Do you have an aga?

8 years ago

A true symbol of country style and arguably Britishness (though a Swedish invention), agas grace the kitchens of many a home across the UK!

But for all their warmth and appeal, have they made it to your kitchen? Let us know if you have an aga or better yet, show us!

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Featured Answer

minnie101

8 years ago

I have an inherited aga. I may be alone in this but I do feel they are a little overrated in my experience...I find them difficult to clean as you burn yourself whilst doing so. If it's built in you also can't reach the shelf at the back without risk of damage. They look lovely when cleaned properly with astonish etc but the next day when you do a light clean with flash or whatever it looks all smeary. They cost a fortune to run, either that or my central heating does but we had to have a new heating system installed when we moved in so I know that's efficient..I also find the cooking is so inconsistent. I am a keen cook so I don't think its my cooking skills :) On that note though it doesn't really emit any smells so it's impossible to know if you're burning something or smell something lovely! On the plus side, they're great for keeping the kitchen warm and to warm your bum, dry clothes etc. Yorkshire puddings, sponges etc don't collapse when you open the door. It is also so nice having a hot oven ready to use and obviously they look lovely! The jury is still out as to whether we keep it. I posted on here a few months ago about an underpayment on my utilities which run into a few thousand after a 12 month period. I received an email with my new bill a few days ago but have been too frightened to open it yet :)

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Comments (15)

PRO
DesignWorks
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
An aga definitely adds character and atmosphere to a period home. We had a
white solid-fuel aga in a previous home – sorry no picture - like the one in
the photo posted by Tom above and really missed it when we moved house. We
also had an electric oven and halogen hob which was useful in summer time when we
didn't always want to use the aga.We're currently working on plans for a new
kitchen in our Victorian house and have already bought a new gas aga (not as
'dusty' as solid fuel) and have altered the dimensions of the chimney breast to
accommodate and ensure it’s the focal point of the room. Again we’re having an
electric oven with induction hob. Agas look as good as they cook -
and a very important feature in any quintessential English home!
PRO
DesignWorks
8 years ago
Here’s
photos of a Victorian ‘distressed style’ kitchen - we designed and fitted around our client's
exisiting aga cooker. They wanted it to look as if the kitchen had always been there! What do you think?
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bruket
8 years ago
I was brought up with a huge cream Aga in Sweden. When I moved to Scotland there was a bright yellow oil fired Aga in the house. Now I have a white gas fired Aga. I am planning to move and I think I will get an electric City 60 Aga. Has anyone got any experience of the small electric Agas? I don't think I could cook on anything else.
Victoria
8 years ago
Oh dear, Minnie!
Good luck with the bill.

I just don't like Agas. I'm a country girl but we never had one and I don't like the look of them, or any range really. Think I'm just odd!
PRO
English Cowhide Company
8 years ago
We did away with ours, moved our kitchen to a single story room and couldnt easily move the aga so we didnt bother, it was costing us an absolute fortune to run in oil.. Do we miss it, hmm, sort off, as a cooker NO not at all, we now have a big electric double oven with gas hobs that actualy gets hot when you want it, doesnt loose heat and you can control, Wow what a difference..! Dogs miss it though, and the kitchen isnt always warm which we miss. Also we now have to use a tumble dryer, Kettle, and toaster and have to clean the hob.. Would we go back, NO not unless you coudl guarantee oil at the curent 20 odd pence... Anyone want a lovely Duck Egg Blue aga...
buntyplumchip
8 years ago
We have an electric economy 7 one that was with the house. We had it serviced by AGA which cost £150 and when the engineer came it turned out that the fan and an element bank needed replacing. All in all it cost us approx. £550 to get it working properly, It seems to be costing us £75 pcm on the Economy 7 meter which we are not sure whether it is all worth it or not. We love having the AGA, having a warm kitchen and drying clothes, even ironing them! No problems with the cooking. We have oil central heating as there is no gas in the village and also open fires. We have not had a Summer as such in the property, so don't know how it will all work then- seems pointless to have it and buy another cooker to use then, might as well get rid of it and buy an ordinary cooker. The AGA engineer said it was the top of the range model, and well worth it, so we don't really know what to do. Another maintainance bill might decide that.
User
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I love the traditional Agas of the past, but they are impractical in a

warmer climate due to the radiating 24-hour per day heat. I went with a lovely La CornueFe range, which I understand is now owned by Aga. I have been very pleased with its performance!
Jonathan
8 years ago
I don't get it. The look hasn't moved with the times, few people rate the control and therefore the ability to cook on them- they are three times the purchase price of high quality ranges and they cost a fortune to run. If you just want something to warm the room then just get a radiator!
poollover
8 years ago
Been there done that. Solid fuel, at the time it was practical we lived in a large draughty house in the middle of nowhere. warm kitchen was appreciated by cat dogs and us. Cooking is just a different technique, and what ever any enthusiast says they are not good for everything in fact a complete pain sometimes, great as a slo cooker though! An additional stove is really needed if you are a very keen cook and for the summer unless you want to waste money and roast yourselves at the same time.

