Agas - love or loathe?

[EcclesCake]

I am living and working away from home for the next few months and the accommodation we have have only has an Aga to cook on.

I'm fairly familiar with cooking on an Aga but wouldn't want to own one for a number of reasons. There are some things that I think Agas are fantastic for:- baked potatoes, casseroles and, as I have just discovered, pizzas.

I'm curious how many of you would like an Aga, own an Aga or are reformed Aga owners and what your reasoning is for wanting/owning/rescinding?

[237SJ]

They seem to me to be appliances that people want when they move from the city to the country and want to go native. Proper Agas were coal fired. We had a coal fired Bayburn which I suppose is a poor man`s Aga. My (rather well off) friend moved from Bracknell to Exmoor and had to have an Aga. I personally think they`re a little bit pretentious.

[muff13]

If you have ever had a cooker similar to an aga or indeed and aga you would love it. I have never had an actual Aga but started married life (38 years ago) with an old stove on legs which we burnt wood in, then progressed to and oil fired Raeburn. When we moved had Raeburn no 2 followed by a Stanley cooker. They are supurb!! Great for cooking everything from simmering casseroles to roasts and baking. We moved 18 months ago to a house with a range cooker but sadly powered by gas and electricity. It is the nearest to the proper thing but does not cook as well and I am still missing my "proper" cooker after this time. I know that I have never had an actual Aga but think that they must be the ideal cooker for anyone,

[EcclesCake]

I've spent time cooking on Agas, Rayburns and Esse ranges but just wouldn't want any of them as my sole method of cooking.

I was going to say especially in the summer, but as I have had to light a fire tonight I am greatful for the Aga warming the kitchen (and drying my clothes!).

[sherrardk]

My husband installed an Esse stove today and they are so impractical - not to mention bloody heavy!

[vodkancoke]

I love my Aga. My parents always had ,and still have, one so I grew up with them. They are fantastic for baking and slow cooking obviously. We also have a gas cooker for the Christmas dinner so best of both worlds lol :-)

[JonnyBoy12]

Do not burn coal in a wood burning stove, or you may damage it. Not sure about Agas though. You could say this question is a burning issue.

[muff13]

I dare say that in the south they make the kitchen too warm in the summer but where I live up in the frozen north of Scotland they are fantastic and keep the kitchen warm summer and winter (and I had forgot to mention the joys of drying clothes all year around with the heat generated) I cannot see how you can call an Esse impractical sherrardk - what do you mean by being impractical?

[venator]

I bought an Aga for £75 from a farmer, moved it for free using company labour and had it installed by Josh & tom Taylor in Bolton for £120 - OK 40 years ago!

An Aga is magic - the warm heart of the house - guests and pets always gravitate round it. The ovens bake bread and roast meat to perfection. Porridge made overnight in the slow oven is a strange orange delight!

You can't bake cakes, though! We had a gas hob and small built in electric oven.

If I won the lottery, I'd love to have an Aga - the dark green one.

[vodkancoke]

Venator, I bake in mine all the time. Makes fab cakes, scones,cookies and loads more for me!

[sherrardk]

Hi Muff13 - just going by what my husband said. They are brilliant for heating your house but to stand in front of it actually stirring and things you would end up cooking yourself! The one he was talking about is half wood-burner and half cooker. http://www.esse-stove...dburning-cooker.html. If you were stirring stuff on the left-hand side it would be really hot.

[EcclesCake]

Mmm, it really does seem to be a love or loathe position on these beasts. I'm not wholly surprised and will persevere for the next few months with my mega Aga but still don't think I would choose one as my sole method of cooking in my own home.