To anyone who has an aga or rayburn or

[Freezingmyarseoff]

We're completely renovating our kitchen and planning on getting an Everhot cooker, which is like an electric aga but better (in my opinion). However, we're trying to decide whether we need an extra hob and what size (two or four ring). I reckon we should get a two hob gas ring as a back-up for the summer and/or if we need the extra cooking space. DH says if we're going to get a two ring hob, why not get a four ring hob as they're not much more expensive, and would give us masses more hob cooking space. I reckon it's overkill and will take up too much valuable worksurface.

So to settle the debate argument I thought I better ask MN.

So, if you have an aga/rayburn or other storage type cooker do you have an additional hob - what size is it? How useful is it? What would you recommend for us?

[jollyma]

I turn my aga off in the summer, usually june to sept, and have a companion for cooking. This has 4 gas rings and electric oven. Dont think i could manage w any less. Mil leaves hers on all year and her kitchen is unbearably hot in summer.

[Freezingmyarseoff]

Thanks Jollyma, the good thing about an Everhot is that it doesn't give out as much radiant heat as an Aga , plus each oven can be controlled independently so in summer you can turn one oven off, or even turn the hotplate down a bit. I'm still thinking that an extra gas rings will be necessary though.

Anyone else got any thoughts?

BTW I just realised the thread title is incomplete - doh, but I think you get my drift...

[champagnesupernova]

I have 4 ring gas hob (in constant use) and electric oven (rarely used) as we don't turn the aga off in the summer
Our aga is used a lot for drying clothes/pots etc and we have an electric kettle cos I'm impatient too
Dunno whether the everhot has the same ishoo of over using the hotplates cooling down the ovens as a hotplate but you may find that you need all 4 rings.
HTH

[silverfrog]

we have an aga currentyl (in rented)

there is no other cooking source, and yes, it was unbearably hot in the kitchen over summer.

hw often do you use the hob? our aga is a small one (2 oven), but of course has the big heat plates. only 2, but then you can get a couple of pans on each one, so I haven't noticed the loss of a couple of gas rings, iyswim?

but oven wise, one hot oven and one warming oven isn't enough, imo. I have run out of space a couple of times/had to juggle what I was cooking and times etc.

I don't know anything about Everhot cookers - do you get more oven space with the 4 ring style than with the 2 ring style?

if I were designing my current kitchen, I'd have put in a bigger aga for the oven space.

[NoahAndTheWhale]

We used to live in a house with a rayburn (2 oven) and a two ring electric hob. There were definitely times when more rings on the hob would have been useful.

[Freezingmyarseoff]

Thanks for the input

Everhot has 2 ovens a bit bigger than an aga plus a warming oven but the hotplates are probably a bit smaller than the aga ones, although apparently they don't lose nearly as much heat as aga if they're kept oven (or so the marketing spiel says)

Anyway sounds like 4 rings is a more practical back-up option. I might reconsider.

[witchwithallthetrimmings]

We have a two ring hob and its fine but we don't turn our aga off completley (just to its pilot light). Thus the top oven is at gas mark 1 or 2 (so can do some roasting) and the hot plates can be used for anything but fast boiling

[seeker]

I have an aga-equivalent, I never feel the need for extra rings, but I do also have an electric steamer and a microwave that is also a small convection oven if we ever need a bit of extra cooling space. But you do find you cook a bit differently - for example, if I'm boiling potatoes I'll start them off on the hob, then put the lid on and they finish cooking in the oven. Su you do use rings less.

It would be wonderful to be able to turn it off in the very hot weather, though. We do, actually, but it means that the cooking is a bit limited during a heatwave!

[lots33]

We have a Stanley (like an old rayburn) which we turn off in the summer. We also have a 5 hob burner range cooker and we find we use it all but we do like cooking!

[seeker]

We're started a new source of baby names - Stanley, Aga, Rayburn, Eastwood.....

[aJumpedUpPantryBoy]

We have a two oven Esse (like a poor mans standard Aga and an esse module which is a 2 oven, 4 ring electic cooker.

I didn't want the module (DH did) but I do use it quite a lot

[Freezingmyarseoff]

Looks like more votes for 4 ring rather than 2. ok I take it all on board - DH will be rather smug about it!

@ seeker and the baby names

[ExitPursuedByABear]

Three oven Aga here. On all the time. Large kitchen so just open all the doors on the occasional hot days. No other cooking source and manage perfectly well. DH wanted me to keep the five ring gas hob we had just bought before we revamped the house, but I did not want to lose the workspace/dumping ground so decided against it.