10 years ago

    This is great to hear!! As I (hopefully) just did my last Thanksgiving in the "old" kitchen, all I dreamed about while cooking was how amazing it will be when we remodel and I get my dream Lacanche range! Loved hearing how great the warming cabinet is and how much it held!!

  • PRO
    10 years ago

    Jill, which model did you buy?

  • 10 years ago

    I haven't bought yet. We are having plans drawn for the remodel as we are expanding the kitchen etc.... My hope is to fit the Sully 1800 in french blue! I have the picture taped up by my crappy 20+ yr old little 4 burner cooktop. We are waiting to see just how the new kitchen will be laid out and that will determine which one will fit. What color is your Cluny? Do you have any pictures on here of it? I would love to see!!

  • PRO
    10 years ago

    That is exciting! The Sully 1800 was the range we were able to see in person, it's amazing! My husband fell in love with it and for a while we thought it would be the one for us. The French blue is also very pretty. I can just imagine how excited you are about your range. Before I got mine, I researched it, thought it and talked about it almost everyday for close to two years. My family was so tired of hearing about it! I got the terra cotta, here is a photo. Please keep us posted.

  • 10 years ago

    Oh my heart just skipped a beat!! That is so beautiful! True piece of art! Your kitchen is amazing! Love the backsplash tile too! and the hood! What countertop do you have, marble?

  • PRO
    10 years ago

    Thank you, Jill. I look forward to walking into the kitchen everyday! It is Carrara marble. We put it on the perimeter and a wood plank countertop on our island. I have open shelving that are just out of this shot, which is why it looks a bit stark in this photo. Have you decided on the details for your kitchen?

  • 10 years ago

    Was just notified that my Portuguese blue Chagny has shipped! While I am excited, I am worried that it will arrive weeks if not a month or two before the contractor is ready for it. I am so looking forward to cooking next Thanksgiving in the new kitchen. With soapstone counters, white cabinets, marble subway tile backsplash, wood floors and the Chagny for a punch of color, I hope it will look as good in person as it does in my dreams...

  • 10 years ago

    Oh kbjaffe I can't wait to see pictures when it arrives! Did you do a full kitchen remodel? When did you start and what is your timeline? How long is your shipping for the Chagny?


  • 10 years ago

    Hi Corie, I have some details picked out on the kitchen but not the counters or backsplash. Currently I am seeing how it will be laid out and how much space I will have. We are relocating a powder room so we can push the kitchen out and relocating the entrance into the kitchen from the more formal dining/living area. I know I want white cabinets, a baking area and of course the lacanche!

  • PRO
    10 years ago

    kbjaffe, Congratulations on your Changy! The Portuguese blue is beautiful, it was the original color that my family chose. With the soap stone and the marble the blue Lacanche will look amazing!

    You might want to talk to the Lacanche people here as they worked with me on the actual delivery. My Lacanche was stored it in New York for a couple of months until our contractor thought he was about ready for it. It still had to sit in the center of the kitchen for several weeks waiting for the cabinetry and the counters to go in because he underestimated the date he would need it.

    Jill, I look forward to seeing what you decide as you go!

  • 10 years ago

    Corie, my husband actually picked the color - I was ultra surprised and happy that he was willing to do something other than the standard black, to which I was resigned (which still looks great in pics) or stainless, which we didn't really like in the Lacanche finish. The range is coming by ship, and I thought 6 months would be perfect timing from the time I ordered it, but construction isn't going to start until February sometime, and they don't expect to finish in March as they originally thought. Thanks for the tip, it would be great to have it stored in NY or wherever as yours was until they are ready for it, as I can't really see where they would put it otherwise!

