Everhot, ESSE or AGA: please help me choose...

[GrumpyMuleFan]

We've moved house and renovating the kitchen. We had assumed that we'd have a new AGA as had a dual control in our old house. But, after doing some research, we're leaning towards an Everhot or ESSE. I see Sarah Whittaker has moved to ESSE. Any owners out there who can tell me how they are getting on? I would really love to hear some experiences.

Sorry can't help but have my soul set on an Esse Ironheart in the future if I manage to move. What fuel does your current AGA use?

It was dual control electric. So we had the ovens on all the time at a slumber temp and put the tops on / off as we wanted. They have discontinued this model and the new ones don't get such good reviews. I need to look up the ESSE Ironheart..

I’ve been considering an everhot for a long time - there is a very dedicated Facebook group who are a wonderful source of information

I don’t know much about an esse

I think Agas are pretty much behind the pack now. I don’t know what they offer, other than name/ branding, that the everhot doesn’t. Interested to hear more about the esse.

I have an everhot, had it for 2.5 years now. What would you like to know about them?

What sort of things do you struggle to cook I. Them / do you also have an air fryer or combo microwave oven. Do you have young kids ? I am keen for one in my next kitchen.

I don’t have young kids, but anything from the freezer (eg chips!) can be an issue. Tend to have to defrost that kind of thing first.
I have one with an induction hob one side which I use for stir fries, otherwise the normal hob side works fine for everything else. Yummy toast!
I turn the whole thing off when it’s really hot and use just the induction and my air fryer. Sometimes have just a small oven on low and use it like a slow cooker.

I have an Everhot (120i), so I can't speak for the Esse, but a quick glance at them shows me that I much prefer the flat tops of an Everhot. I like that the Everhot hotplate is divided for boiling and simmering, whereas the Esse seems to have a boiling plate in the middle and not much simmer room around it? Also, the Everhot comes in some very lovely colours, a much wider range than the Esse!

You can put the Everhot on Eco so that the temp is lower at night when you aren't using it and comes on at whatever time you set it in the morning.

There is a very active and knowledgeable Everhot facebook group which you could join and get some more info. (The customer service is excellent btw).

@honeyandbutterontoast what temp do you have your ovens? Frozen stuff is fine in mine, I never have to defrost. The top oven comes preset to 220 but I have mine at 210 and it's plenty hot enough for eg, chips.

I have the smallest Everhot. It's very easy to use, the Facebook group is helpful esp on deciding on regular settings.
I still have to watch a video everytime I want to reset the control panel but that may just be me

I defrost everything by just sticking it on the lid to defrost. Or cooking from frozen.

On hot days in the summer I'll switch it all off except for a short time cooking on the hot plate. Or just eating salad. You can drive the oven temp up quickly as well by putting the grill on for 10 minutes.

The main learning curve was that casseroles in the oven only need a third of the liquid suggested as nothing evaporates in there.

I also got mine for a fraction of the price from a company that refurbishes and delivers them.

Yes the esse looks wood fired which wouldn’t be practical for me day to day

Really encouraging to hear that you are both happy. @Lyocell thank you for the tip about the FB group: I've asked to join. That's exactly how I feel about AGA now - that it's just fallen behind the others. Their website/product layout is not very easy to navigate and it seems to have lost its way - there are v few demonstrations etc. Are you thinking about any other stoves?

@honeyandbutterontoast - I love your username and love of toast! Do you manage to do Yorkshires? Which size do you have? Do you use the induction area much?

@goldtrap I must say, I'm with you on the square tops as I imagine they give a much bigger cooking area. I didn't realise you could have it on a timer, so it's on in the morning. Do you run it all day and into the evening?

Have you had any problems with cooking, condensation or their service etc?

@Lyocell ESSE comes in electric as well as wood fired. I couldn't keep up with wood!

I think it probably makes good yorkshires but we don’t eat them! Makes very good cakes :)

Ive got the 110i. Tend to use the induction a lot in summer but rarely when the oven is all switched on. At the moment I have the big oven on at 200 (have been baking lots this weekend) but the two small ones and hob are off. It’s all on eco so it turns down low overnight (saves a fair bit that way). my eco kicks in about 9pm and then the oven is back up to temperature about 10am.

Here's another option - Heritage Cookers, made in Cornwall.

Had ours, 20 years. I just turn it on when we want it, 15 mins for the top plates, probably 30.minutes for the ovens. Runs our central heating, rads and underfloor plus hot water. It's a real workhorse. They can configure it to suit your home.

heritagecookers.co.uk/
Heritage Cookers

Heritage - good Yorkshire's, baking, roasts, breakfasts. Recommend an Aga cook demo, same style old school cooking but the ovens don't lose temperature if you are also using the hotplates.

