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Rayburn or Aga – Which Range Cooker Is Best for Your Home?

April 3rd 2011 Posted at General
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Aga and Rayburn cookers are hugely popular, especially amongst people looking for a more energy efficient solution. Both look absolutely stunning, creating a wonderful homely ambience in your kitchen. Both come in a suite of gorgeous colours. And both do a great job of cooking mouthwatering food. So what’s the difference?

Opinions differ. Aga cookers appear to pip the post when it comes to cooking, but some people prefer the Rayburn. The Aga has the biggest hot plates and most spacious ovens, and the oven is always up to heat. So you can cook a quiche at four in the morning if you like! If you’re a committed foodie and regularly have ten or more people round for dinner parties, you might find you need a four oven Aga. Both Aga cookers and Rayburn cookers feature sturdy, efficient cast iron ovens, perfect for slow-cooking low cost meat joints into a veritable feast of tenderness.

If you live in a terraced house you might find an Aga range is a bit too efficient, providing much more heat than you need. If you don’t like to waste perfectly good appliances, your heating system is just fine and your boiler is less than ten years old, you might find it’s best to fit an oil or gas Aga or ‘dry’ Rayburn – one that doesn’t heat your water.

Space is important too. Agas and Rayburns are generously sized. Provided you have a space measuring at least a metre wide by 67cm depth – that’s around 39 x 27 inches – you should be able to fit a two oven Aga in. You can add a flue to your Aga as long as you have an unused chimney handy. The size of your family counts too. If you have kids, the Aga might be your best bet. If you’re a couple who both work, the Rayburn may suit you best because you can set the heating with a timer.

Rayburns are popular with people who need loads of hot water on a regular basis. If you’ve got a huge kitchen and want your range cooker to function as a back-up cooker first, a heater second, a Rayburn will heat the room above the kitchen too! The Aga oven is four inches deeper, which suits some cooking fans. You can adjust the cooking temperature quicker with a Rayburn, so it’s easier to control. And unlike Rayburns, Agas don’t heat radiators unless you bolt on a separate boiler.

Obviously it’s horses for courses! But there’s a lot to consider before making a decision. It’s vital to consult an expert before buying an Aga or Rayburn range cooker. Whatever your decision, it’s good to know that fitting one usually increases the value of your home, so you’re onto a winner either way.

For the best advice on whether to choose an Aga or Rayburn cooker, call Edwards & Godding on 01189 393 046.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Craythorne

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The Myths About AGA Ovens – Part Two

April 2nd 2011 Posted at General
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When making a purchase the buyer should investigate all the options available and gen up on the pros and cons. The same goes for buying an Aga cooker although an Aga should be considered more of an investment than a purchase because it’s likely to be in your possession for a lifetime. As a range cooker it is quite simply second to none and any current owner will tell you they can’t live without it.

While researching which model to buy – whether it be a heat storage gas range cooker or a a duel-fuel – you’ll find plenty of positive reviews, but also a few negative ones. The fact is, not everyone will extol the virtues of an Aga but a lot of the opinions you’ll read are based on misinformation or from poor operation of the appliance. Many myths can be dispelled by learning how to operate the cooker correctly and the best way to learn is to book yourself on an Aga demonstration.

Some 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 give no indication or warning so horrible burns can occur.”

It’s true they’re always on but you’re aware of that because it gives off heat. The same goes for the hotplate so if a child lifts the lid they will feel 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 have to throw out all your old pots and pans. Agas need flat-bottomed, thick base cookware and will 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. Of course, if you’re buying a quality oven it’s a good idea to include some quality Aga cookware.

“The hotplates are so large but 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 relying less on the hotplates and more on the ovens. An Aga cookery demonstration will teach you how to do this. However, if you prefer cooking with pans there are other models available that will provide up to six gas burners.

“You can’t 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 put things, you can use your old cookbooks as well as 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 when you come in from work there’s no pre-heat waiting times and you can start cooking immediately.

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.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Craythorne

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The Myths About AGA Ovens – Part One

April 1st 2011 Posted at General
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Many people aspire to owing an AGA oven and with the range of models now available it’s possible to have an iconic range cooker from one of the world’s most famous manufacturers. Whether you’re looking for a classic heat storage cooker or a duel-fuel option, there’s an ideal oven for you. For those opting for the simplicity of a traditional AGA you may have come across a few doubters as to the benefits.

First of all, owners will tell you there’s no better way of cooking food and the background warmth from the oven keeps much of the home warm for seven or more months of the year. And who could resist leaning against the towel rail on a cold winter’s day? However, many doubts surrounding these cookers still remain and some stem from a lack of knowledge about how to operate them. If that’s the case then time at an AGA demonstration is well spent.

Below is part one in a list of common myths about AGAs and the facts that should put your mind at ease if you’re considering making a purchase.

“AGAs are expensive to buy, you can get a decent range cooker for much less.”

Yes, you can get a range cooker for far less but an AGA lasts for decades and will probably outlive you. And they have more uses than just cooking such as a way to dry clothes, heat the house and dry out herbs.

“If you get a gas AGA you need to install a flue, the majority of gas ranges don’t need one.”

With a balanced flue it’s pretty easy to put a hole into a wall and it doesn’t cost much more to do during installation. Qualified AGA installers will do this for you.

“They’re expensive to run because they’re always on whether you need it or not.”

Yes, they are always on but you’ll save money on central heating because you won’t need heating until much later in the year. The latest models have slumber modes and will pre-heat the oven as and when you need it. You won’t need to run other kitchen appliances such as kettles, toasters or tumble dryers. If you buy an 30amp electric model and run Economy 7 electricity, the cooker will only draw power at night – some owners estimate a £12 per week running cost.

“If you switch your AGA off, it takes days to heat up again.”

Not so. Most ovens will heat up overnight and if you’re away for a few days and want to turn it off just put it into slumber mode.

“They need servicing every six months. It’s costly and it’s more time without an oven because you have to switch it off for the service.”

Well, we’ve already addressed the point about heating up again after being turned off, however only the oil burning models need six month AGA servicing. Gas options need a yearly service (as every gas appliance should) and some electric models only need servicing every 5 years.

“New models have ceramic insulation but what happens if you buy an older oven. They’ve got asbestos in them!”

The old models did indeed have asbestos rope insulation in the lids but the likelihood is that when buying an old AGA it will be reconditioned and hence the asbestos has been removed and replaced with ceramic. If your old oven hasn’t had this work done, it will only cost around £20 to sort the problem out.

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.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Craythorne

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