I have dreamed of owning an AGA for over 30 years! Back then, I went to an AGA store in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and had the most delightful and delicious meal, solidifying my desire to own one someday. I'm 65 now, single, retired, and live in a tiny condo, so it might not happen for me. But seeing yours and watching you cook on one is great! Blessings.
@@FromScratchFarmsteadWhen I first came across your video I was pleasantly surprised you have an Aga in the background. I thought Oh wow, she has the Rolls Royce of all ovens. I worked for a family that had one and knew it cost an arm and a leg but you were lucky to have had found one at a great discount. Happy cooking many more meals in the future.
Great video about your Aga cooker and here are a few extra items of advice which are 1) to invest in some Aga cookware, particularly the 'fit on runners' roasting tins and baking sheets, 2) buy some bake-o-glide reusable liners for the tins and sheets and 3) get a toaster racket for the best toast ever! The 'fit on runners' cookware means you can get loads more in the ovens at a time, and your maximise the available space - the large roasting tin will manage a 28lb turkey too. You'll ditch the racks in most of the ovens! Bake-o-glide is brilliant, and helps save on the washing up - make sure you get a round sheet for the simmering plate too, for oil-free fried eggs, drop scones and so much more!
@@FromScratchFarmstead you have the best video on the subject. So well presented. My Aga is going into an antique home I’m restoring on an island on the coast of Maine.
I had never seen one before, till I went to Scotland, where my fiancé is from. He has a friend whose family has lived on an ancient estate for some time- and the family's AGA is 80 years old, and still going strong!
Me and my husband are retired, empty nesters, an Aga would be too big but boy I would love one anyways LOL. Thanks for sharing this amazing experience.
We've had our 40 year old AGA for just over a year and just saw your video today. We laughed out loud about the burnt beets - we did the same thing last year, finding the charcoal hockey pucks after several days and never smelled it. We love the AGA so much. Great video!
my grandma in northern ireland has a navy blue four compartment aga and i was not expecting to see a video from america when learning about them cant imagine moving those heavy old things so far AMAZING!
I just saw a Reddit post on this gorgeous oven on the cast iron sub and now I’m literally looking at the website and checking out reviews! I saw they have the most beautiful soft pink color as well and omg i would absolutely die for one! I still can’t believe you guys found one in the Facebook market!!!! Ugh I’m so jealous!! It’s absolutely gorgeous
The find of a lifetime! We still regularly say "can you believe it actually worked out to get this aga!" Oooh, I bet a soft pink one would be gorgeous!
Thank you for your informative video. I recently purchased an AGA 3 Series cooker, which, unlike yours, has only two ovens. it's electric and so can be switched on and off when needed. As summer is approaching I won't leave it on so much but during the last days of the winter, (have only had it since February) it did make a difference to the heating inasmuch that the setting of the central heating thermostat didn't kick in so soon and when you do decide to turn it off it stays warm for ages. Your AGA and your farmstead look very warm and cosy.
We live in rural Massachusetts…. We also have an AGA…. It is the best appliance I’ve ever owned. It also heats our home and dries our clothes… I would never not own one!
Yes! We feel exactly the same way! I totally get how they are not for everyone but it fits perfectly with our world. And so true about it heating your home and drying clothes - we have a rack of laundry drying in front of ours right now 😊. Thanks for watching!
This video brought back memories of my childhood, we had one very similar, and I never really realised it until you mentioned it, but the AGA does become the center of the home. We used the bottom left to keep plates warm, I don’t know if this will be useful to you. Also somebody mentioned an AGA toasting rack in the comments, highly recommended for cheese and tomato toastys! Thanks!
I love AGAs and dream some day of getting one and since I live in Washington state where the climate is basically like Englands, it should work just fine.
Thank you so much for this video. We are looking to purchase a house and it has this cooker in it. We had no idea what it was! Concerned about the NC summers, but willing to try it out!
Very exciting!! Yes, give it a try. The summer’s can be rough but we’ve never found it to be unbearable and it’s worth it for how awesome it is the rest of the year. If you have the opportunity to pick the brain of the current home owner, that could be very helpful too! All the best!
