Providing heat, unrivalled cooking space and a four-figure price tag, the Aga is seen by many as the ultimate kitchen centrepiece.
Agas have become an iconic fixture of kitchens around the world since they were first invented in 1922. And it’s not just the design that has endured – the UK’s oldest working model dates back to 1932. Today, a new two-oven Aga will set you back at least £8,000. But in return for this sizeable investment you’ll get a versatile, spacious cast-iron cooker that provides heat and is always on and ready to go.
What is an Aga?
An Aga is a spacious cast iron cooker with multiple levels, ovens and cooking options. Each Aga is built to order at the firm’s Shropshire factory, but all include a roasting oven, simmering oven and one or two hot plates. There are also models with three, four or five ovens, as well as the option to swap a hotplate for a gas or ceramic electric hob. Agas are heat-storage cookers, which means that they generate heat in their core which is then transferred across the surfaces of each oven and hotplate. Traditional models are designed to stay on all the time, so they don’t have any dials or switches. All of this means that Agas also gently heat the room they are in. The cast-iron body of an Aga enables heat to be efficiently stored and transmitted throughout the Aga’s various cooking zones. The radiant heat it produces is what gives an Aga its ability to cook food for long periods of time without drying it out or burning it. Temperatures inside the ovens vary, but as a rough guide you can expect 250°C in the roasting oven, 190°C in the baking oven, 140°C in the simmering oven and 85°C in the warming oven. A thermostatic control inside the Aga maintains consistent temperatures. You can buy Agas that run on electricity, gas or oil, as well as some dual-fuel combinations (such as gas ovens with electric hobs).