Everything you need to know about the French Lacanche range

Here are some of the reasons that I love my Lacanche range, and a few things to keep in mind if you are considering purchasing one.  This is not a sponsored post, just my personal thoughts and opinions. 

Why I Chose A Lacanche Range

When we decided to renovate the kitchen in our 1908 New Orleans home, I knew that I wanted to make essential updates, while keeping the old feel of our home.  Because I love to cook and bake, I knew that the range was going to have be amazing!  It would have to be a workhorse.  But, I also wanted it to be beautiful.

The Look

The first time that I ever saw a picture of a Lacanche oven was in the Cook’s Atelier recipe book.  I was instantly drawn to its beautiful simplicity and understated elegance.  I loved the enameled look, the brass hardware and the brass burner caps. 

I began doing more research and found the Lacanche Instagram feed, which was filled with images of almost-too-beautiful-to use ovens.  I think that seeing different colors an range options really helped me visualize the look that I wanted.

The thing I liked most about them was the versatility of the look. Because of their simplicity in design, these ranges go with a variety of elegant looks, from vintage to modern.

There are a number of colored enamel finishes to choose from.  There are thirty different colors! They also come standard with brass trim, but there are a few different trims to choose from.  

I eventually settled on the color Vert Silice, with the standard brass trim.   I think it fits perfectly in my French inspired kitchen, in our 115 year old home.

Professional Performance and Customization

Lacanche really does a great job of blending design and function.  I loved that I could customize the range based on what I wanted it look like, and how I wanted it to function.

There are several different customizable models, which offers extraordinary versatility for the home chef.  It can be customized by size, number of ovens, and even the number and size burners on the top.  

I had the choice between a gas oven or an electric oven, and the ability to add a convection fan. Their are dual fuel options, as well as a choice between a large burner in the center, or a French plate.

I contacted Lacanche customer service and sales department several times with questions about overall size, size of the oven’s interior space, and types and sizes of burners.  I was very impressed with their responsiveness to all of my questions.    

I settled on the Sully model, mostly because of its two independent large ovens, that provided plenty of room for baking.  I went with two electric convection ovens and gas burners on top.  I opted for the large burner in the center, instead of the French plate.  This large burner is very high heat, and comes with a wok ring, which is a great accessory.

Genuinely Made In France

I loved the idea of owning a French range.  If you’ve visited my site before, you know that I love everything French.  

These beautiful ovens are manufactured in the Burgundy village of Lacanche. The company’s hand-assembled method really resonates with me.  The spirit of a long tradition of craftsmanship is reflective of one of the many things that makes France so special.  It is a country that really values hand crafted goods and long standing traditions.  I loved the idea of supporting that.

Purchasing A Lacanche Without Seeing It In Person

I knew that I loved the Lacanche range.  But, I wasn’t able to make it out to any of the showrooms in the United States.  For your information, those are located in Seattle, New York, and Los Angeles.

So, I began doing a lot of research online and what I found was that there wasn’t a ton of information out there from people who owned one.  But, what I did find was that professional chefs and serious cooks were using them.  I figured if a professional chef is happy with one, then a cooking enthusiast like me probably would be too!

I bought my Lacanche Sully range sight unseen.  I felt like I had gathered enough information from customer service and doing research on my own, and I took the leap.  I have no regrets.  I still love it to this day.

Lacanche Ambassador Program

But, if buying a range without seeing one in person is anxiety provoking for you, one thing to keep in mind is that Lacanche does have an Ambassador program.  Basically, these are people who have Lacanche ranges installed in their homes, and who are willing to allow other potential buyers to see them, in person, before making a purchase.  

I am excited to say that I love my Lacanche so much, that I recently signed up to be an ambassador. Lacanche ambassadors are located all over the United States.  Simply contact customer service, and they can set up a visit near you with one of their ambassadors.  

Since owning my range, I also made a Youtube video where I talk all about my range.  I go over all of the parts and put things in and out of the oven to demonstrate size.

Details Of Our Purchase Process

The first thing that I did was to go on the Art Culinaire website and request a quote.  Art Culinaire is the official US distributor of Lacanche Ranges. Once I finalized all of my choices, they sent me a finalize quote, and I paid via an online link.