Great video on living with an AGA and I am so glad to hear you love it, If you look to the UK there are lots of cookbooks and use guides for the Aga. One thing you do not mention is that the ovens do not need to have air circulation inside and you can fill them up to cook, this is how a single large Aga ( yours ) can cook food for a huge dinner party at an English country house.
Thanks for the comment! That’s a good point to mention. And a huge dinner party at an English country house sounds like a wonderful experience... and I’m sure very good food 😊
I have a gas 4 oven Aga. We've had it for about 14 years. Being in Southern California, summer is warm, but we use the Aga so much that we leave it on all year.
That’s interesting. How much heat would you say it adds? Also, are you in the desert, or costal, or…? Looking for info to compare to my local climate (eastern Wa State).
I first found out about AGA stove/ovens when reading a historical novel set in Scotland, so somehow I expected you both to be Scottish, silly me! I’ve wondered what the lids on the burners are for, is it just a safety issue since the unit is always on? Thanks for the tour, I had no idea about the different ovens & their temperatures. 🙏😄
Great stove. Very appealing to reuse. The weight, however, assumes the floor is sized to support it. Most floors are not sized for weight per square meter in the category the stove weighs, so you have to find out if the floor needs to be reinforced. I would love a stove like this. It will probably need to be connected to city gas or natural gas, or the nozzles can be replaced for propane/butane gas.
Just stumbled on your videos and I’m obsessed!! I love your style very much🫰💕 Do you have any major cons to not having a vent hood above your stove? We’re in the process of rebuilding a home and I’m contemplating if I want one or not so wanted to see if you got any pointers on that… Thank you guys so much for all your resourceful and helpful videos!!!!
Thanks for being here!! Everything does get a little greasy and you need to wipe it down a bit more or occasionally things can get a little smoky in here but it hasn't been too bad. Hope that helps! Good luck with your build - how exciting!
I don’t have an AGA but I long for one. Yours is really lovely! Awesome that you got it affordably! You may already know but I will mention it just in case, your individual ovens are warmer up top and cooler below. For instance if you’re baking a delicate cake, I wouldn’t put it high up in your baking oven for fear that you would browned the top too much. Also the top of your roasting oven can work as a broiler or you could fry bacon or make a pizza on the floor of your roasting oven. Can you tell that I’ve watched a lot of videos about AGA’s? Rayburn’s are similar but they can function as your heat and hot water source in addition to being a cooker!
Also, AGA toast. You place the bread between this doo dad and place it on the simmering plate. I’ve never tasted it but it’s allegedly the best toast in the world.
Thanks so much for all the wonderful comments! And yes, we’ve definitely browned some things before by placing too high in the ovens 😊. They take a bit of time to feel things out but they really are a lovely addition to the home. That’s neat to hear about the additional functions of a Rayburn! We’ll need to try that toast too!
As homesteaders you may consider running your AGA on biogas (from a septic tank or manure digester) that's free and helping the environment as methane has about a hundred times the greenhouse effect as CO2 by weight.
I’m learning about these just over the last week or two, and i THINK I’d really enjoy one - but my big concern is that “constant” heat. I live in Eastern Washington state - we get to 110°F in summer, and i really have concerns over what that would be like. The winter would be amazing though, I’m sure.
They are definitely more ideal in the winter but we find them bearable in the summer. Not for everyone in every climate though! Thanks for watching! :)
Great video! I’ve always loved the look of the Aga. That said, folks (including my friend who owns one) say Agas are issue-prone and the repair community is so thin, they’ve had to wait months to get something fixed. And we live near Boston. I do a lot of precision cooking, broil a lot, rarely slow cook, like to see progress through a window, and my holiday birds are bigger than the Aga’s roaster section. I’d also really miss not being able to smell great holiday dishes and baked goods as they cook. My original electric GE oven lasted 50 years! Julia Child used my same oven in several of her early cooking shows (though hers was a double)! But it’s always fun to learn how others cook!