In the end its all about perceived prestige, two sisters have installed them one oil one electric and claim to love them, interestingly neither are keen cooks. Ironically I have chosen not to install one in my current house, could have done as we have just remodelled the kitchen area completely, briefly considered it for the warmth but don't want the hassle of solid fuel again and I'm sorry but gas/oil/electric AGAs are just an oxymoron.
S H
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
We inherited our aga with our house ten years ago, it was I think, built in the 80's and we had it re-conditioned, it was a violent red but I had it re-enamelled in anthracite and it looked lovely. I have to be honest, some years later we put in under floor heating throughout the house and the kitchen suddenly became a furnace! Being of "that age" suddenly hot flushes required me to vacate the kitchen and stand outside even in the middle of a freezing night, so off went the underfloor heating in the kitchen. I initially went to aga classes and I have to say it was really worth learning how to use the thing correctly. Such as never using the hot plates if food could be cooked in the ovens, maintaining the oven temperature for much longer. Methods, such as pouring off the water vegetables were in once boiling was reached, and then putting them in the simmering oven to steam, or using the floor of the roasting oven to fry.

I have to say it was an education having one, and yes all the things people love about them are true, BUT having installed a new green heating system it all seemed so wrong, its original purpose was to heat a poorly heated farmhouse with no gas supply, and served a multitude of purposes. I know in its past it has kept lambs warm and hatched chicks, it was great at drying out wet clothes and laundry that wouldn't dry anywhere else. I even managed to save a chicken keeping it warm next to the aga in a box all night. When we have had power cuts the storage system of the aga lets you cook for a few days with the residual heat, though the temperature does drop so you have to be careful.

We don't live like that anymore, power cuts thankfully are not as frequent, and although we are a farm we have a well insulated house (finally) a good heating system and I don't want to be dependant on oil, burning it constantly seems rather pointless and wasteful if it isn't serving other purposes, it doesn't really cook evenly (probably due to its age) and then there is the expense of regular servicing. So these are it's last few months. I have now ordered an electric range cooker with an induction hob. I did look at the electric aga dual control and came to these conclusions in my long drawn out considerations whether to have another one or not, I am now amazed I even considered it - I think mainly pressure from grown up children who like to lean over it constantly, they certainly don't cook on it!

1. They are on all the time, if you turn them down to tick over you can't use the hot plate for boiling, they have to be turned on independently and take about 8 minutes to heat up.

2. It is quicker and cheaper to boil water in the electric kettle in that case.

3. I use a toaster as I can cook four slices at once if required.

4. I still have to turn it off in the summer it is way too hot in our kitchen, which means....

5. We have to have a small oven and two ring induction hob as well to take over - that to me completely defeats the purpose.

6. Keeping it on all the time seems rather like having an electric oven and keeping that running all the time - would I do that? No I think not.

7. I still can't use the underfloor heating put in at great expense!

8. The house is warm enough to dry washing without using the tumble dryer all the time in the winter. The aga was however, magnificent at drying knitwear.

I understand the new systems are supposed to be much more economical and I think for people that really love them they do have a place. I also think there is a lot written about aga owners that is unfair and sometimes written by people who may not actually own one or know how to cook on them. That being said everyone is entitled to their opinion and this is just mine. I have also heard that using solar panels can really help contribute to the running of them.

Finally a word of warning on inheriting electric agas, my brother brought a house with an electric aga (not the new AIMS or Dual Control system) He nearly passed out after his first electricity bill - needless to say they haven't switched it on since! He said had he known he would have asked the previous owners to remove it at their expense...
buntyplumchip
7 years ago
Update- after the Economy 7 Aga practically 'blew up' - it overheated until cherry red on the plates- AGA told us to turn it off and it would reset. We did. Electricity bill shot through as high as the temperature. Got engineer out a couple of weeks later as it obviously was not right, and he said the elements had all blown and long story short would all cost £2500 to repair. Then it would be 'like new'. I said it was supposed to have been 'like new' 6 months ago at the service, and the replaced elements were supposed to be guaranteed- not for what had occurred now, apparently. So I asked what guarantee would there be with £2500 worth of work? Not much , it would seem. Guess what- I said we would rip out the AGA and get a proper cooker. The engineer said we could not do that, we had to had an engineer to do it as it weighed 2 tons. As it happened our kitchen fitter was there and said rubbish, he would get the local rugby team in for us if necessary. Anyway, it took 3 old men an 2 'ladies of a certain age' one day to get it out and to the local recycling plant. I bought a Belling Classic range type induction cooker, which looks fab with my lovely new kitchen (which was actually originally designed around the AGA) and as far as I am concerned, good riddance to the AGA and its ridiculous high maintenance charges. Cooking is now so much less of a hit and miss affair. oh... I know people still love them, so we did strip it for useable spares,,,if anyone is desperate.
PRO
DesignWorks
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Here's an update of my post dated 8 March 2016 - Kitchen finally completed and I love it. More photos can be viewed on our Houzz Page/projects. Why not take a peek and tell me what you think!

Using both electric ovens and a gas AGA and I must say even the simplest of things like toast, scones & Jacket potatoes taste sooo much better when cooked/baked with an AGA.
PRO
Rachael Wilson Architecture - Chartered Architect
3 years ago

Yes, we do, a lovely Dual control 5 oven AGA. Gas ovens and electric hobs. Much more economical as we can lower the oven temperature in the summer and use the roasting oven like the baking oven, But the hobs are separate so they can be on and the temperature required when needed.
PRO
Rachael Wilson Architecture - Chartered Architect
3 years ago