AGA SAGA - SERIOUS advice needed!

[Gilli]

We have just agreed to buy a house with an AGA and NO cooker or hob of any sort in the kitchen. I am an AGA virgin so, please - any advice at all on how to fed people without poisoning them first would be really helpful. For example - can I cook everything I am normally used to cooking or are there any no-nos? The aga has 6 doors on it (4 ovens?) and is 4 years old/ oil fired. That's all I Know. Heeeeellllp!

pph is your gal G.

she loves hers..... and is new to it all

Gilli try buying this

Agas cook brilliantly, but you have to get used to your own individual one ie the temp of each oven etc.

I would get a separate cooker for summer when you don't want the kitchen heated from the aga though!

You can cook everything you would do in a normal oven, and more!
Buy Amy WIllcocks book called (interestingly enough) "aga cooking" and that also explains exactly how an aga works, what you can do where, etc etc etc. As well as a whole book of great recipes You'll be cooking like a pro on it in no time and be a complete convert.... you don't need to use just aga cookbooks, I use nigella, nigel slater etc recipes just as well, it quickly becomes instinctive where to cook things.
You can also do a google search for agas which will take you to the aga site (I think it is called IronAge.com) which will start you off too.

My parents and brother are both in the process of buying Agas at the moment. They've been to a couple of cooking demonstrations (find out where your nearest Aga supplier is and see if they do them) recently, and have been told that you can cook anything in/on an Aga that you would cook in a conventional oven. It does seem a bit different to conventional cooking; apparently you're supposed to cook 80% of your food in the oven and 20% on top, but you can do all sorts - even stir-fries. They're both planning to go down the route of getting a small counter-top cooker for the summer. Depends where you live - my aunt lives on a wind-swept moor in Lancashire - hers stays on all year round.

Gilli
I'm an Aga Queen too! I agree with all the messages so far. You could also try Mary Berry, as she does recipes for Agas, explains how they work etc.

I'd also get something else to cook on in the summer. Thank goodness I have a back up, as we have real problems with our oil supply to the house, and I have stark choice of Aga OR heating in our house. As soon as the heating goes on, it sucks up the oil, and leaves nowt for the Aga.