norgeway
Well-known member
Has anyone actually used a Aga???
AGA cooker question..
- Thread starter norgeway
- Start date
Help Support :
Did once years ago
When staying in England. The novelty soon wore off and swore wouldn't ever do *that* again unless either under pain of death or thread of starvation. *LOL*
AGAs like coal/wood fired ranges of old are fine for things you want to simmer, roast or otherwise cook slow. For things that require frequent or whatever changes in temperature it can be a royal pain.
The only way to do this is by moving pots/pans from "high" heated areas to "low" and or controlling the distance between the surface of the range and pot/pan bottom.
Baking requires unlearning virtually everything you have learned using a modern oven. The ovens remain same temperature, you have to swap things about when you want to go from high to low or vice versa. Am sure now as there was in past persons who got things down to a science. But since you do not have as fine control of oven temperature with an AGA some things will need to be relearned or changed. You begin to realize why cakes were such a rarity for the home baker when using these sort of ranges.
Finally there is the heat, lots of it 24/7. You don't turn AGA's "off" rather the range heats up (it can take hours or a day for the ovens to reach full temperature)and that is that. So you have this huge solid mass of iron throwing off heat day and night. Great for a kitchen in a cold and damp climate/weather. But on a warm and humid day you might have to strip down..... *LOL*
When staying in England. The novelty soon wore off and swore wouldn't ever do *that* again unless either under pain of death or thread of starvation. *LOL*
AGAs like coal/wood fired ranges of old are fine for things you want to simmer, roast or otherwise cook slow. For things that require frequent or whatever changes in temperature it can be a royal pain.
The only way to do this is by moving pots/pans from "high" heated areas to "low" and or controlling the distance between the surface of the range and pot/pan bottom.
Baking requires unlearning virtually everything you have learned using a modern oven. The ovens remain same temperature, you have to swap things about when you want to go from high to low or vice versa. Am sure now as there was in past persons who got things down to a science. But since you do not have as fine control of oven temperature with an AGA some things will need to be relearned or changed. You begin to realize why cakes were such a rarity for the home baker when using these sort of ranges.
Finally there is the heat, lots of it 24/7. You don't turn AGA's "off" rather the range heats up (it can take hours or a day for the ovens to reach full temperature)and that is that. So you have this huge solid mass of iron throwing off heat day and night. Great for a kitchen in a cold and damp climate/weather. But on a warm and humid day you might have to strip down..... *LOL*
norgeway
Well-known member
So basically..
A glorified woodstove!LOL
A glorified woodstove!LOL
Well yes, sort of
Aga cookers basically work on the same principle as other such ranges; heat storage. In fact same as the Chambers range's ovens of old. You heat up a solid and heavy material (cast iron usually) and then use the heat given off to cook, bake, heat the room, house, water.....
If you've used a cast iron pot or pan, have cast iron radiators or whatever you know the stuff takes a while to heat up but once heated it holds it and gives it off evenly. This is why so many devices for heating/cooking are made from cast iron.
Aga has come out with various products such as coupling the ovens with modern stove top burners. This takes things up a notch to more modern cooking: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2342447/aga-legacy-range-reviews
AGA has two divisions. Rayburn which is the ranges of old such as used on Two Fat Ladies http://www.rayburn.ie/
And AGA which offers more modern features:http://www.aga.ie/contentv3/index.cfm?fuseaction=page&pageID=18086&parentID=18085
Aga cookers basically work on the same principle as other such ranges; heat storage. In fact same as the Chambers range's ovens of old. You heat up a solid and heavy material (cast iron usually) and then use the heat given off to cook, bake, heat the room, house, water.....
If you've used a cast iron pot or pan, have cast iron radiators or whatever you know the stuff takes a while to heat up but once heated it holds it and gives it off evenly. This is why so many devices for heating/cooking are made from cast iron.
Aga has come out with various products such as coupling the ovens with modern stove top burners. This takes things up a notch to more modern cooking: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2342447/aga-legacy-range-reviews
AGA has two divisions. Rayburn which is the ranges of old such as used on Two Fat Ladies http://www.rayburn.ie/
And AGA which offers more modern features:http://www.aga.ie/contentv3/index.cfm?fuseaction=page&pageID=18086&parentID=18085
lordkenmore
Well-known member
I remember reading about the AGA cookers in a newspaper article years back. They seemed incredibly cool. Apart from the way it'd turn your whole kitchen into an oven in summer, of course. But the fact that something like that could exist in a modern era... Although I think most of us--including me--would be happier with a modern range.
One point the article made was that the AGA cooker was found in the kitchens of royalty IIRC. Although one supposes that the people actually using the cooker are servants. Somehow, I can't imagine the Queen down in the kitchen heating up a can of soup for lunch.
