electric Aga or range cooker for new kitchen

[pixiespride]

We are planning a new kitchen and cant decide which to go for, there are 6 of us and we like cooking and eating?
Need a cooker that gives good reliable results for roasts, stews, cakes,pasta,fish,risotto and things like sausages chops and steaks. Love the idea of an aga, we are looking at 13amp 3 oven.not sure if we have space to squeeze in 2 burner ceramic hob and cheap oven to use in summer. ? spoil the look of new country kitchen.
Have looked at Britannia but reviews are not too good.
Have looked at Falcon and Mercury but apparently have been bought by another company and now not so good.
Was thinking of Lacanche but almost price of aga (there is an old range we can trade in with aga) but not sure if cooks well and spares and service for it?
Do you think £20 a week is reasonable running cost for aga or am I being hopefull.
would love to hear your views and experiences.

My parents have an oil-fired aga, and we always had some sort of range in the kitchen. I still wouldn't consider installing one though! Bear in mind that my parents aga is old and was converted from solid fuel to oil, so it could be that an electric aga is more adjustable.

• I find them rubbish for cakes - typically the top oven is too hot and the bottom oven too cold.

-They're good for stews etc (but so are slow cookers), but if you want to seal the meat for a roast then this means you need to run the aga quite hot. - If you're cooking something that involves having the hotplate covers open and lots of opening and closing of oven doors, then they loose heat pretty quickly. - You're paying to heat a room in a way that you would never normally consider - most people who have an aga can afford a good efficient boiler.

• Installation can be messy, incl if you need floor strengthened.
• Likely to compromise on a second cooker

Other than the (sorry!) snob-value, I don't really get why anyone would instal one. Yes, they're great for drying clothes and "ironing" but it's an incredibly expensive and co2/energy inefficient way of doing that. Can't really comment on the brands of range cooker you're looking at, but I would be very surprised if you couldn't find one that would cook at least as well as an aga, which would be far more efficient to run and cheaper to buy & instal at the outset.

I have a 4 oven electric Aga with a bottled gas hob. It is a masterchef deluxe. Tbh, works pretty much like a standard electric oven. It just has the Aga "look".

I covet an Esse range cooker. When I win the lottery get a job and extend the kitchen it's on my wish list.

I want, want, want the electric Aga. It has an iPhone app to turn it on when you're out.

A friends just had a Lacanche installed, it took 16 weeks to order and came with a cracked pane of glass she didn't cry, I would have done.

Oh I love kitchen porn, I'm going to bore you all day now. KateMiddleton I saw the Esse ranges at a shop recently. I really fancy a wood fired one for the garden instead of a BBQ.

Dh said we're never going back to that shop again. Such a spoilsport

You all better hope I never go back to work, get listed buildings consent and planning permission because when I do there will be serious kitchen porn.

It will be OBSCENE.

I'll go shopping with you Alouisee. But I should warn you I am a toucher. I will open all the doors, look inside and stroke all the tops. I can't help myself

Oh I can relate to that, never mind the quality feel the weight is my motto.

Thank you , I think I must go and look at some more ranges.:)

I've got the Aga Six Four. Range cooker made by Aga.

Yes I have seen that in brochure are you pleased with the way it cooks? Also daft question but does it feel warm after cooking for a while like an aga or does it cool down quickly like a conventional oven.Did you look at any other ranges ?

Yes. Had it 8 years. It is built in the carcass of a normal Aga - same doors. Does stay warm after cooking. Very versatile. Looked at Mercury but wanted something less industrial looking. Looked at some cheaper makes but didn't like the build quality.

Thank you I am going to visit the showroom to see it this week. Great to know you are still happy with it after 8 years. Do you find ovens spacious or have you had to get different tins etc.

Ovens are fine - still use the same roasting pans I did for the Neff oven I had previously. It has a fan oven that you can programme, a normal oven, a simmering oven (great for slow cooking) and a ceramic grill that works really well.