Aga cookers. Have they lost their appeal since the cost of fuel went through the roof?

[jasper]

I LOVEED my aga in my last house.
I bought it about 7 years ago following mumsnet recommendations.

However everything has its price and the cost of fuel now makes it seem slightly obscene.

Thoughts?

Millarkie. Porridge is dead easy. Measure it all out the night before, shove in pan, cover and leave on back of aga overnight. Porridge is ready for you when you wake up the following morning! Yum.

that porridge idea is enough to make me want one - so good for a big family with different rising times

Ah sorry yes porridge. I make it like this. (you must make it with water not milk). Mix water and oats in an oven proof bowl, add an extra mug full of water for good luck), cover with a lid or foil and place in warming oven (bottom left of 4 oven Aga). In the morning serve and add, milk, cream, fruit or whatever.

I like the sound of the porridge! Can you use 50/50 milk/water?

Noolia - No. You can't use any milk as it will go sour. But water only makes lovely, soft, porridge and a blob of cream or a splash of milk is all it needs.

How are your cakes in the Aga? What heat is your hottest oven on average?

I use the cake baker for any cakes which need longer than half an hour, and then standard sponges, traybakes, fairy cakes etc go in the roasting oven with the cold shelf. I have no idea what temperature this is though!

Spidermama, Rayburn is owned by Aga, so in effect it is the same only smaller. Before you buy, you might want to talk to other solid fuel range owners. Burning wood only is fine, but you would be amazed at how much wood you will need. Do you have the space to have a huge wood stock pile?

Also the fire cannot be kept going overnight on wood alone it burns out quite quickly. So if you have it heating rads and water, the house may well be cold in the morning. We have got to use coal overnight or if i'm out for the day, and it's not so carbon neutral then.

Please find out about the number of time the range needs to be loaded, ashpan emptied, and the flue cleaned before you commit.

I love my Rayburn (solid fuel) but it has it's drawbacks. I'm a SAHM so can keep loading it. DH is very good to empty ashpan and clean the flue regularly, but if he wasn't and i was at work all day, i would have got rid of it by now.

All the wonderful things you hear, are true, I hate when it's not on, even in the summer,I imagine the oil fired ones are amazing (except for the cost) But make sure you know the commitment your getting into before you decide on a solid fuel one.

The chicken owners have their own topic, can we get an 'AGA owners'??

Genius...Squiffy..I'm in.

could i be an honuary member - i have a brochure - waves it ......accidently leaves it on front of dp.....

..drools over white one

I posted a really nice recipe a few weeks ago - Casseroled Chicken with Tarragon. We haven't turned out Aga on for winter yet but I can't wait

Squiffy...we havent turned ours off for summer!

We're building a new house at the moment and the kitchen has been planned around the Aga ... it's oil fired and at August oil prices will cost £25 per week to run . Currently having heart-failure but am telling myself that it'll be off between May and Sept each year so around £700 when spread over the year. We can't go gas as don't have mains gas and electric wouldn't be any cheaper than oil. It's scarey though and I'm currently questioning whether we're nuts .

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DH and I are considering having ours converted back to solid fuel having had it converted to oil several years ago.

As a tree surgeon it would make sense as we could use the by product of the business to heat water and cook (we already have a woodburner to run central heating )

Yes please for an AGA/Rayburn topic!!

Rayburns are definitely not the same as Agas. They are completely different. Agas are completely different and vastly superior. I'll challenge you to find a 30 year old Rayburn still in working condition - yet an Aga just keeps going and going and going.

ok can i put my two penneth worth in

please pleae look at the everhot website.

they are just as good if not better than an aga but they are all electric and you can turn bits of it off / on as needed and it costs less than an aga to buy new and to run.
They are a total bargain.

That said I have a cookmaster rayburn. now that means that its only on when I want it to be. it takes only half an hour to heat up and works in the same way as an aga in terms of cooking. the difference is it doesnt need to be on when I am not using it. although now its a bit cooler I have it on tickover as a large radiator. Mine is oil fired.

Oh and the other advantage of an everhot and a rayburn is that you dont need a plinth to put it on like an aga. finally with an everhot you dont need a flue!!!!!!
flues cost a fortune.

everhot

cookmaster

We have to turn ours off mrspink as the end of our kitchen is glass and it gets darned hot enough in the summer without the Aga!!

We went electric rather than oil just so we didn't need a flue - our kitchen is modern and I wanted the Aga under a window so a flue would have looked awful.

I've only had mine for a year but I love it and can't wait to turn it on - also aiming for 1st October!! It seems like admitting defeat to the weather to turn it on earlier than that!

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Rubyloopy - I have had a Rayburn before. I think Aga are much much better, even taking the huge cost differential into account. I'm not being snobby just giving the OP my honest opinion. Of course, if you want something that does central heating then an Aga isn't your man. But they can do hot water if you buy a boiler model.

Agas are certainly not 'massively superior' to Rayburns. It entirely depends on which Rayburn you use and whether you know what you're doing with it. Huh!

Ours is gas without a flue.