A question we hear a lot is whether or not French stoves are worth the investment. I think the answer is personal, but what I will say is, they are more than a beautiful showpiece. While there is no denying their breathtaking beauty, they are also truly fantastic cookers.
We have many clients who specifically request French stoves for their aesthetic, however, we also often recommend them to clients who have a strong tradition of cooking. These are our foodie clients who express a passion for cuisine and entertaining early in initial project discussions.
When you are a bon vivant, enjoy the process of preparing food, and host regularly, nothing really compares to a French stove. Food has a very special place in French culture so it’s no surprise that their famous Lacanche and La Cornue ranges are produced at the highest quality standards with over 100+ years experience.
Quality
To give you an idea, each Lacanche is made custom with a total limited production of only 50/month for American customers. They are designed to be used, abused (in the form of endless lovely dinner parties), and last a lifetime. In France, these stoves are considered heirlooms to be passed down to the generations to come.
Size
Most of our clients select the double oven but they do come in single and custom oven numbers as well. Immediately, you may think the inside of the ovens look small, but they can easily fit a large bird or several trays of food. These stoves will arrive with a few appropriately sized cooking sheets, but since the tray sizes are somewhat different from standard ovens, you may need to buy a new roasting pan or two. Also, these stoves weigh about 350 lbs. You will want to make sure your floor doesn’t need to be reinforced before install.
Cooking
A quick glance at the Lacanche or La Cornue and you might be thinking, well yes, that looks amazing, but will I be able to navigate it? The short answer is yes. These ovens are powerful, with a minimum of 5 burners, each with a high BTU. Signature settings include convection and defrosting. The convection setting is quite incredible. We have a client who proudly talks about the “perfectly cooked golden 12 lb turkey” she made on Thanksgiving in a little over an hour. Also, the burners can also take about 10-15 seconds to get going. Don’t worry, this is by design, they will light!
It may take a little bit of getting used to but William Sonoma and most showrooms are happy to schedule a teach with a real chef. They will also help you decode that French manual. You can make a date night out of it!
Cleaning
Like any gas stove, you have to remove the burners to clean the stove top surface. The grates are heavy but since they require very little tinkering, like some standard ovens that have multiple pieces, you can probably get through the job in less than 20 minutes for a large party clean up. For casual meals during the week, it stays pretty clean. The porcelain enamel on the outside wipes down easily as well without having to worry about scratches.
DESIGN + CoLOR
We’ve used the Lacanche and La Cornue in all types of design concepts. They are transitional and can be integrated into both contemporary and traditional designs. Here is a list of our favorite colors. They all look great with gold or silver trim.
Lacanche: Matt Black, Stainless Steel, White, Ivory, Faience (pale gray), and Armor (French blue)
LaCornue: Matte Black, Gloss Black, Stainless Steel, Pure White, Ivory, Provence Blue, and Quintessential Teal
DELIVERY
When ordering a French stove you can expect delivery to take about 3 months. A bit longer if you place your order during the summer months. These stoves have to cross the Atlantic Ocean after all. Some clients, understandably, worry about how this will affect their project timelines. Rest assured, the majority of the time, the stove ends up sitting in a warehouse for 6 months until flooring and cabinetry install is complete. Besides, aren’t the best things in life worth waiting for!