Not great for stirfrys and the kids long for an air fryer like everyone else.

I found the Aga at a holiday cottage really sluggish and low temp but we were instructed not to fiddle with it. I couldn't get the same results.

I’ve had a 150i Everhot for 15 years! Never needed cleaning( apart from hob spillages!). They are so easy to use, I would recommend going on a course, they’re usually provided by your local supplier. I did everything on it, don’t even use the microwave.
Also they don’t need servicing!
Ive just moved sold the house and had to leave it behind. I miss it so much. I’m currently renting while renovating a house. My first purchase, A new Everhot!! The new kitchen will be built around it. In the meantime in my rental, I hate cooking on my rentals cooker

The flat lids are also good for putting dishes of food on when you take them out of the oven (I usually put a tea towel underneath to prevent scratching, or some people have fabric covers.) Or drying a pile of washing!

I have an extractor fan over the oven so no condensation (is that what you mean?)

Cooking is good, especially if you are used to Aga cooking

No service issues - they don't need servicing (but if you ever had a problem, post in the FB page and they are very responsive).

You can programme with a timer, (you can do it through an app also) but I never turn mine off, (turn it right down if I'm going away for a while). I find that although it is 'everhot' it probably doesn't kick out as much heat as an Aga (not least because one side is an induction hob, so my kitchen never gets too hot. It is a big kitchen though). Perhaps if I had the 160 or two hot plates side by side it might be different.

Out of interest how would you design your kitchen around it? Any tips?

I have 2 massive trivets either side of mine as otherwise you dont have anywhere to put hot pans.

I’ve got an Everhot 120i too and I like it a lot.

Everyone’s spoken about the cooking possibilities etc so I thought I’d mention how lovely it is to have a heat source in the kitchen. It’s so comforting, especially in rainy grey England to have this. I dry clothes on and around mine, our dog sleeps in his basket next to it and it makes getting up much nicer, coming to hover over the Everhot.

We do use the eco function so the oven and plate are not at full temperature all night - thus saving money and I’m really grateful for the induction hob - it’s great when it’s really hot, at which point I keep the top oven on only and turn the hotplate right down.

The Facebook group is wonderful and Everhot customer service seems to be excellent. I wouldn’t know, we’ve had ours 3 years and nothing’s gone wrong. It looks beautiful too. But it’s expensive to buy and not cheap to run. A luxury item.

@Lyocell
Well I moved the utility room door to the other side of the kitchen as I knew I wanted the Everhot in the middle of the main wall, that also meant having to change the drainage to accommodate a new sink and reposition ducting for an extractor. I could have kept the old layout but then the Everhot wouldn’t have pride of place!!

Thank you everyone, so helpful and def veering towards an Everhot. Went to see one today and we both really liked it. Going to a bigger town later in the week, to see more Everhot models and also the ESSE. But really, I thanks to you lot, I think we've decided on a 150 -need to mull the induction or plus.

@LittleCooker thank you for telling me about Heritage, which I hadn't heard of before, but sound fab. I don't need all the heating / water, but it sounds like a better version of our old Rayburn, which used to heat our water too.

@Myjobisridiculous I'd love to know what you do for a living... We're in very similar spots with refurb programmes and rentals. Thanks for telling me about your 15 years !!

@leli That sounds soo000 welcoming.

@honeyandbutterontoast how do toast in yours?

I’ve got an Everhot - we added it when we renovated the house last year and went for the 110+ as I don’t really like cooking on induction. It’s fabulous - the main disadvantage of the plus models is in really hot weather the kitchen can be roasting, or you have to do without hob functions, but on balance I still like it as it feels so lovely to cook on. Our kitchen is relatively cool - if it was a warm, south facing room we’d have gone for a model with an induction plate option! It can also be trickier doing something like a stir fry, where gas is just the best thing.

It really becomes the heart of the home, the animals love sleeping in front of it - and things do taste so lovely cooked in the ovens!

I will say though, it took me a couple of months to really get the hang of it, and I had a few times when I wondered if I’d not just blown an awful lot of money on something I don’t like!! Luckily no regrets now, and I’d not be without it.

I’ve tried demos on the others but nothing beats my Aga.

I have a Rayburn which I absolutely love. It is our boiler too and you can switch the ovens on and off as needed. Makes the best Yorkshires! It does make the kitchen super hot when the ovens are on though so I don’t use it in summer, I have an electric oven as well.