  • 10 years ago

    Jill, we are basically gutting the kitchen and taking over the formal dining room to make it part of the new kitchen. I think we have used it maybe 3 times in 25 years, and it ends up being a storage room for stuff, and holds a and make the second refrigerator. The finished product will be a nice size, but longer than it is wide, and make the entire first floor very open concept. The living room and formal dining room are basically unused now. Along with the powder room, removing a large hot tub from the sunroom and updating our daughter's closet upstairs, it is going to cost as much as the house did originally - something my husband isn't exactly thrilled about, but he really didn't want to move and if I am going to be here for the next 25 years, I want my dream kitchen! We still have minor details to work out, but construction is supposed to start in February, and finish in April now. I ordered the Chagny in September, delivery to U.S. by ship, so that it would arrive in time, but now it seems that it will be too early. Better that than too late though! When does your project begin? I am Jealous of Corie that her beautiful kitchen is finished and she gets to enjoy it already...

  • 10 years ago

    Kbjaffe - Mine must have shipped at the same time as yours. I can't wait to see it but I, too, am in the situation of the contractor not being ready for it. You are right, 6 months seemed like forever when we ordered it. I ordered at the beginning of July so yours is coming much quicker. Mine is Chagny French Blue.


  • PRO
    10 years ago

    K L, You will love the Sully 1800! I hope you come back and post photos and a review once you receive it.

  • 10 years ago

    Thanks Corie for posting your BEAUTIFUL pic!! Is that a French top? I have been working with lovely Elisa in NYC to decide on my Lacanche range. The multicooker is now an available option and I don't know if you considered it. I was actually at their showroom in NYC in June and went to Gwyneth Paltrow's GOOP pop-up in NYC last week which features a beautiful range in Faience. I am having such a problem making a size and color decision. I can fit the Sully 2200 on one wall and it will be the only thing on that wall with an island above it. I am debating whether I would miss cabinetry on either side and not having any overhead or alcove storage for spices/oil on either side. I love the symmetry of the Citeaux and that is a pretty large range too. I would supplement with a 30" Viking french door wall oven. I have seen an I was still even considering a wall oven with the Sully 2200 which I know would be overkill but I am nervous about the smaller ovens. I really would love the multicooker because I was considering either a steam oven or in counter steamer for veggies and fish. There is a water supplies and drain attached to it. It looks awesome. I saw the red and love it but I am not a red person. I have an old farmhouse and most of my entire house is pretty neutral, grays, creams, golds. I am working with our cabinet people to try to get a limed or cerused oak ( kind of a gray wash) for the cabinets with a dark gray island. If I don't go with the limed oak I will do a warm white cabinet. My floors are currently Australian cypress which were installed in 1991. They are 11" wide and I cannot get the wood to replace many split pieces so we may be replacing with reclaimed wide plank oak. The colors I have samples of are: Ivoire, French blue, faience, anthracite, and matte black. I think that because I have been able to see a few in person it is making the decision harder. My husband loves the French blue, the black is safe. Because it is so big is a color going to be too much? If I go with the Citeaux, Viking can color match the wall oven as well which may or may not be too much. They will be across the room from each other. I am usually a super decisive person but I am having a tough time!!!! I am so glad to have this forum because my friends may start changing their numbers!!! I know there is no wrong answer because in the end any one of these ranges are magnificent!!!

  • PRO
    10 years ago

    Hi catjackabby, It's a portable French plate. I find works very well and I'm pleased to have the flexiblilty to use the burners without it.

    Elisa is wonderful! She was so understanding and easy to work with. It took me forever to finally decide which model and color to buy and I went back and forth more than a few times with her! At one point, I even dropped the idea of buying a Lacanche all together. Six months later, I called Elisa and she just as friendly and helpful as ever! I did not see the multi cooker, but it sounds very interesting. I would have loved to visit their showroom in NYC!

    I was fortunate to be able to see a black, Sully 1800 here in Michigan before we finally bought ours. I warned my husband before we got there not to fall in love with it because it wasn't one of the ones were were considering. As soon as we walked out he was proclaiming that it was perfect and we should have one exactly like it! It took weeks to get him back on track!