Because they are made to order, and have to ship from France, you need to be aware of the lead time. I placed my order in June, and it arrived stateside in November.  So for us, our lead time was about 5 months, including shipping.  

But, keep in mind that this varies based on how many orders are ahead of yours, and what time of year it is.  My timeline included the month of August.  Since most of France takes that month off, nothing productive happens during that time!  This wasn’t a problem for us, because we were doing an addition as well as remodel to our kitchen that was projected to take up to a year to complete.

Once our range was assembled and complete, we received a notice that it was being shipped to Philadelphia.  At their stateside warehouse, they tested and calibrated it, and attached an American cord so that it could be used in the United States.  

But, at that time, we weren’t ready for it!  Not a problem.  They held it in their warehouse for up to 3 months “rent free.”  After that, they do charge a fee to hold it until you are ready to have it delivered.  

We chose to have it delivered after the 3 month holding period.  We contacted Lacanche, and let them know.  From there, freight shipping was set up.

Delivery Day

Next, we received an email from the freight company with a delivery date and time window.  I was super excited to receive my new Lacanche range!  

Keep in mind that the freight company does a curbside delivery.  So, you will have to be ready to get it into your house.  You can see in the picture above, that it comes packaged in a large wooden crate.

We were waiting with a pallet jack, which I highly recommend, and from there, it was actually pretty simple to get it into our garage until we were ready for installation.  

Installation

We live in an old New Orleans raised house, that is about 3 steps up.  So, in order to get it into the house, once again, we used a pallet jack. You can rent these from one of the big box hardware stores.

The range comes with a book of very detailed installation instructions.  My contractor, along with the plumber, read through the instructions, and installed it without any problems.  

My Cooking Experience With A Lacanche Range

Cooktop

I have been using my Sully range for about 3 years now, and I love it!  I find it very simple to use.  In fact, my two oldest kids, 8 & 10, are able to use the cooktop to make scrambled eggs and other things without any problems.  

​I have found that the heat is high on the gas burners, which I love.  But, it makes it tricky for simmering. One of the accessories that comes standard with the Sully is the simmer plate.  I have seven burners on top.  So, I keep the simmer plate on two of the burners so that I can easily simmer without taking the plate on and off constantly.  The simmer plate works great, and I use it regularly.

If I had to do it again, I might opt for the French plate instead of the large central burner. I find that the large center burner is very high heat, and I don’t use it as much as the other burners.  

Ovens

I was a little uncertain about having ovens with no windows.  But, I actually find it not to be a problem at all. What I usually do is set a timer a couple of minutes less than the suggested cook time, and do a quick peak when the timer goes off.  If it needs more time, I leave for a couple of minutes more.  

I typically reserve the convection setting for a quick browning or crisping on top.  I don’t bake the entire time with the convection fan on.  I will flip it on towards the end of the baking process to add color to the top of something, or to speed up the baking process.  

Storage Drawers

The storage drawers at the bottom can also be used as warming drawers.  I have to admit that I haven’t used these at all, other than to store the pastry sheets in.  I will update this post once I do and let you know how that goes!

Just as a side note, the hood that we chose to go over our range is a 60 inch Thermador hood.  I think it does a great job eliminating fumes.

Maintaining Lacanche Cooking Ranges

As far as maintaining it goes, the range comes with a nice new owner’s manual that gives instructions on how to maintain the range.  They even include brand names of products that are safe for cleaning.

Keep in mind that the brass caps and trim are unlaquered, and will tarnish.  I have polished the brass knobs and handles about 2 times since owning it.  I don’t mind the look of tarnished brass.  But, this is personal preference.  

I have cleaned the inside of the ovens a few times, using their recommended products, and I haven’t had any issues.  Otherwise, I wipe down the top and exterior with warm soap and water.  So, I would say it is pretty low maintenance.  

Would I Buy It Again?  

Absolutely.  I think our Lacanche range is a beautiful addition to our kitchen, and it has functioned without fail.  

In my opinion, the ability to customize the color, trim, burners, and ovens to your own specification, and end up with a high quality product that will provide you with years of service, is worth financial investment and wait time.  

Are you considering purchasing one?  Please let me know in the comments if you have any questions about my experience.  I would love to share!