La Cornue CornuFé in Piedmont with a detached oven door handle
Problem: The owner of this blue-and-copper La Cornue CornuFé in Piedmont called us about uneven heat. They’d noticed uneven flames on several cooktop burners. They also told us the handle on the right oven door had come off and the grates were missing their rubber feet.
Diagnostics: The handle’s mounting stud had snapped. Threaded pieces of it were stuck inside both the handle and the base it screws into, so the handle couldn’t be reattached securely. Uneven flames can come from debris and buildup in a burner’s flame ports, so we recommended cleaning the burner heads, caps and ports. Ten rubber feet were missing from the grates. Those feet keep the grates in place and stop them from sitting right on the stainless top.
Solution: The owner approved the work, and we came back on November 5 with a new stud and new feet. We took the outer panel off the right oven door and laid it on a moving blanket. Then we got the broken stud pieces out of the handle and its base and mounted the handle on the new stud. The panel went back on the door. Next we took the burners apart and cleaned the heads, caps and flame ports. We fitted the new rubber feet on the grates and lit all five burners.
Result: Both oven doors have their handles again, and the burners are clean. If the rubber feet under your grates start going missing, replace them early. Without them the grates sit directly on the cooktop and can scratch it. We repair La Cornue ranges in Piedmont and across the East Bay.