Thanks for sharing! There are definitely pro's and con's. That's awesome that you got 50 years out of your oven. They certainly don't make them like they used to :).
Thanks for the comment! Yes, we do pressure can with it and it has worked great! We get it up to pressure on the boiling plate and then switch to the simmer plate and with a little shimmying to find the right temperature it holds a steady pressure.
Hope youre all well? I wonder if you'll be doing another follow up Aga video? Ive had my Aga for about 17 years. And its a constant learning curve. My most used oven is the warming oven... for drying everything from herbs, wild teas, flowers, tomatoes, wild mushrooms to jerky (mostly for the dog!). And of course, you can dry herbs etc, by hanging above it from the ceiling. We dry clothes next to it and the dog who appreciates the warmth after a cold, winter walk. Hope that opens another door of usage!?
Thanks for sharing! It is on our short list to do a day in the life of our AGA video now that it’s gotten colder out and we are using it for all of the thing! Thanks for watching!
@@FromScratchFarmstead Great! Looking forward to it! There's endless learning about using an Aga.. popcorn on the simmering plate (bake o glide!), chestnuts on the hot plate.. I'm always hungry for new ideas ❤
Thanks for the suggestion! We did make an AGA frequently asked questions video where we talk about this. It works great for canning but I think we’ll have to make this video to show how. Thanks for watching!
I believe AGA has some literature on that in their manuals so I would definitely check there. I remember checking it and thinking we were well within their recommended requirements since it was going to sit adjacent to a load bearing wall, which I think is ideal. If it was going to be sitting away from a wall or in the middle of spanning floor joists, I would definitely want a more professional opinion before proceeding. Reinforcement could be necessary. Hope that helps! Thanks for watching!
It's hard to find a country home in the UK that doesn't have one of these. I grew up with one and while they're lovely and cosy they are SO SO SO expensive to run. Sure they look lovely, but burning energy 247? Not practical these days (of huge fuel costs) unless somehow you have an electric one running on solar! Currently trying to move to the country and if we end up with a place which has an AGA, we will be removing it for a regular range cooker. Here in the UK the cost for running a small 2 oven one of these (oil) is at least £20+ ($25) a week which is painful! Of course fuel costs might be much lower where you are as Gas certainly is cheaper than what we have here too.
Wow, $25/week is a lot. Ours isn’t nearly that high and totally worth the little extra cost for how well it fits our life. Thanks for the comments and fun to hear about your AGA experience growing up!
And yes, baked potatoes, or really potatoes any way you make them, turn out perfectly! We haven’t left potatoes in but we’ve left beets in... never a fun experience 🤣
@@FromScratchFarmstead yeah for just two of us it’s not worth it (sadly as they really are the cosiest!) and I love cooking Asian dishes too and wok cooking really isn’t very easy on an aga lol.
Whoa -- I knew they were always on, but I didn't realize they were always ON, full temperature! And not adjustable! That would be like learning to cook in a wood-fired oven. And stove. Alas, I have an old, cast iron gas oven with a constant pilot light that keeps the oven about 100 degrees all the time, and even that alone makes my kitchen noticeably warmer than other rooms. An AGA is not a warm-climate-friendly appliance. (Hence a Swedish product, beloved in England.) On a different topic, I noticed your cabinets don't have a toe space and kick plate. Is that intentional or just unfinished? I was thinking about the same arrangement for my own kitchen remodel, but wasn't sure if it was going to drive me crazy having to fish escaped carrot slices or whatever from under the cabinets all the time.
