Aga how-to's

[EmmaStone]

We've recently moved house and inherited an Aga in the process. Having never had one before, it's all quite new and exciting.

I'm not sure if it'll stay with us in the long term, but in the short term, I've got queries popping up left, right and centre!

So, as a family of 4, in the week we are often eating at different time - in my last house I had a warming drawer, so could just leave whoever's dinner in there until they came home. Can I put a plate in the bottom oven of the Aga to stay warm, or will the plate crack? Will the food be ok, or will it get over cooked?

If I want to do an easy dinner (eg tonight, another everyone eating at different times...) I've got some chicken strips and chips. Could I have put them into the bottom oven when I left this morning for them to be ready this evening, or is that more for slow cooked things like chilli/casseroles etc?

I'm sure I'll think of more. I'm going to a demonstrator class next month, but thought I'd use the amazing Mumsnet hive mind in the meantime! Thank you.

Worth buying an AGA cookbook, or a Mary Berry as her stuff all used to done in the AGA and the recipes were for that as opposed to a normal oven.

My mum and dad have an aga. My mum puts my dad's dinner in the bottom oven all the time if he isn't home in time, to keep it warm. If it was going to be hours then it may dry out but a short while is ok. Use tinfoil if you need to, to keep moisture in.

Aga cookbook/Bible on its way , but it's less how to cook things, more what can I do with them.

Thansk Killerqueen, good to know, we'll try it out. Our plates are only cheap-y Ikea 365 ones, so no great loss if one does crack (except someone will lose their dinner).

Get a couple of Le Creuset dishes from TK Maxx. they are great. You can get small oblong ones which are ideal. I have an Everhot rather than an AGA. Check and see how long since it has been serviced.