Aga - Can I cook a curry on one?

[rushour]

Hi, we'll be moving into a house with a aga. I'm going round tonight to have a look at it, before we decide how much we are willing to pay for it.

Can you tell me whether its suitable to cook curries? I cook curries 3-4 times a week on a gas cooker. Only use a oven to make roasts, lamb steaks and jackets.

My sister cooked some great ones on hers. She found her aga fab ..

You need an aga book if you have never cooked on one before, for timings and which oven to use and how etc. They are very easy to use once you get the hang of them. I miss my aga but it is too hot here in France to have one.

could you explain how i would cook pakora for e.g. they are normally fried in oil on a gas stove..would i continue doing this on a aga, or use one of the ovens..i'm getting a book tonight to help me the decision, but pls keep the posts coming. thanks rosa and ggg.

agas have two hot plates, one hot and one simmering if irrc. So for pakoras, you would heat oil on the hot plate, them move it over to the lower heat to fry them.
Apparently it is really easy to make ghee in an aga too!

Hi rushour, I have never made a curry on my aga, but I have made many stews, casseroles etc. The bottom oven ,simmering oven is where you cook casseroles and I think would be the place for curry. My friend made pakora on ours how chposter described and it worked well.

I was worried when we moved into our house that we wouldn't get the hang of the Aga. Now I couldn't imagine not having it although the kitchen gets unbearably hot in summer.

I got a video about how to use the aga. Also Aga shops do cooking demos if you have one near you.

You will love your aga once you get used to it.

thanks..i may just come round to the idea. isn't it weird how we think we can't adapt to something new and then it all turns out ok, if not better..thanks for this will see whether the vendor accepts the offer we put on it..apparantly she bought it for £2000 and we can have it for 400.

She's trying it on - she shouldn't be charging you extra for it all. There is no way she'll go to the expense and hassle of ripping it out (hundreds and hundreds of pounds). If she does she'll also have to "make good" the mess etc which is a total nightmare for her and very very expensive.

Make sure that she's had it serviced recently and if not, ask her to do it before you exchange.

You'll love having an aga. Honest.

Yes ours was included in the price of the house although they made sure we knew it cost over 2000 to buy, install etc. My brother paid about 500 when he moved into a house with an aga 5 years ago.

tootyfrooty, i've just spoke to my colleague about it and she said exactly the same thing. apparantly when their friends moved house they recieved a quote to get it moved and it cost £2k! Can you beleive that! There is no way I'm putting an offer on it now. I'm just going to call their bluff. And if they do leave it behind, I'd better get myself booked on a aga course! I'm actually quite excited now..thank u sooo much for all your responses. You've been most helpful.

If you can, then you could always have a small one/two burner gas hob put next to the AGA? My MIL had one ring gas wok hob next to hers, and it worked brilliantly.

you can cook anything on one!

I cook fantastic indian and thai curries on mine

Oh I Lurve aga's had one in my old house, but then had to move back to a conventional gas burner & oven in the new house. Very very not to have one atm. It's like having a huge lovely warm happy dog in your house. But it doesn't need walking or clearing up the poo.

The rule with aga's is 20/80. That is you only do 20% of your cooking on the top plates, you do everything else in the ovens. There is an art to it but you can get used to it quickly. Mary Berry's aga books are the best to have (although they have some weird recipies in, like boiled ox head or something)!!

You can do a stonking curry in the aga. The boling plate is super dooper hot (much hotter rhan your average gas burner), so you can fry everything up top, then you stick it in the simmering oven for an hour. To slow cook it.

Wonderful things. Don't let it go. You'll never know the love you can share with a kitchen appliance .

I also believe they have a potent fertility effect.

dd1 took AGES to conceive when we had a normal electric oven.

dd2 only took one ooopps (virtually on top of the Aga) and voila. She was also born next to it. Should have called her Agatha really.

(sorry if tmi)

I worked in a guest house one summer many years ago & the owner used to make curries on her Aga all the time, so I'm sure you can.

Don't, however do what she did one time there was a lot left over - she decided to freeze it.

"You stand there & hold this plastic bag Rusty & I'll pour it in"

So she takes the pot of hot curry straight off the top of the Aga........

Just been back to look in my Mary Berry book (fond old memories and all that).

The recipe is for Jugged Hare.

Love that. Imagine serving it up at a dinner party....and to follow the platter of anti-pasta, I have lovingly prepared for you a jugged hare!

Just imagine the expressions on their faces.

awww..thanks for all your lovely messages..the saga of the aga continues!..

So we went this evening to have a look at this aga AND ITS NOT A AGA! its actually a rangemaster..can u believe it! I was getting all hot and bothered over something that never was..

The thing is she still wants £600 for it. Its in very good condition. It has a double oven 1 electric and 1 gas, a grill and 5 gas on top and a electric hotplate thing..

What would you consider to be a reasonable price? thanks for all your advice..you've all been so helpful

roushour!! I cannot believe I have shared my most personal of Aga stories and got all het up and pining in the process.....for a thread about RANGEMASTERS!!!!!!

That is most unfair.

A rangemaster is just a big cooker.

An Aga is something else and much more wonderful altogether.

meenie

lol..i know..consider how I feel! I was a little unsure of this at first..became incredibly excited after reading all these posts about agas and now..i'm on a low..oh well...