Does anyone have an aga or raeburn?

[Jasper]

Do you recommend it? Did you buy it new? Is it expensive to run?
Thanks

message withdrawn

MY MIL just got hers for her house in Provence, it was her dream.. she is currently over the moon with it ! I will spend December over there so I'll be able to tell you what I think. (She is a keen cook).
I am curious how she will live the very hot summers ....

Jasper I have an Aga and I absolutely adore it _ I just cannot recommend it highly enough. Not only does it cook things beatuifully but it is also fantastic at drying washing - fold your sheets and tablecloths on the top and you don't need to iron them. It has inspired me to do so much more cooking than I ever did before and it is great having a permanently warm area for things to rise and so on. It is great to be able to cook pizza on the base on the oven as well as bung things like casseroles and bolognese sauce in there for hours on end. Also, until you have one, you just don't realsie what a joy it is having a hot oven permanently at the ready.

We worked out that it adds around £9 a week to our gas bill. However, warmth from it means that we need to have our central heating on far less than would otherwise be the case (and certainly never during the day) so I suspect the net cost for us would be negligible. Depending on the size of the hosue, you can of course also use it to run your hot water. We actually bought ours new as we were able to get the VAT off it but obviously old ones are just as good.

I don't find the temperature a problem as by putting in the cold shelf in different positions, I can usually get the temeperature I want. Unless though you have a kitchen where you can open a door to the outside at the heght of summer, you will certainly get hot!.

Jasper, I grew up with an Aga and learnt to cook on one and cannot wait to have one in my own home. If you buy a second hand one, make sure that it is not a conversion from a coal Aga as they are never very satisfactory.
I know I'm going to sound like a sad advertising campaign here, but I think they form the heart of a home. Your kitchen will always be warm, your teatowels always dry - they are wonderful.
Also, you do not need any other form of cooking appliance. I am always really sad when I go to people's houses where they have an Aga and a conventional cooker. You can cook absolutely anything on an Aga & with the avent of blow torches, even creme brulees are possible.
I don't know where you live, but I can recommend a good shop in Suffolk: Suffolk Stoves in Middleton.
Good luck

I learnt to cook on an aga and have had one myself for many years (not new, 1970's model)and cannot now imagine cooking on anything else. I also have a microwave but only use it for heating up milk occasionally. As our house is very old and draughty I can leave my aga on (gas-fired) all summer and it is never a problem. My mother, however has to put hers out of use during the summer as her house is practically hermetically-sealed and so she also has a conventional cooker.

Do you know what is really interesting about the responses so far? They are from other mumsnetters whose views on other topics I have noticed and agreed with! How strange.
I have been seriously considering buying one for a long time and have a savings account earmarked. However having just gone part time I was wondering if it was wise to go ahead and spend it on such a luxury. We live in a biggish, draughty, remoteish house which is prone to power cuts. Our fuel source is an oil tank. I think you have all convinced me and would wellcome further comments

Jasper
We moved into our house 3 years ago which has an oil fired Aga which also does hot water. We do switch it off in the summer, as we are south facing, and we just BOIL with it on!! I do have another cooker in our utility room, but I end up running about 2 miles around the kitchen to coordinate supper when I use it!
To be honest, when we moved in, I spent about a week eyeing it up, trying to figure out if it was a friend or foe, uncertain as to quite how to cook on the thing. Now? I wouldn't change it for the world. It is very good at drying washing, and I'm a great fan of chucking stuff in to cook overnight. I also love the fact that it is always ready to cook in, and never needs to be preheated like other ovens.
Meat certainly tastes better, and I've made marmalade in the oven, too.
Strongly recommend you get hold of an Aga cook book or two so you can figure out quite what you can cook and where. Mary Berry is good.
You'll need metal heavy based saucepans with metal handles, but don't be fobbed off by buying the Aga brand stuff. It's a real rip off.
I also have the name and number of a very good Aga man who charges about £40 for an Aga service if you live in Surrey or Hants. (Our local Aga shop charges £105 + VAT!)
Sorry about ramble... hope it makes sense, and that you make the decision to buy this necessity... it's not a luxury!!
PS Have also heard not to touch Agas that have been converted from solid fuel as they can be rather cranky

