Blimey, am confronted with filthy old Rayburn

[MortaIWombat]

in new house we have just bought.

Every one says ooh, and aaaah, and aren't you lucky, and I go .

It is gas, with two ovens, and is, if we have identified it correctly, which I think we have, a 400g pf, bought in 2005 (the house is a repo, so there is a lot of detective work and not much certainty involved).

So anyway, I've been reading old mn threads on Rayburns/agas, and while I appreciate the degree of unhealthy fanaticism loyalty they inspire, I am a bit sceptical.

This thing only has enough space on the oblong bit of metal on the top (under the two silver flip-up bits ) for three pans. And I read that one end is boiling hot and the other is simmering heat. And you get a pan to boiling, then shuffle it down to simmering end. But I quite often want four pans on the go. All just gently bubbling. What then, hmmmm?

And I read too that you can do really good toast in it. How? WHERE, goddammit? It has nothing I recognise as a grill. How do I reheat crumpets? Or make cheese on toast?

The only thing that remotely appeals is being able to dry washing on top of the flippy bits...

Watching with interest. I never got them either.
And they are on All The Time?? How is that a good thing?
No, don't geddit.

I´ve ahd one for a year, and it took soem getting used to but now I love it.

You can put the bread directly on the bit-where-you´d-put the pans, or put it in a wire toaster thingy that´s especially amde for it. Best toast ever.

Best baked potatoes ever.

When cooking, you´ll have to change the timing of your cooking. Eg boil green beans, then drain and put back in pan and keep hot, anywhere on it (doesn´t ahve to eb hotplate bit) or in bottom oven. Then do rice, same thing, then cook the meat.

It takes longer, but Í tend to run of and, ahem, "multitask" anyway, so no tiem lost really.

I am cooking lots more thinsg in the oven now, it does great roasts,stews, lasagnas etc.

If you really want to get into it, google for local Rayburn-Aga cooking classes.

Also, get it serviced once a year (in summer !)

Thanks Chandon. Am a big fan of slow-cooked stews, etc, at weekends and hols, but I work full time, get home at 6, having picked up dc from school/nursery, and need to be able to cook something in 20-30 mins for their supper, before bedtime. I'm not thinking the Rayburn is well suited to this?
You're dodging the cheese on toast question, too...

Bumping for the evening crowd. Just not convinced, really. Is a Rayburn actually compatible with having a career and things to do other than waft around in a pinny?

Final bump.
You're all still waiting for the damn things to heat up so you can cook yer roasts, aren'tcha?

We inherited a teeny weeny one with our new house (oil fired). I have always wanted one so was quite excited until the neigbour told me that it was always going wrong and smelt terrible when it did. I thought about having it converted and overhauled. After much deliberation, I decided that the little money I have would be better spent elsewhere and have put it in the shed until more prosperous times.
I wouldn't have been able to fit much on/in it anyway... it was miniscule. Felt a bit wistful when reading chandon's post though!

My gran had a Rayburn which she loved and which heated the whole house I believe. But she also had a freestanding gas cooker (big kitchen) for, I suspect, some of the reasons in your op.

Thanks! Curry's, here I come...

awesome if you think the gas one is bad..the coal is far, far worse.

people removed enormous range cookers from houses because proper hobs/ ovens are better.

i have never seen items burned/ undercooked/ take hours to cook without good reason so often as when cooked on MIL's rayburn. great if you enjoy a fuss, though.

...also, they aren't cool-wall so i can't leave DD for a second in the kitchen with the stupid thing....

i'm actually suprised how much i hate an inanimate object that belongs to someone lse....

We have an Aga and I LOVE IT! I'm not sure how it compares to a Rayburn but it's totally wonderful (yes I'm a complete fanatic). It's so easy to cook on and even though I generally hate cooking, it makes cooking an enjoyable experience. It does amazing slow cook recipes as well as speedy suppers. I love the warm and cosy feeling it gives the kitchen, and the dcs love Aga-warmed teddy bears. Cheese on toast or crumpets cook well at the top of the top oven, by the way. If we turn it off in a heatwave (so not this summer), the kitchen feels empty and soulless.

pmsl you Aga freak, MorePudding!

And don't believe you about the cheese on toast; the toast must dry out totally, like swedish crispbread.

There is a Rayburn in our temporary let (oil) and while it is good for heating the water, drying off wellies, reviving lambs it is expensive to run, smells and I worry that our toddler will pull pans over.No they are not cool wall. Good for adult bum warming, bad for toddlers.

The toast thing can be found in the Aga shop.

You also do not smell things burning in the oven so you might have to do a 'remember' system.

Ah yes, good idea to tie something like a red ribbon on the rail so you don't forget something's cooking. I once left a jacket potato in the oven for a day. It was ready to go in the coal bucket after that. Another time I forgot all about a casserole for about 12 hours... and it was absolutely yummy!

I've never had a Rayburn or Aga, but I have a few friends who do. They all have other hobs/ovens in their kitchens too, which I guess overcomes the impracticalities when you need to do something quickly and also means you can switch them off during the summer.

If you have space I would install your AEG too. That way you can have the best of both worlds!

My Aunt has an Aga and says it took her a good year to get used to cooking on it. Now she wouldn't do without it, but she also uses her ordinary cooker alongside.

We sold our AGA this year, so far our oil consumption has halved. I do miss it for cooking on sometimes, stews, jacket potatoes but that is about it, we have replaced it with a pot bellied stove to keep the kitchen warm and got a larger range cooker. We had a range cooker before as the AGa was turned off from March to November.

Aga toast bat here

You put your bread in between the rack bits on the hob - lid up or down, and turn it over after the first side is done.

I have an aga and nothing else - not even a microwave or toaster or electic kettle in my kitchen. I learned to cook on one as a child and this rented house has one, so I'm quite happy. But I do feel guilty about the fuel usage.

GentleOtter: turn the pan handles away from the front, same as any other cooker.

I'd sat give it a year or so then decide. some people take to it, others don't.

He is a climber, melted. If you have your back turned he climbs up on the Rayburn, table, chairs. I'm a nervous wreck.