Aga/rayburn questions

[msb66]

So now I have to ask fredbassett and liars_dance what do I need to know about Aga and Rayburn cooking

Comments

[chelseagirl]

Someone else on my flist has one; she seems like a nice person so I'm sure she'd be happy to chime in as well, if you want me to put you in touch.

[msb66]

Yes, go on then. I've made this a public post now so comments can be made. Cheers

[liars_dance]

I should have qualified my answer yesterday - sorry. I was brought up with a solid fuel Rayburn No 1 - which provided the cooking and heat source for the house :) My parents changed this to a later model in 1970 and switched to an AGA in the late 1980s. My mother still loves the AGA but more as a piece of kitchen furniture and source of heat and not long after my father died, had a separate electric ceramic hob fitted. She also uses the microwave more now too, but to be fair that is more down to mobility issues. The ovens on the AGA are wonderful for casserole cooking, roasting meat and turkeys - but I've had trouble with pastry and some cakes (I usually need to put pans of water on to boil on the plates to take some heat away and therefore cool the ovens), and have never made a successful Yorkshire Pudding in any of them! Plus - unless your kitchen is very large, the AGA makes the kitchen overly warm in the summer. You need to be at home a lot to really benefit from an AGA and the heat it produces whilst you're not cooking

[msb66]

Yes it does. So in very basic terms - if it is on heating water & the house it's just churning out heat. And there is no way to regulate the cooking end of things (other than manage the heat it's already producing - as in pans as you mention)?

[liars_dance]

The more modern models manage the heat the cast iron block produces for cooking by having more ovens to make best use of the heat differentials across the AGA. So nearest to the block is the roasting oven and grill and further away are the simmering/steaming ovens. You'll also have a boiling plate and a simmering plate on top which gives you some variation in temperature for stove top cooking. Like I say, you'd have to learn the individual characteristics of your particular AGA. I understand from my friend with the large AGA that you can buy special AGA cookware that you use in the ovens to increase flexibility. I've just had a quick look around and this explains things quite well. All the best!

[msb66]

Cheers! This makes sense. There is an AGA shop in nearby Wilmslow - home to most of the Man Utd team and the wealthy Cheshire set. I've never even looked inside! I must say it still doesn't appeal very much...

We'll probably end up in a new-build flat and have no need of thsi knowledge, but it helps for considering options.

Thank you.

[fredbassett]

I certainly wouldn't choose to have one. They are expensive to run and unless you are in a lot and can benefit from the heat it's a huge waste. Everyone I know who has had one has ended up getting alternative means of cooking, which rather defeats the purpose. I've used them for cooking in holiday cottages, notably in Ireland, but still wouldn't recommend them for any practical purposes.

[msb66]

They seem incredibly complicated and I can't see why so many people on the "Escape to the Country" programmes want one. But at least I have got a bit more idea now if we do view somewhere with one.

Thank you.

[fredbassett]

Speaking as an ex-property lawyer I would certainly suggest you resist any attempts on the part of an owner to include it in the fixtures and fittings list at an exhorbitant price.

If they really want to take it with them they will anyway (but make sure they agree to make good any damage caused by removal) but f they say they're leaving it it's a good pointer to the fact that they don't want it or the new house already has one. In which case you should get away without paying for it. They're a bugger to move and if left, should be counted as part of the house not paid for as an extra.

Hello

[gillyp]

I'm the aga-owner chelseagirl47 warned you about

Re: Hello

[msb66]

Hello to you!

I see you also reside in NW UK. And you know thermalsatsuma and cerebral pig. Small world.

Thanks hugely for this info. We are hoping to move to Shropshire and are considering being a lot more rural than we are now (or have ever been) so the whole world of Rayburns and AGAs is appearing before us. I love LJ because there is always someone who knows about whatever Stuff you need to find out. I can't say the thought of a non-gas household fills me with joy (same goes for septic tanks) but we might have to consider it - so I'm just researching.

I can fully see that the cost situation has changed significantly with massive hikes in gas prices. There is no such thing as cheap fuel these days.

Does the Rayburn have to be serviced in any way? What would we need to enquire about when viewing a property that has one? Will the age of it matter? And can I come back and ask you further questions in due course should they arise?

Thanks so much for your input.

Re: Hello

[gillyp]

Hard to say if the age matters, it's dependant on how well it's been looked after. We bought our first second hand, but we had some chimney troubles and that caused condensation and it was badly rusted and in quite shocking condition when it was taken out