Aga Cooker Myths - Part 2

When buying the purchaser should investigate all the choices available and research the pros and cons. The same goes for shopping for an Aga cooker although an Aga should be thought about more of an investment than a purchase because it's likely to be in your possession for a lifetime. As a range cooker it's quite simply second to none and any current owner will tell you they cannot live without one.
Whilst exploring which model to buy - whether it be a heat storage gas range cooker or a dual-fuel - you'll find numerous positive reviews, but also some negative ones. The fact is, not everyone will extol the benefits of an Aga but plenty of the thoughts you'll read are based on misinformation or from poor operation of the appliance. Many myths may be dispelled by learning how to manage the cooker correctly and the ultimate way to learn is to book yourself on an Aga demonstration.
A few of the common misconceptions about Agas are listed, and answered, below.
"They're dangerous if you've got kids. The hotplates are always on and provide no indication or warning so terrible burns can happen."
It is correct they are always on but you will be aware of that because it gives off heat. The same goes for the hotplate so if a young child lifts the lid they will experience the heat from it. If your child is tall enough to lift the lid, chances are they're at an age when they know hot things can burn.
"You'll need to throw out all your old pots and pans. Agas need flat-bottomed, thick base cookware and can ruin anything that isn't."
This isn't true. Aluminium and stainless steel pans work fine and don't have to have a thick base. Most pans these days are flat-bottomed anyway but if yours aren't they'll still be okay. Obviously, if you're purchasing a quality oven it's a wise decision to include some quality Aga cookware.
"The hotplates are so large however you can only really get one pan on satisfactorily. What if you need to put more pans on?"
Owning an Aga does require you to learn new ways of cooking and that includes depending less on the hotplates and more on the ovens. An Aga cookery demonstration will teach you how to do this. However, if you have a preference for cooking with pans there are other models available that will provide up to six gas burners.
"You are unable to control the temperature so all your old cookbooks become redundant. You have to buy Aga cookery books."
Not at all. You'll learn where to find the different temperatures of the ovens. For example, slow cooking is done in the simmering oven, pie crusts are best on the floor of the top oven and the roasting oven changes temperature from top to bottom. Once you know where to place things, you can use your old cookbooks together with your new ones.
"There's no timer. What if you want to have something ready for when you return home?"
That's true about the timer, but you can slow cook your dinner so it's ready when you get in. And don't forget, the oven will already be up to temperature so once you come in from work there's no pre-heat waiting times and you can begin cooking right away.

By: David Craythorn

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If you are one of the many people who aspire to owning an AGA cooker, or would like to view one in action at an AGA cookery demonstration, pay a visit to Edwards and Godding, the UK Aga specialists.