    I also considered the Citeaux for it's symmetry, but ultimately went with the Cluny 1400 and it's lack of symmetry hasn't bothered me at all. Wow, you would have 2 warming ovens! How would you configure the top if you go this route?

    I considered supplementing with a wall oven too. But, after I seriously thought through my cooking style I realized that most of my cooking is done on the range top and not the ovens. So, I gambled that the two would be fine even for those few occasions when we use the ovens more, like Thanksgiving, etc. I've found that the two smaller ovens cook better and faster than my last large oven. But, even though, I had used smaller ovens on an Aga, I was still worried that the ovens would be a problem until I actually started using them. So, I understand your worries. What concerns you about the oven size?

    I let my family pick the color; I would have been very happy with black. But, my husband thought we had to get a unique color to fit such a beautiful range. At first they chose Portuguese Blue. And, although beautiful, went with nothing we owned! Fortunately, they all realized it when the sample showed up and Elisa quickly sent additional samples in some of the warmer colors. I'm very glad we didn't just go for black, although it would have been beautiful, I think the terra cotta is just perfect in our kitchen and house.

    I know what you mean about this forum, I would search for information on Lacanche almost daily and come to this site hoping for some new posts about it. It was the part of our new home that I most looked forward to seeing and using!

  • 10 years ago

    Hi Corie! Thanks for all of your invite! Is that the portable plate that comes with the range? I think I will definitely go with the Classique with the 18,000 then. I used to have a 48" Thermadore I did use the small oven a ton but liked having the large oven for cooking multiple dishes at different temps and sizes. I had been looking at a 60" Viking but viking wasn't getting great service reviews and I am not a fan of Wolf. Also 2- 30" ranges seemed like overkill since I did use my small oven quite a bit but it didn't fit all of my pans. I would only have one warming cupboard because if you use the multicooker the cabinet below is used for plumbing. There is a faucet and drain necessary. I was in an appliance center and had someone do a demo on a Wolf in counter steamer and I was hooked. They cooked fish, vegetables and rice all in different baskets on top of each other. It was awesome!! I am hoping it is as great on the Lacanche. If I go with the Sully 1800 I would then have to give up the warming cupboard because it would have to have plumbing in it. That is what brings me back to the Citeaux. I would still have a warming cupboard but then have 2 less burners. I doubt I really ever would need 7 burners anyway!! The 2200 just seems gigantic! I think three people could cook in front of it! I am embarrassed to say I still would consider getting a wall oven with that enormous range. I do entertain a ton and I have a friend who is a caterer and she did a party at a friend's house that has a LaCornue and she had such a problem getting her trays to fit in it. Most chef's that I have googled only have a 48" in their kitchens, except Ina Garten. She had a 60"Viking. I also was considering doing both ovens electric convection. I haven't had a gas oven in years. How do you like yours? I will be tapping into a propane tank because I do not have a gas line in the house. Also I saw that you have carrera marble. How do you like it? I had a sample and my son dropped some Apple Jack's cereal on it and it must have been wet. The red on it stained the marble and I quickly switched to honed or leathered granite or quartzite. Soapstone is also a possibility. I don't mind something that ages gracefully. We just moved so this is my forever house or at least until we are empty nesters. I have been overthinking every single thing. I think the appliance guy snuck out the back of the store when he saw me coming!! The terra cotta is such a warm color. I really love it. I do not have an open floor plan but most of my rooms are pretty neutral. It sounds like all of the time you put into your decision were well worth it and you are so happy with your beautiful range. I was worried that maybe it was going to be just something pretty to look at but everyone who has one is in love with it!! Thanks again so much for your input!!! Much appreciated!

  • PRO
    10 years ago

    catjackabby, I like your user name! I couldn't come up with anything catchy.

