⭐️All Things Aga Related⭐️

[TheRealHousewife]

… From recipes, techniques, tips & tricks.

I have searched MumsNet and there isn’t really an ongoing positive/appreciative thread sharing the joys and tribulations of having an Aga.

My first experience of an Aga was accidental when the holiday accommodation we booked a few years ago had an Aga. As we’d taken our own food I had to crack on. I used it for warming up pre-cooked food in one of the ovens and I did a few things on the simmering & boiling plates including the famed Aga toast. We all loved the soft warmth it brought to the kitchen and to be honest for as big as they are we thought it look homely and inviting. We were hooked! From what I could gather it heated the water in the cottage too.

They have many uses and I’m interested in what other people appreciate their Aga for, their favourite recipes and any hints and tips you can share.

PS - Im not trying to be insensitive in the current energy pricing crisis and I understand that not everyone will see the merit of this thread ❤️

PPS - Photo isn’t my Aga x

@TheRealHousewife DH doesn't feel the cold, so damp is all I have!

@MissyGirlie Im a big believer in where there is a will, there is a way (mostly) 😅

May I ask why have bake o glide been suggested here? What’s different with the other brands one can use in normal ovens please? I’m a newbie and want to learn!

For me, its because it was the only brand I found with a circular one, that fits the top plates perfectly. Also- I have no idea what the product is called otherwise? 😆
I have bought a version from asda, which I use in rectangular dishes and was about 100x cheaper than the bake-o-glide ones. Its a rectangular shape though!

Good Reply @JC03745 👍. Useful to know they have a dupe in Asda! Thank you!

That sounds like our Everhot, we have two controllable electric ovens which we set to approx 240 and 150 for roast dinners. In the EH the bottom shelves are hottest so you can vary temperatures a bit on the day by moving things up and down. It tends to need to be set 10º hotter than the temp given in recipes, but it is very much a case of putting things in and taking them out when they are done rather than exact timings. I find Christmas dinner much easier than with my old gas cooker.

Something for us newbies:- Aga Christmas Cooking Guide

Thanks so much! I’m going to do a practice run (but with chicken) as will only have had aga for 11 days before I’m hosting Christmas 🤣

four more sleeps until Agatha! ☺️

You'll love it @AgaNewbie ... that said I'm still nervous of my boiling plate 🔥 😅

Hello to all the new aga & everhot people 😁

I'm full of cold so dh braved the supermarket for his passport photo (v long story) and came home with two legs of lamb and a beef joint 🙄 The leg of lamb was slow roasted for Sunday dinner snd the leftovers became hotpot for last nights tea.

@AgaNewbie good idea to practice with a chicken. I watched Sarah Whitaker on youtube cooking her christmas turkey. Done it like that ever since. Alexa is your friend with her timings, the multiple settings Alexa 5 mins onions, Alexa 20 mins potatoes have saved me many times. There is little cooking smells which is why aga are so good at cresting charcoal from food 😉 before I got my Alexa I used a peg stuck on my tea towel on the rail 😂

We moved to this house and 2 months later I hosted Christmas for 10 adults with just the aga to cook on. Different people wanting different meats so ham done on christmas eve, turkey cooked overnight, beef done christmas morning. Plus veggies and trimmings. By the time I got to gravy she was flagging a bit 😂

My aga is a dark blue 2 oven gas beauty that I adore but have no idea how old it is, not a brand new one by any means.

@JC03745
For me, it's because it was the only brand I found with a circular one, that fits the top plates perfectly. Also- I have no idea what the product is called otherwise? 😆
I have bought a version from asda, which I use in rectangular dishes and was about 100x cheaper than the bake-o-glide ones. It's a rectangular shape though!

This is good to know! I haven't tried any other brands but will look out.

The pre-cut AGA Bake o Glide is eye wateringly expensive though.
I usually treat myself to new Bake o Glide every two years. I buy a roll and cut it myself (with the old one as a template). A liner each for the full size and half size roasting trays and a new bit to go on the simmering plate for making pancakes, toasting crumpets, making toastie sandwiches and popping popcorn.
I don't mind that it's not circular, in fact, it's much easier to grab the corner of it without burning fingers when removing it from the simmering plate.

A pre-cut set from AGA cookshop is currently £32. A roll of genuine branded Bake o Glide is currently on offer on Ocado for £9 (usually £12).