Yes, maybe not the most warm weather friendly indeed! I don’t know that we made this the most clear, but you can adjust the burner temp for the oven. It’s just designed to run optimally at one constant temperature so turning it down means it will cook differently. But throughout the summer we do dial it back a bit at night or when not in use to save energy and reduce heat. Just takes some time to then get back up to the proper temp! Ha, guess the missing toe kicks are that obvious! It was a bit of a mad dash to get the house livable before our 3rd child was born and some finish details didn’t make the cut. I do plan to put them on. Given the amount of legos and balls... and yes sometimes carrot slices, I fish out from under them right now I might recommend them 🤣
I love my Aga but due to gas prices in the uk it would now cost £5k to run all year and I can’t afford that . So we are having a log burner fitted in the kitchen and have to use my “summer” electric oven all year around.😢 I don’t have a fitted hob so an induction hot plate will have to do . It’s so sad that I can’t use it . 😢😢
Oh no, so sorry to hear!! But also completely understand with where prices are at right now. We’ve definitely felt it these past few months and try to dial back the heat on the oven whenever possible. Hope prices can go back down and you can get your AGA back up and running! Thanks for watching!
Thanks for making this video! There’s not much info about these! Where are you located? Mostly curious about it being too hot in the summer. I’m sold for it in the winter!
You bet! We struggled to find info too. The most helpful information we gained was talking to AGA owners and technicians while we shopped around for a new one. We're in northern Illinois, so summers aren't too bad. You can adjust the heat setting on the burner, so one trick we learned in the summer is to dial back the heat after being done cooking for the day then turn it back up first thing when we got up. It definitely helped not put off quite as much heat. Another thing to consider is your floor plan. If you're space is more open, then not as much heat will get trapped in one space. If your kitchen is closed off, it will keep in more heat. The stove just has so many things that we love about it, that it's no problem putting up with some extra heat on the hot hot days of summer :) Hope that helps!
Like you say in the video, in the UK we often turn them off in Summer and have a smaller oven/hob just for those 2 months when it's too hot for the Aga. There's a similar product called a Rayburn which can also run your heat & hot water system. Some people run them off fuel oil instead of gas.
It's warm to the touch but you. wouldn't get burned touching the outside. We keep our home at 78 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer so on some day the ac needs to work a little extra but it also keeps us from needing to turn our heat on until it gets very cold!
Best to make sure your floor can take the weight of that thing and where and how that flue is going through the wall to the outside. It can't go into your chimney. ciao
Have you pressure canned on your aga? If so on the boiling plate and does it build to much pressure to stay on the boiling plate? Or do you use the gradual heat build to a boil that results from the simmer plate
Great question! I wondered the same thing as we do a lot of pressure canning. If you heat up your pressure canner on the boiling plate until it gets to pressure, then move it over to the simmer plate to hold the pressure, it works great! We actually found pressure canning to go really smoothly on the AGA.
You do need to build what's called a plinth underneath it so that it sits at normal counter height. It also helps distribute weight a bit. You'd want to check AGA's recommendations, but my understanding is that if it's next to a load bearing wall then you are fine. If it's in the middle of an open joist span, then you'd probably need to look into reinforcement. Thanks for watching!
sorry to pester you with another question but I don't have a dealer near by to ask. lol sooo I've seen places that say it cost about $2k a year to run on propane or $160 a month. seems kinda high or do you think that's kinda close.
Oh no problem! So the actuall cost I’m guessing will vary based on your location and gas/propane costs. We actually have gas run to our house since there’s a municipal building nearby so I’m can’t speak to the price of propane. The other factor is that our gas bills have at least doubled in the last year. Before inflation hit we were probably only paying about $40-50/mo. to run it. And in the winter, since it reduced the amount our furnace needed to run, gas hills only went up maybe $10/mo. Right now our gas bills have been up over $100/mo. Maybe even closer to $150. So $160/mo. might not be that far off. Just keep in mind for us it means we almost never need to run our furnace in the spring or fall and and it really helps in the winter, so you reduce gas and electric usage from the furnace 3/4 of the year. Hope that helps!
It's definitely not ideal to have an AGA next to a fridge. However, in our case we haven't seen a huge impact on the temps in our fridge. We have a small 3 inch cabinet spacer piece between the stove and fridge that I think helps block and dissipate the heat quite a bit. Even something small like that I think can really help a lot. Plus, it's actually really helpful to have a small sliver of countertop next to the stove to set things on while cooking - salt or spice shaker, other ingredients, etc. - since the top of the oven runs warm and sometimes you don't want to set things directly on it.
