Using an Aga or Rayburn

kscour

Have taken the plunge to invest in a three oven aga (helped along by the fact the downstairs of the house is in bits after a flood and as the kitchen is being replaced by our insurance we thought we'd dip into our savings and buy an aga)
Having looked at it closely I think it's definately the cooker for us as I cook mostly in the oven and the fact I won't have to wait for it to heat up will be a bonus!
But....
While I'm stuck in rented accomodation I thought I'd borrow a few aga cookery books from the library to see if I could pick up a few hints but unfortunately they don't have any but could order one in if I knew the title. So the whole point of this long ramble (sorry!) is can anyone recommend a good aga cookery/instruction book and does anyone have any advice they can pass onto me please

katieowl_2

The best one is the Mary Berry one that Aga sell - it's the basic manual if you like. I find a lot of the others are to twee and posh, and some of the ingredients are a fortune.

Also I don't know if it's still in print, but Clare McDonald of McDonalds "Seasonal cookbook" is great, she has AGA instructuions alongside gas/electric, as she cooks on one too.

I'd also look at reconditioned AGA's to save a few quid - well considerably MORE than a few quid! New ones are about £10,000 these days aren't they? Ours was a recon, we've had it ten years, and I don't think we have had any more trouble with it than anybody else would. They are fairly simple old beasties when all said and done.

My Aga is costing me around £40 a month to run now, following the rises in fuel in the last year, which you might want to take into account. And also, I don't know where you live, but I would definately find out what the support for services etc is like in your area. I live in SE London and the guy who came to service mine at the weekend came out from STANSTEAD! He was the closest I could find (The service engineers are very territorial too!) as I was so far away his usual £80 service charge went up to £110, which I guess was fair enough considering how far he had to come....but I would make some enquiries.

I love my AGA I would be bereft with out it - I'm so happy it's working at full temperature again after it's service. We had roast potatoes to celebrate!

If you think of anything else Just ask.... I probably ought to work for AGA LOL!

Regards

Kate

nikiyoung

Hi
My friend who has recently moved to a house that has an Aga uses Mary Berry's New Aga Cookbook and The Aga Book, having tasted her first few attempts of Aga cooking I can't wait to go back!
(cut from Mary Berry's web site at http://www.maryberry.co.uk/index.asp) "This book is known as "The Aga Bible" it covers everything you need to know about the Aga. There is alot of introduction information explaining the Aga temperatures and ovens and how to get the most out of the Aga. Written in 1990 this book is a comprehensive guide to cooking on the Aga with classic recipes. This book is given free with every Aga purchased from Aga Rayburn."

Also do a search on Amazon books for Aga there are loads of books to look at!

HTH
Niki

Mr_Proctalgia

I too have been looking at range cookers as I'm moving next month but instead of an AGA I am leaning towards an ESSE because they have a totally flueless one with a catalyst so the efficiency is 100% (like the new gas fires) and they can go anywhere in the kitchen See Here I have spoken to the factory and got all the bumph and the RRP is about £4.1K so much cheaper than an AGA

HTH

mehefin

Got a Rayburn - (poor mans Aga) which is solid fuel so a bit of a pig to keep to temperature - However the beast is marvellous - slow cooking is a dream. Mary Berry's books are good but aren't much use without temperature control! I seem to remember a book through the WI as well , but I may be mistaken.Will have a look when I get home.

kscour

thanks everyone!:T
We did look for a reconditioned one but time is against us and to be honest I don't care how much anything costs anymore I want my life back!:( We did find one reconditioned one but it was only a 2 oven and not much cheaper as it was quite new but 10yo dd insisted we had to have a 3 oven! (she did have her heart set on a 4 oven Redfyre with extra gas hob but due to the kitchen layout we had to have a powered flue). She loves cooking and it's something I encourage with the hope that I can retire someday soon!
We've paid 7K for it fully installed but we are also having £300 to spend in the shop against any cookware, kettle etc we want (OH drives a hard bargain!)
The books sound perfect - I need to cook with this cooker not stand there with a pinny looking posh which is also why I want to borrow them from the library as I've spent money in the past on cookery books which turned out to be a complete waste, well that and the fact we've just blown our savings and are back to squirrelling away any spare cash going!:o
I'm sure once the aga's installed I'll be back picking your brains. Thanks again for all your help
K.

katieowl_2

Well if you can have your pick of cookware...I would suggest a big heavy frying pan with a handle that can go in the oven. Brill for making spanish omelettes, big lots of mushrooms or tomatoes at breakfast time, and for things that need to be browned on top (don't forget you don't have a grill as such. I use a le cruset with the handle removed (!)

Don't get talked into the cake baker (you most likely won't use it) But must haves are the trays that go on the runners, and the Aga toaster (looks like a tennis racquet) on which you can make four toasted cheese sandwiches at a time - these may come with your new cooker.

Also if you keep your kettle refilled after each use, and standing on the back somewhere, when you come to boil it it does so in a trice.

Regards

Kate.

kscour

Thanks Kate
I was wondering about pans - I have a good set which have metal handles and I know can go in the oven but I'm not sure at all about my cheapie set. And thinking about it I don't possess any frying pans that could go in the oven.
Was going to invest in a good sized/good quality kettle (having already had a nose at some of the prices - it better come with a lifetime guarantee covering the lives of me and the next 3 generations!)
Googled the cake baker - even if I needed it I think using it would put me off baking!
I think the aga comes with the trays and toaster but that's on my list to double check now
Thanks again - the thought of a near constant supply of hot tea has cheered me up no end this morning.:D
And we've just had a very provisional date for being all up and running again of 10th/17th July so at last I feel like there's light at the end of the tunnel (or it could just be an intercity!:rotfl: )

katieowl_2

Cheap pans tend not to be very flat at the bottom. I have a couple of cheap frying pans I acquired recently (donations) and they dont heat very well - the bases need to come into good solid contact with the hotplates to heat up. Obviously therefore Aga is no good for a wok (which is a shame) I tend to stiry fry for the hoards in two big flat pans.

I also find not very good for deep frying, as the temperature drops as the plates are opened, but as DH points out this is probably no bad thing...and he won't let me buy a deep fat fryer (I would only use it for samosas honest, but boy would we eat a lot of samosas!)

The Aga tray bakes (in the Mary Berry book) are as much cake as anyone could need, straightforward etc. You just damp down the heat with the cold plain shelf that comes with the AGA.

Aga is great for slow cooking in the bottom oven, all our chicken carcasses go in to make stock, overnight or even longer, we even dried some tomatoes (slow dried not sun dried LOL!) lastyear. Makes great Bread, Pizza, Jam, chutney, chocolate sauce, fudge sauce (both Mary Berry) I could go on - but I won't. I'm sure you won't regret buying it

Regards

Kate

Bear_family

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this so please move if necessary.

I'm going to be housesitting in a home that has an Aga and I need a quick crash lesson in what to do. Only time I used one was years ago and it was a four oven jobby, but this one is only 2 oven and I think you need to use a 'cold shelf' to get the ovens to roast, bake, simmer or warm?

Does anyone have any tips please? I want to enjoy the experience and not have burnt food for 2 weeks!

Thanks,

Bfx

squeaky

You know the saying "Pack everything including the kitchen sink" ?

Swap the sink for your own cooker!

Kidding aside - this looks helpful:-

Aga cooking videos