    It is the portable French Plate that comes with the Lacanche. I also have a portable grill/griddle (Nordicware) that I bought a few years ago that I also use. Someday, I may buy the Lacanche portable version, but for now the Nordicware is working just fine.

    I have good friends who renovated about a year and a half ago and they put in a Viking range. They were over the other night marveling about the Lacanche and asking all sorts of questions about it. Turns out their Viking hasn't worked in months. The gas range won't go above 350 degrees and they are still waiting on parts. And, they said that it's not the first problem they've had with the range. They said they would never buy another one. I had also read the reviews that you mention and ruled it out along with a few others. Did you know that Viking was recently bought out by Middleby? They also bought Aga and Lacornue. Perhaps the quality will improve with the change.

    Currently, my little microwave sits in a very large space under my countertop just in case I ever want to add a wall oven or a microwave/convection oven! We also plan to finish the rest of our basement in the next few years and I am sure we will put some sort of wall oven down there when we do.

    Be prepared, for entertaining even more! I have always loved to entertain, but I'm finding that we are doing even more, since October we've had people here at least one night each week. Everyone wants to come to our house now. I've even had a friend come and cook on Cluny. He isn't allowed to do anything but grill at his house; his wife thinks he can't cook. So, I invited him to come and cook on the Lacanche. He was so excited, I got text from him several times a week as he was planning the meal! A few weeks ago he served us a wonderful 5 course, Italian meal. Now his wife wants a go!

    Last week, a group of us went to Midnight Madness, a shopping event here in Ann Arbor. We were all going to go out for dinner afterwards, but I was having trouble finding a place that would take 15 of us, so I offered to have them come here instead. I made tomato soup, baked potato soup and grilled cheese. A very understated meal for me to serve friends, but it seemed perfect for the event since we'd be cold when we returned. Not wanting to stand around and make 15 gilled cheese sandwiches after everyone got here, I decided to experiment by making them in advance and putting them in the warming oven while we were gone. They turned out great, warm, still crispy and not too hard! My three daughters are inviting a bunch of their friends over to make cookies and watch movies in a couple of weeks, I think I'll do the grilled cheese again for them when they arrive.

    This is my first gas oven and I really like it. Elisa recommend one of each to me and we use it mostly for cooking meats and the electric for baking. We cooked the turkey in the gas oven and it was a beautiful golden brown. I roast turkeys for my dogs to eat and the other day I decided it would be interesting to put one in each oven so I can see the differences.

    About the range top, I do have 7 burners, the most I've ever had going at the same time by myself was 6. And I could barely manage to keep up! We got 7 because my husband and I really enjoy cooking together and shuffling things around on a 4 burner stove just wasn't cutting it anymore.

    I do have Carrara marble, it is honed and sealed and I really like it. Yes, it has already started to etch but they don't both me at all. We lived in England for a couple of years and I fell in love with the marble tables and countertops that I came across in our travels there and in Europe. I did get a coffee stain on it once, but I was able to get it off using a poultice. My island is planked, distressed maple and this is where we do most of our preparation work. Although, my husband seems to prefer mixing curry and cajun spices on the marble! I would definitely get it again, but I'm not fussy about keeping it looking perfect and I love the patina it is developing.

    I looked up the multi cooker but couldn't find anything about it on the Lacanche site.

    The beauty of the Lacanche is just a side benefit for me anyway. I really use it everyday and it performs amazingly!



  • 10 years ago

    Thanks Corie!! My contractor is coming tomorrow to firm up whether I can go with the Sully2200 or if the 1800 or Citeaux are in my future. I have an 89" wall which is just for the range. If I go with the bigger one it would be a stand-alone and I would not be able to put cabinetry on either side. Not sure what I would prefer. I may miss not having spice drawers right next to me. The could be in the island right across or in a nook to the left (about 2 steps). Any decision is going to be a good one . A good "problem " to have! Now if I could only come up with a cold. I am afraid to ask Elisa for any more colors because I am afraid of confusing myself even more!