One point the article made was that the AGA cooker was found in the kitchens of royalty IIRC. Although one supposes that the people actually using the cooker are servants. Somehow, I can't imagine the Queen down in the kitchen heating up a can of soup for lunch.
Want to say around the 1990's
At the height of "Yuppie-ness" when persons seemed to have more money than sense Americans discovered AGAs. Maybe had something to do with "The Two Fat Women" show on PBS.
Anyway seem to recall the corporate offices were in North Carolina which is probably as far south as one could use a traditional AGA. I mean you probably could get away with one in a few other southern states where winter does bring a decent stretch of stable cold weather. However the deep south would be another matter.
Any who recall households in the Northeast ordered these traditional AGA ranges and just were not ready for the heat. You had to wait until temps dived down to at least 40F and remained otherwise going into one's kitchen was like entering a sauna. At least with Chambers ranges you could turn them off and still get some of the benefits of a AGA range (slow cooking/roasting oven).
If you look at the foods eaten in past you'll find plenty of roasts, stews, soups, certain pies, etc... All things that could be cooked by slow steady heated ovens. That and or whatever could be cooked on range tops that didn't require constant changes/attention to temperature. Again soups, stews, things that could boiled or simmered, fried, etc...
Making certain types of sauces was an art because you didn't have fine control of temperature like with gas burners of today.
At the height of "Yuppie-ness" when persons seemed to have more money than sense Americans discovered AGAs. Maybe had something to do with "The Two Fat Women" show on PBS.
Anyway seem to recall the corporate offices were in North Carolina which is probably as far south as one could use a traditional AGA. I mean you probably could get away with one in a few other southern states where winter does bring a decent stretch of stable cold weather. However the deep south would be another matter.
Any who recall households in the Northeast ordered these traditional AGA ranges and just were not ready for the heat. You had to wait until temps dived down to at least 40F and remained otherwise going into one's kitchen was like entering a sauna. At least with Chambers ranges you could turn them off and still get some of the benefits of a AGA range (slow cooking/roasting oven).
If you look at the foods eaten in past you'll find plenty of roasts, stews, soups, certain pies, etc... All things that could be cooked by slow steady heated ovens. That and or whatever could be cooked on range tops that didn't require constant changes/attention to temperature. Again soups, stews, things that could boiled or simmered, fried, etc...
Making certain types of sauces was an art because you didn't have fine control of temperature like with gas burners of today.
Something not mentioned thusfar
If you try to boil a large pot of water on the high heat plate, it pulls all of the heat out of the range because of the way the heat circulates within the various zones. I never saw the two fat ladies boiling a large pot of pasta on an AGA.
If you try to boil a large pot of water on the high heat plate, it pulls all of the heat out of the range because of the way the heat circulates within the various zones. I never saw the two fat ladies boiling a large pot of pasta on an AGA.
norgeway
Well-known member
I just can.t
See putting 20,000 dollars in ANY range!
See putting 20,000 dollars in ANY range!
There was a rerun on How It's Made the other day. showing the factory somewhere in England. I've only seen them once at a Home Show in Calgary some years ago. Can't imagine putting up with all that heat 24/7/365
See putting 20,000 dollars in ANY range
Any advance on $4,000?
http://www.aga.ie/contentv3/index.cfm?fuseaction=page&pageID=18086&parentID=18085
Or $6,000?
http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/app/5279251674.html
Or perhaps $7.500?
http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/app/5241360193.html
How about $5.900?
$10,000?
http://hartford.craigslist.org/ppd/5202426961.html
And so it goes.
As ne stated upthread AGAs like so many European appliances looked good to a homeowner on paper and or with money to burn, how things worked out in theory is another matter. Often just as with Miele and so many other upscale European appliances AGAs are taken out when the house is sold by new owners then sold or even given away. The market is just so limited (again as with certain Miele appliances) that it is very hard to get back even "blue book" costs.
Any advance on $4,000?
http://www.aga.ie/contentv3/index.cfm?fuseaction=page&pageID=18086&parentID=18085
Or $6,000?
http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/app/5279251674.html
Or perhaps $7.500?
http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/app/5241360193.html
How about $5.900?
$10,000?
http://hartford.craigslist.org/ppd/5202426961.html
And so it goes.
As ne stated upthread AGAs like so many European appliances looked good to a homeowner on paper and or with money to burn, how things worked out in theory is another matter. Often just as with Miele and so many other upscale European appliances AGAs are taken out when the house is sold by new owners then sold or even given away. The market is just so limited (again as with certain Miele appliances) that it is very hard to get back even "blue book" costs.
