AGA Cookers (ranges/stoves=> US)
- Thread starter toggleswitch
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Electrolux wall-oven
I have no ideal why, but when checking out Frigi-lux gas wall ovens I found that they have provisions to vent them outside.
I dont think I have ever seen a wall-oven that vents outside.
In upstate NY (more rural than here in NY city and Long-island) not everyone has central heating...I have seen 36" wide and 40" wide free-standing gas ranges from the 40s and 50's that have a room-heater on the left side. Oddly enough that side (the heater) is always vented, and the oven side is not!!!!
You would think logically that if a flue is required for the heater side, a few cents worth of sheet metal could re-direct the oven's products of combustion out the flue pipe rather than into the room!!!
I have no ideal why, but when checking out Frigi-lux gas wall ovens I found that they have provisions to vent them outside.
I dont think I have ever seen a wall-oven that vents outside.
In upstate NY (more rural than here in NY city and Long-island) not everyone has central heating...I have seen 36" wide and 40" wide free-standing gas ranges from the 40s and 50's that have a room-heater on the left side. Oddly enough that side (the heater) is always vented, and the oven side is not!!!!
You would think logically that if a flue is required for the heater side, a few cents worth of sheet metal could re-direct the oven's products of combustion out the flue pipe rather than into the room!!!
As Confewshus said
If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!
If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!
kenmore1978
Well-known member
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- Sep 8, 2004
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vented ranges
It does seem illogical, since a gas range is essentially an "unvented gas heater". I guess the logic is that a range isn't on long enough, or isn't left unattended long enough, for there to be an issue with carbon monoxide.
It does seem illogical, since a gas range is essentially an "unvented gas heater". I guess the logic is that a range isn't on long enough, or isn't left unattended long enough, for there to be an issue with carbon monoxide.
Too Darn Hot
"If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!"
-OR Rip your clothes off and be careful when frying bacon.
Anyone care to join me for a home-cooked dinner? LOL
"If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!"
-OR Rip your clothes off and be careful when frying bacon.
Anyone care to join me for a home-cooked dinner? LOL
So that's why you invited me? LOL
We used to sell a few of them from the Expo Design Center. They are beautiful, and come in an array of vivid colors. They are, in my opinion, impractical in the Georgia market because of all the heat they put off----in the better homes a sure fire way to have the kitchen staff talking union!
I used one once and it was quickly obvious that one has to get used to kind of a juggling act switching things around to get the results required. It did bake great bisquits (because of the high oven temps.) and I did not try cakes, so I don't know how that would have worked-----but I suspect it would have required a close monitoring of the pans-----and moving them around!
I don't imagine they have much of a market in the U.S. but must be selling enough to make it worth their while as they have been here a pretty good amount of time now.
I used one once and it was quickly obvious that one has to get used to kind of a juggling act switching things around to get the results required. It did bake great bisquits (because of the high oven temps.) and I did not try cakes, so I don't know how that would have worked-----but I suspect it would have required a close monitoring of the pans-----and moving them around!
I don't imagine they have much of a market in the U.S. but must be selling enough to make it worth their while as they have been here a pretty good amount of time now.
It's highly likely that anyone wealthy enough to have one of these is also going to have their kitchen designed and outfitted by a high priced designer and the AGA is going to be a kitchen focal point moreso than the everyday cooker. That'll be done on some expensive surface unit and one or two other high priced wall ovens situated out of site behind and under an island, peninsula or coral countered atoll. A mini split a/c would then be installed discretely as well to handle the added heat load. I'll show you all how it's done correctly when my 649 ticket wins.
I don't think anyone actually uses these
To be quite honest AGAs look fantastic in an old British or Irish home that has a 200 year old kitchen with flagstone floors.
However, the reality of it is that hardly anyone who actually buys one of these beasts actually uses them to cook. Just like an ornate fireplace they're just a peice of furnature. You'll find most people who do buy them also buy an extremely expensive induction hob (cooktop) and the latest, fanciest and most expensive oven do most of their cooking on that.
I've seen these machines in action in modern country houses in Ireland and their primary use was to heat water for radiators and the hot water storage cylinder.
AGA and Waterford-Stanley (their irish equivilant) ranges that I have seen here were fired by either oil or gas. They have a large boiler in the back that heats water that circulates around the radiators and are thermostatically controlled. However, the cooking surfaces and ovens are not thermostatic per-se.. but you can adjust dampers and watch the temprature guage on each oven door to adjust the temp. They're old but they're not totally primative either!
They had the added benefit of looking rather quaint and traditional, heating the kitchen and providing an extra cooking facility should you feel the sudden urge to put on a slow cooked stew or slow roast 4 pheasants simultaniously!
If you're one of the "two fat ladies" cooking duo or one of their die hard fans, these AGA ranges are an absolute must have item! Those two ladies (on of them RIP) absolutely swore by them!
In all of those old kitchens 99% of the cooking was done on a modern gas or electric stove.
In the old days those ranges (stoves) were fired with coal or, in Ireland turf in rural areas. They pretty much were kept burning 24/7 all year and were a very effective form of cooking and quite high tech for the 1800s!
They create a really nice cozy warm feeling in the kitchen and the stone floor gets very pleasantly warm.
People have a nostalgic association with the sense of a cozy kitchen and the smell of slow cooking stews, meats, breads etc..