We are in the Midwest so unfortunately not too close. There is a service request form on the AGA USA website. Maybe you could find someone through there? www.agarangeusa.com/customer-care
Mostly with a wet rag and wipe it down. They do have a special cleaner that they make that's designed to use while the oven is hot. Thanks for watching!
It wasn't ideal placement. But there was really no other option given our spacing and that we bought a used cabinet set and had to work with what we had. There is a 3" cabinet spacer between them that I actually think helps dissipate a lot of heat. And since both are very well insulated, we don't find it to be much of an issue. Thanks for watching!
Yep, not diggin the inflated gas prices right now. But it’s still totally worth it for how much we use it. Just trying to be more intentional about dialing the heat down when it’s not in use which really helps. Thanks for watching!
The ovens are roughly 13”W x 10”H x 20” Deep. We’ve cooked a 7-8 lb chicken no problem but have not yet done a turkey. A small turkey would definitely fit, it's mainly an issue of finding the right roaster that works in those dimensions. We have not looked into them much, but AGA makes their own cookware line and I'm sure they make a roaster that will give you maximum capacity in the oven compartments.
The ovens are roughly 13”W x 10”H x 20” Deep. We’ve cooked a 7-8 lb chicken no problem but have not yet done a turkey. We have the second largest le creuset Dutch oven you can get and it fits well in the oven but would probably only fit a small turkey. My guess is you can find a roaster that works with those dimensions and would fit a turkey - it just might take some searching.
Yes - if you use a roasting pan, a turkey fits & cooks beautifully without drying out. Then you can put it to rest & relax on the warming plate on the left hand side on top.
It is not worth having this expensive stove if you live in North America, It is near impossible to get them serviced and when you do the cost is so high you could buy a normal stove with it. getting rid of mine.
Yep, not 100% ideal but it works. We have a 3” wide cabinet spacer between them that helps a lot and since they’re both insulated really well it doesn’t seem too bad. Thanks for watching!
What a terrible purchase. I just don't believe your bills are lower, not even Aga claim that. One large rectangular iron radiator in the kitchen is not an efficient way to heat a house. Every feature of the Aga has been made redundant by something smaller and more efficient
Good points! We're definitely not saying they're for everyone. They fit our lifestyle well preparing most of our meals from scratch where the oven is in use literally over 50% of the time any given day. To bring an oven up to heat on and off all day or run appliances that long also wouldn't be that efficient. Plus, it's worth considering the energy and environmental costs to produce all of those individual appliances and the fact that they typically only last a few years and then need replacing. AGA's are built to last beyond a lifetime with only minimal parts needing replaced. Again, not disagreeing with what you're saying, but there's a lot of layers to consider in all of it and it's really about finding what fits your lifestyle and values. Thanks for watching!
I have dreamed of owning an AGA for over 30 years! Back then, I went to an AGA store in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and had the most delightful and delicious meal, solidifying my desire to own one someday. I'm 65 now, single, retired, and live in a tiny condo, so it might not happen for me. But seeing yours and watching you cook on one is great! Blessings.
Wow!! Thanks so much for sharing this! I still regularly have to pinch myself that we actually get to cook on one everyday!
@@FromScratchFarmsteadWhen I first came across your video I was pleasantly surprised you have an Aga in the background. I thought Oh wow, she has the Rolls Royce of all ovens. I worked for a family that had one and knew it cost an arm and a leg but you were lucky to have had found one at a great discount. Happy cooking many more meals in the future.
What a BLESSING to find such a remarkable cooker! Enjoy
Such a blessing!!! Thanks for watching!
Great video about your Aga cooker and here are a few extra items of advice which are 1) to invest in some Aga cookware, particularly the 'fit on runners' roasting tins and baking sheets, 2) buy some bake-o-glide reusable liners for the tins and sheets and 3) get a toaster racket for the best toast ever! The 'fit on runners' cookware means you can get loads more in the ovens at a time, and your maximise the available space - the large roasting tin will manage a 28lb turkey too. You'll ditch the racks in most of the ovens! Bake-o-glide is brilliant, and helps save on the washing up - make sure you get a round sheet for the simmering plate too, for oil-free fried eggs, drop scones and so much more!
