AGA range and cooker

Dimple's Mom

This is true, they do not. They are narrower and deeper than most ovens. They come with a roasting pan that fits on the rungs (or can sit on the floor or on a rack), a half roasting pan (ditto on where you can use it) and one cold shelf that is like a cookie sheet and can be used just like a cookie sheet.

I bought the Aga pots and pans because I LOVE the flat lids and the fact that I can stack them both in the ovens and for storage. You can fits a lot of pots in the ovens.

I use all my pyrex dishes in there, my pampered chef ceramic stuff, all my ceramic casserole thingies, etc. I only had one cookie sheet that didn't fit - it was more like the half hotel sheet - everything else I already had works great. I got rid of my double boiler. Anything I needed that for now gets done in a regular pot or pan or pyrex container inside the simmering oven. Soooo easy to melt chocolate! (Agas are great for lazy cooks like me.)

PattyO

Dimple's Mom,,
What a great lesson and history of the AGA. I don't "need" one now. Thought my own oven had a problem, but have been looking at the AGA for years. I live in Western PA and I'd love to see some in action. There is a dealer within an hour, but he only has one style. We have all four seasons here. Hot summers and cold winters. When I'm ready, we'll talk. What island are you on? I had a friend on Sammish. What an amazing place, right on the water front, all picture windows on that side. I saw hundreds of herons, six? types of gulls dropping clams on the roof, seals swim by but I didn't see them, and sometimes she said, even an orca. Walk outside and pick up oysters from the sand, dig in a trowel and pull out a clam, go out into the water for a mile, and up come the dungeness crabs. An amazing place. Plus, the day I was leaving a bald eagle swooped past her window. Could not get any better. It was time to go.

Dimple's Mom

Good thing that your own oven is not a lost cause. It's never good to make such a big decision when you're in a rush. These kinds of things take years to think through. :laugh:

If I hadn't gotten an Aga, I was interested in knowing more about the Garland. I know someone here said he had one and didn't think it was great. I'm surprised; I've always heard great things about them!

We're on the south end of Whidbey Island. We take the Mukilteo/Clinton ferry to go back and forth. Yes, it's very pretty here and tons of nature. I get tired of the constant grey and drizzle though. Altho we're having an unusual cold clear period - no rain in 5 or 6 days and so cold the snow we had last Wednesday morning is still all over the place. But most of the time it's just grey grey grey. I like being on the island. It's fairly rural here and very small town atmosphere, which I like. If I'm not mistaken, Sammish is north of here, closer to Bellingham. If it's the place I'm thinking of, it's stunningly beautiful, one of the prettiest places I've seen in Washington.

PattyO

Sammish is really amazing. Small island with only a few hundred homes, and less than half are year round residents. Gorgeous houses.

Dimple's Mom

Which ferry did you take to get there? It sounds like one of the San Juan Islands. I'll have to look it up

PattyO

It is a San Juan. No ferry, there was a dike connecting to the mainland.

BigBadger

Aga has more choices now including more traditional styles of ranges. The Radiant type are not for people who don't like change or, things that are different... kinda like the Egg...

There are still a lot of Hank Hills out there who will only use "propane and propane accessories" and they are not the Aga or Egg crowd.

I'd love an Aga or a La Cornue but the $$$ ain't flowing nearly deep enough... (donations gratefully accepted)

Dimple's Mom

I looked it up. It's not where I was thinking but close. It's actually just north of Whidbey Island. I was thinkig of Lake Watcom, I think. It says on line that Samish is near Chuckanut Drive, which has got to be one of the prettiest drives in the world. So Samish must be one of the gorgeous views you see from Chuckanut Drive!

Ripnem

Gwen,

Great post. Thanks you taught me a bunch about a really cool sounding cooker.