I would agree, in warmer climates an AGA would be utterly impractical. They were designed for use in the British Isles.. unless you live in Newfoundland don't buy one!
Also, if you're considering a coal fired version.. you might also consider getting a chamber maid!
These machines were designed for the days when a large house had several staff (maids, buttlers etc) and it was normal to have a fire place in every room (including the bathrooms) so a maid spent her entire day going from room to room tending fires!
They've been automatic and oil/gas fired for well over 100 years.. so there's no real reason to resort to an appliance that hasn't been in common use since the mid 1800s ...
They're simply style icon! It's a bit like owning a horse or something you're not likey to ride it to work and park it in multistory parking garage!!
To be quite honest AGAs look fantastic in an old British or Irish home that has a 200 year old kitchen with flagstone floors.
However, the reality of it is that hardly anyone who actually buys one of these beasts actually uses them to cook. Just like an ornate fireplace they're just a peice of furnature. You'll find most people who do buy them also buy an extremely expensive induction hob (cooktop) and the latest, fanciest and most expensive oven do most of their cooking on that.
I've seen these machines in action in modern country houses in Ireland and their primary use was to heat water for radiators and the hot water storage cylinder.
AGA and Waterford-Stanley (their irish equivilant) ranges that I have seen here were fired by either oil or gas. They have a large boiler in the back that heats water that circulates around the radiators and are thermostatically controlled. However, the cooking surfaces and ovens are not thermostatic per-se.. but you can adjust dampers and watch the temprature guage on each oven door to adjust the temp. They're old but they're not totally primative either!
They had the added benefit of looking rather quaint and traditional, heating the kitchen and providing an extra cooking facility should you feel the sudden urge to put on a slow cooked stew or slow roast 4 pheasants simultaniously!
If you're one of the "two fat ladies" cooking duo or one of their die hard fans, these AGA ranges are an absolute must have item! Those two ladies (on of them RIP) absolutely swore by them!
In all of those old kitchens 99% of the cooking was done on a modern gas or electric stove.
In the old days those ranges (stoves) were fired with coal or, in Ireland turf in rural areas. They pretty much were kept burning 24/7 all year and were a very effective form of cooking and quite high tech for the 1800s!
They create a really nice cozy warm feeling in the kitchen and the stone floor gets very pleasantly warm.
People have a nostalgic association with the sense of a cozy kitchen and the smell of slow cooking stews, meats, breads etc..
I would agree, in warmer climates an AGA would be utterly impractical. They were designed for use in the British Isles.. unless you live in Newfoundland don't buy one!
Also, if you're considering a coal fired version.. you might also consider getting a chamber maid!
These machines were designed for the days when a large house had several staff (maids, buttlers etc) and it was normal to have a fire place in every room (including the bathrooms) so a maid spent her entire day going from room to room tending fires!
They've been automatic and oil/gas fired for well over 100 years.. so there's no real reason to resort to an appliance that hasn't been in common use since the mid 1800s ...
They're simply style icon! It's a bit like owning a horse or something you're not likey to ride it to work and park it in multistory parking garage!!
Recent winters
Seems like more and more we see and hear about folks without electric power for days and days in Moderate winter zones in the U.S. when ice storms strike. I dont know, that you need an AGA, but a good wood burner made of iron would sure be a nice thing to have in a winter climate. A few weeks ago we were discussing gold medallion total electric homes. I doubt there would be too much discussion about them in 0-20 degree winter weather with no gold medallion ELECTRICITY.
Seems like more and more we see and hear about folks without electric power for days and days in Moderate winter zones in the U.S. when ice storms strike. I dont know, that you need an AGA, but a good wood burner made of iron would sure be a nice thing to have in a winter climate. A few weeks ago we were discussing gold medallion total electric homes. I doubt there would be too much discussion about them in 0-20 degree winter weather with no gold medallion ELECTRICITY.
Gold Medallian homes
Those are the same homes that now need all their aluminum wiring ripped out of them
Those are the same homes that now need all their aluminum wiring ripped out of them
1800s?
The AGA was invented in the early 1920s and was a great progress on the stoves that were used at that time. The progress was that you didn't have to have a maid that watched it all the time, it would keep burning on it's own for quite a while.
The story behind the AGA is that the Swedish Nils Gustaf Dalen noticed that his wife was busy all day to keep the fire of her stove burning. He designed a new stove that was easier to maintain and made cooking a much easier task for the housewife of that era.
But like it is with all techniques, they get older. The design is lovely, but it's not as practical as a modern stove. The AGA cooker became a cult object and a lot of people buy them without really knowing how to cook on it. Much to my amazement I recently saw an ad for expensive vacation homes that came with an AGA. So when you arrive in your vacation home you can't cook the first night because it must be heated up first...
The AGA was invented in the early 1920s and was a great progress on the stoves that were used at that time. The progress was that you didn't have to have a maid that watched it all the time, it would keep burning on it's own for quite a while.
The story behind the AGA is that the Swedish Nils Gustaf Dalen noticed that his wife was busy all day to keep the fire of her stove burning. He designed a new stove that was easier to maintain and made cooking a much easier task for the housewife of that era.
But like it is with all techniques, they get older. The design is lovely, but it's not as practical as a modern stove. The AGA cooker became a cult object and a lot of people buy them without really knowing how to cook on it. Much to my amazement I recently saw an ad for expensive vacation homes that came with an AGA. So when you arrive in your vacation home you can't cook the first night because it must be heated up first...