I'm in a windy corner of Scotland and although we have some lovely summer weather (Honest!) the way our house is situated inside tha house is never particularly warm so I am getting more convinced by the minute here....keep going mumsnetters...
We have a local dealer in the next town. If anyone hears of a second hand one I am prepared to travel to fetch it.
If I buy it new i will have the "which colour?"dilema. As I am 6 months pregnant that is FAR too big a decision for me to make at present.
I,m thinking of changing my username to mushybrain...

message withdrawn

Jasper, as you live in Scotland there is a local company (I think on the border) who make these stoves which are better than the Aga or Rayburn. I had one but cant remember what it is called. I had it in my previous marriage and it was a gas one. It had one big cooking area across the top and two cooking ovens. But since having a normal electric oven again I have mixed feelings if I would like one again. Ill try and remember the name

Jasper
Just found ad in back of old Country Living for a place that does reconditioned Agas and Rayburns. I'm sure I've seen other companies, too. Their name is: Phil Green and Son and they're in Herefordshire. Tel: 01885 488936. Website: www.philgreenandson.co.uk
They might be able to lead you through the differences between the 2, and suggest prices. They say they install nationwide.
Will post again if I find more!

Jasper, the make is an Esse. I looked at all the rest and found this to be the best all round cooker and cheaper than the rest.

Jasper, my mother adores her Stanley! She used to have a rayburn, but found it couldn't cope with running radiators and being hot enough to cook on simultaneously. stanley heats the whole house (8 rads) and it has a much better controlled oven temperature. Oven heats up much faster than the rayburn and can be easily adjusted. She never has any supplementary heating, and even I find it too hot on occasions, and I normally like the heating up full blast. I have friends who have agas and rayburns, and aesthetically they look better than Stanley, but on his performsnce I'd have him any time if I was in the market for such a beast.

Robinw, the cold shelf is simply a fairly heavy baking sheet-like shelf that you put in cold usually at the very top of the top oven. It reduces the heat and in particular, stops cakes and so on from browning on top before they are cooked through. Might be worth phoning a Rayburn shop to see if they do something similar.

message withdrawn

Thanks all, and another question. How can you cook things on an Aga/Raeburn/stanley/esse such as stir fries and searing steaks, ie things requiring a really hot hotplate?
Incidentally I have had great reports of both Stanley and Esse.

One more thing, I won't need it to heat radiators, just for cooking, and probably for heating the hot water too. The idea of it being on all the time really appeals. Visited a friend today who has a rayburn and she really likes the fact that it is NOT on all the time, and can be switched on and off, but I do fancy the constant warmth/cooking facility option

We have a Rayburn that also does part of the central heating, but the cosy kitchen effect has been ruined by the gas persons' insistence that we have a gigantic and draughty vent on the back door. I'm ashamed to say that I tape it up with wide sellotape during winter, thus allegedly putting my infant children at risk from carbon monoxide poisoning etc etc. How do the rest of you deal with this? I get serious abuse from the service people if I say the draught is a problem, and I need to have the thing serviced regularly, presumably.

message withdrawn

Jasper, you can buy loads of accessories for cooking on your stove so you can cook pretty much as you would on an ordinary stove. Depending on the size of your house you will probably find if you have it on all the time then you wont need the radiators on anyway. The reason I picked the Esse, and I looked at all the rest even the modern french onces, is the complete cooking area across the top with two lids and it has two cooking ovens, easy to operate and cheaper than the rest as they do most of their business on export.

I don't know about agas etc but we have oil CH and carbon monoxide poisoning is an issue, so it may be worth getting a detector. My son lives in a rented flat with gas CH and I bought him a detector. An electric one that plugs directly into a socket costs about £30-£35, a small price to pay for peace of mind, imo.

Jasper
I do stir fries on my Aga using a frying pan, but Aga will sell you one of their woks at vastly inflated prices! I also have a ridged cast iron Le Creuset pan which does for steaks.
The most important thing is to have very, very flat bottoms on all pans etc if you have Agas/ Ratburns etc. The metal hotplates are themselves flat, so you need as much contact with them as poss.

message withdrawn

Joe1 is the Esse kept on all the time?
Due to cost, I will give it serious consideration and am off to do a websearch.
Thanks

RobinW do you keep your Raeburn on all the time (the noncentral heating part I mean, ie just the cooker itself)?Is your kitchen really cosy?!