First time
I read about one was in 1988/89 while a senior in high school in Architectural Digest while I was a library worker on a slow day! I thought it was neat, but as has been said, I can't imagine having one in this Tennessee heat!
I read about one was in 1988/89 while a senior in high school in Architectural Digest while I was a library worker on a slow day! I thought it was neat, but as has been said, I can't imagine having one in this Tennessee heat!
Oh I don't know
If one has a more traditional "southern" home there would be a summer kitchens and or perhaps even the main kitchen would have been offset from the house. AGA traditional ranges are pretty much the same sort of thing all households had until gas or electric stove tops, ovens and ranges with thermostats and burner controls.
If one has a more traditional "southern" home there would be a summer kitchens and or perhaps even the main kitchen would have been offset from the house. AGA traditional ranges are pretty much the same sort of thing all households had until gas or electric stove tops, ovens and ranges with thermostats and burner controls.
If I were
going to spend that kind of money, I'd get a La Cornue, they are GORGEOUS! There's one in turquoise, and navy blue, red, cream...so pretty.
going to spend that kind of money, I'd get a La Cornue, they are GORGEOUS! There's one in turquoise, and navy blue, red, cream...so pretty.
magic_clean
Well-known member
The La Cornue
range is appealing to look at. However for a massive range, the cooktop is quite crowded. The stainless frame around the burner grates limits the clearance between the front & rear burners......thus making it difficult to center anything but small pans. Additionally, the towel bar protruding from the front makes it difficult for short stature cooks to use the rear burners.
It surely is the focal point of the kitchen though.
L.P.
range is appealing to look at. However for a massive range, the cooktop is quite crowded. The stainless frame around the burner grates limits the clearance between the front & rear burners......thus making it difficult to center anything but small pans. Additionally, the towel bar protruding from the front makes it difficult for short stature cooks to use the rear burners.
It surely is the focal point of the kitchen though.
L.P.
La Cornue
I saw one on youtube that was $100,000! That's for people with more dollars than sense.
I saw one on youtube that was $100,000! That's for people with more dollars than sense.
According to my Aunt Doris, my cousin Pam (her daughter) has an AGA in her kitchen in Opelousas, LA. She's married to a Dr., so has plenty of money to pay for air conditioning.
100 grand for a range-watched the movie of this-not motivated to get one.Just too expensive.This is not the range for the usual "heat and eat"cook!My old GE does just fine!!
That's like those old gravity furnaces, once they're on, they're on for the season! Shoot, 100k! I could buy a nice vintage cooperative in Chicago for that!
Funny thing about AGA is they were originally a Swedish company as I understand it and were sold long, long, long ago to a British company. Funny as in Sweden is practically all electric (even older areas with gas, many apartment buildings elect to switch to electric and get rid of gas for cooking - no need for boilers as they usually have district heating in areas where gas service is available) - except for Skåne which is more continental.
Funny thing about AGA is they were originally a Swedish company as I understand it and were sold long, long, long ago to a British company. Funny as in Sweden is practically all electric (even older areas with gas, many apartment buildings elect to switch to electric and get rid of gas for cooking - no need for boilers as they usually have district heating in areas where gas service is available) - except for Skåne which is more continental.
mixguy
Well-known member
AGA Cooker
I can't imagine anyone investing in an AGA cooker in this warm part of the US unless they cook most every meal at home, entertain often and/or have domestic help. I don't bake much in the summer because of the heat generated my ordinary gas range put out into the room compared to the electric ranges I used for years living in apartments. I admit I am frugal when it comes to the energy bills and when I cook, I portion leftovers into serving portion containers to thaw and heat when I come home from work. I keep an freezer inventory of meat & seafood sauces, stews, gumbos, chili, put up seasonal veggies like okra, corn, green beans, peas, etc. I do some canning figs (jam & preserves), blackberry jam, kumquat marmalade too. My ideal range would be a 40" model having two ovens the larger being self cleaning electric ovens and gas cooktop.
I can't imagine anyone investing in an AGA cooker in this warm part of the US unless they cook most every meal at home, entertain often and/or have domestic help. I don't bake much in the summer because of the heat generated my ordinary gas range put out into the room compared to the electric ranges I used for years living in apartments. I admit I am frugal when it comes to the energy bills and when I cook, I portion leftovers into serving portion containers to thaw and heat when I come home from work. I keep an freezer inventory of meat & seafood sauces, stews, gumbos, chili, put up seasonal veggies like okra, corn, green beans, peas, etc. I do some canning figs (jam & preserves), blackberry jam, kumquat marmalade too. My ideal range would be a 40" model having two ovens the larger being self cleaning electric ovens and gas cooktop.