This is the non stick tray liner thing from asda I was referring to.
https://groceries.asda.com/product/baking-utensils/george-home-silicone-baking-sheet/1000383110355?&cmpid=ppc--pmax_google----google---_-dskwid-_dc&s_kwcid=AL!11432!3!!!!x!!&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA6t-6BhA3EiwAltRFGHksD4d2wGJAcMFLS-utXDsu0RqGSaaUHgyjbAuJvbEUqnchfTi9ZhoCUpcQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

That looks fab! I'm going to look for that next visit to ASDA. Thanks.

Hello! 👋🏽 I have just inherited an aga having moved house and it’s been a joy to use. Absolutely love the heat. I wonder if you know of any ‘clean’ alternatives to bakoglide? Having read up on it, it’s covered in essentially Teflon which I’d rather not use. Happy to continue with my cast iron pans, however if there were an alternative it would be awesome.

🙌🏽

Welcome to the club@Sandradale330 I do have some bacoglide and no I didn’t realise it was ‘Teflon’. I don’t use it for everything. If I have baked on food debri I put a little bit of water in the tray/dish and pop back in one of the ovens. It loosens it off enough to be able to clean with a dish cloth 👍

TIP:- I use a pair of wooden toaster tongs to move bacoglide about if using on the hot plate. I also prefer my bacoglide to over hang the hot plate as I find it easier to grab with the tongs if that makes sense.

@Hedgesgalore Awesome! Sounds like you have catering for larger numbers nailed down! 👏

Re: bacoglide alternative, I've heard mention on some forums that grease-proof paper does the same job,haven't tried it myself though.

Hello aga-nauts/everhotties I have been an everhot owner for the last 5 years,wouldn't be without it now.

Hi @MadameSchnauzer you Everhottie you 🔥😅 Good name! Yes the good old greaseproof comes in handy 👍

Ooh an Aga thread.

Not sure how I've missed this thread.

Hoping I can join. I've lived in this house with a 4 oven gas aga for 9 years now.

I LOVE it!

I learnt to love Agas in my nannying days and always wanted one of my own, and 9 years ago I made it :)

I got another pack of bake-o-glide for Christmas.

My favourite aga recipe of all time is "ham-pan-lid"

Not bought a pack of sliced ham for months.... simply cook a gammon (by putting it raw in a pan in the simmering oven for 4+ hours) and slice later. Thats it!

I've just put 2 loads of washing on the airer next to my aga to be dry before breakfast.

Joining in the Aga chat- we've had a battered black 4 oven gas Aga for 20 years and I love it.

It's still going strong, although the 2 gas rings that we had instead of the warning plate have just failed. It was 2.5k to replace so we've just whacked a warming plate in -£79 off ebay!

Now that the rings have gone - it's my only cooking option but Christmas dinner went well - simmering the turkey slowly overnight.

I do exactly the same, keep a set of toaster tongs on the front of the EH for moving bacoglide (as well as toast). Then use a cork to prop the lid up enough to stop it squashing the toast, or fried eggs or whatever.

@MadameSchnauzer which one do
you have? We have a 90i, had it nearly 4 years and love, love, love it.

Mines a 100i in Tangerine orange
I think I've used the induction maybe 5 times over the years.

We use the induction all the time in summer as we have to turn the hotplate off to stop the kitchen overheating. I think DD uses it quite a bit all year round for cooking pasta (she often cooks for herself).

@ExquisiteDecorations great tip about the cork under the hot plate lid! Thank you.

@MadameSchnauzer mines an eR 110i so I rarely use the hot plates, use induction daily and ovens as and when needed. Suits us to a T. I bet your beast looks awesome in orange … are you comfortable sharing a photo 😍

Hi @cathyandclaire @nannyl & @ExitPursuedByABare I thinks an Aga corner is very much needed on Mumsnet!

What are people’s favourite/easy yet tasty recipes they cook in their Aga’s. Currently I’m loving a shredded chicken salad and I do the chicken in a cast iron lidded casserole dish in the simmering oven. When cooked it’s shreds so easily! Also I find tray bakes very easy such as veg and chicken portions into the roasting oven for an hour (turning half way through).

I love using my les cruset to assemble stuff the night before (or even 2 or 3 nights before)
I put chopped raw veg / meat etc in my les cruset. (no browning or anything else... literally chop and thats it)
stick it in the fridge.
(Put alexa on to remind me to put it in the aga which is set to go off at breakfast time while im in the kitchen)
At 7.30am a fridge cold les cruset goes in aga.
about 5 / 5.30 pm a casserole / chilli / bolognese etc comes out, has a stir and is ready to eat

This means I have ZERO effort during a busy rushed morning, beyond walking from fridge to simmering oven!