Any ESSE or EverHot Users?

Counting_Pennies_2

Hi all,


I am an Aga user, I moved house three years ago and really love it.


There are a couple of downsides. The fact I am running two boilers, one for the Aga and one for our heating and hot water. Also our local Aga company are pretty pants in the customer service side of things.


My service engineer for a rival Aga servicing company said he also services other cast iron ranges and said their customer service was excellent and his customers rave about them.


I am in the process of planning a potential rejig of the house, and with that might come a new range.


So my question to you is does anyone have a rival cast iron range, such as ESSE or EverHot?
How do you find them?
Have you used an Aga before. How do the two compare?
Do you find it easy to cook on them?
Any issues?
Are they gas or electric?


Many thanks

glitterpuss

When we moved into our house 5 years ago it came with an Esse. Apparently the previous owner had an AGA, didn't like it and traded it in.
The Esse is electric, has two hot plates, a main oven including grill and a small lower oven. It also has a plate warming oven on the left hand side. The hotplates give a nice even heat, and we do a lot of Wok based cooking, but I would love 4 hotplates, as 2 restrict us.
Having had a kitchen with a gas hob, and electric oven it has taken a little getting used to. Sadly it needs a good service, as it has a habit of getting too hot, so I have to pay attention when baking cakes in particular.
It looks wonderful in my kitchen but I'm not sure it would be my first choice if I was purchasing one myself, as no-one around here has ever heard of them!
We're restricted to Electric or Oil, but a lot of the ranges I've seen are Multifuel.
I've never used an AGA or Rayburn, but if I had the money I'd go with them

Counting_Pennies_2

Thanks for that.


Does Esse work in a similar way to Aga? Does it have one plate that is hotter than the other (rapid boil and simmer?)


Also do you know if the two main ovens run at a set temperature? Do they stay hot all the time?


Thanks

glitterpuss

One plate is more severe than the other, although I've always thought this was due to ours being a bit temperamental

The ovens have a temperature gauge so that you can heat them at whichever specific temperature you need.
I get the impression that AGA's can be left on all day, and will heat the home. My ESSE is just an oven which doesn't heat the room at all.

This is mine:http://www.saxonhomecare.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/woodfired.gif - but in green

Dark_Star

have a look at Stanley (part of the Waterford group)


http://www.waterfordstanley.com/


http://www.waterfordstanley.com/stanley-cookers/cooking,-hot-water-heating.aspx


you can get a gas one, however we find it much easier to use the separate electric oven installed a couple of years ago. We don't need it for hot water or heating but they do have cookers that will heat the house/hot water & cook.


It's ovens are bigger than aga ovens & the hot plate is one continuous thing so you can get lots of pans on it plus there is a simmer plate.


Not cheap though :eek:

Counting_Pennies_2

glitterpuss wrote: »

One plate is more severe than the other, although I've always thought this was due to ours being a bit temperamental

The ovens have a temperature gauge so that you can heat them at whichever specific temperature you need.
I get the impression that AGA's can be left on all day, and will heat the home. My ESSE is just an oven which doesn't heat the room at all.

This is mine:http://www.saxonhomecare.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/woodfired.gif - but in green

It sounds very similar to an AGA on top Glitterpuss


I went to an Aga workshop when I first moved in, it was great. Apparently there is a faster/rapid boil plate and a simmer plate.


For cooking root veg the key to freeing up the plates is to have lids to your pans that don't have vents. You bring them up to a rapid boil then drain and put them in the simmering oven (120 C) and leave them in there for a little longer than you would usually cook your root veg for and the veg will be cooked but steaming in the pan. If you have vent holes in your lids they won't steam.