Thanks for all of the tips! I’m pretty interested in trying some of that toast!
@@FromScratchFarmstead You can also put slices of bread for toasting onto the bake-o-glide on the simmering plate.
I order bake-o-glide from the UK to use here in my regular oven here in Michigan! Love it.
I just bought one in cobalt blue. I can’t wait to get it.
That's amazing!!!! You'll love it!!
@@FromScratchFarmstead you have the best video on the subject. So well presented. My Aga is going into an antique home I’m restoring on an island on the coast of Maine.
Congrats! Cobalt blue is my favorite.
I had never seen one before, till I went to Scotland, where my fiancé is from. He has a friend whose family has lived on an ancient estate for some time- and the family's AGA is 80 years old, and still going strong!
That is awesome! Thanks for sharing! I hope we’ll be there after 80 years too 🙂
Me and my husband are retired, empty nesters, an Aga would be too big but boy I would love one anyways LOL. Thanks for sharing this amazing experience.
I'm still regularly in awe that we actually have one! They do have a smaller size one ;). Thanks for watching!!
We've had our 40 year old AGA for just over a year and just saw your video today. We laughed out loud about the burnt beets - we did the same thing last year, finding the charcoal hockey pucks after several days and never smelled it. We love the AGA so much. Great video!
Ha!! We’ve definitely done it a few times since we recorded this video but still love the AGA! Thanks for watching!!
my grandma in northern ireland has a navy blue four compartment aga and i was not expecting to see a video from america when learning about them cant imagine moving those heavy old things so far AMAZING!
Thanks for the sharing! The blue ones are lovely. Yes, they are rare here in the US! Thanks for watching!
What a lucky find! I, too, would build a kitchen around it! I love/prefer the unfitted kitchen look from Europe so, I think your kitchen is perfect!
I'm still amazed we have one!! Thank you. I regularly tell Jim that we can never move :)
I just saw a Reddit post on this gorgeous oven on the cast iron sub and now I’m literally looking at the website and checking out reviews! I saw they have the most beautiful soft pink color as well and omg i would absolutely die for one! I still can’t believe you guys found one in the Facebook market!!!! Ugh I’m so jealous!! It’s absolutely gorgeous
The find of a lifetime! We still regularly say "can you believe it actually worked out to get this aga!" Oooh, I bet a soft pink one would be gorgeous!
Thank you for your informative video. I recently purchased an AGA 3 Series cooker, which, unlike yours, has only two ovens. it's electric and so can be switched on and off when needed. As summer is approaching I won't leave it on so much but during the last days of the winter, (have only had it since February) it did make a difference to the heating inasmuch that the setting of the central heating thermostat didn't kick in so soon and when you do decide to turn it off it stays warm for ages. Your AGA and your farmstead look very warm and cosy.
Awesome, thanks for sharing 🙂 Always good to hear from fellow AGA owners!
We live in rural Massachusetts…. We also have an AGA…. It is the best appliance I’ve ever owned. It also heats our home and dries our clothes… I would never not own one!
Yes! We feel exactly the same way! I totally get how they are not for everyone but it fits perfectly with our world. And so true about it heating your home and drying clothes - we have a rack of laundry drying in front of ours right now 😊. Thanks for watching!
This video brought back memories of my childhood, we had one very similar, and I never really realised it until you mentioned it, but the AGA does become the center of the home. We used the bottom left to keep plates warm, I don’t know if this will be useful to you. Also somebody mentioned an AGA toasting rack in the comments, highly recommended for cheese and tomato toastys! Thanks!
Thanks so much for sharing! And for watching!
the bottom left oven is actually called the plate warming oven haha
I've wondered about these for years. It was fun learning about them from your point of view! Lots of wonderful info.
Glad this was helpful! Thanks for watching!
I love AGAs and dream some day of getting one and since I live in Washington state where the climate is basically like Englands, it should work just fine.
Hoping you get your dream!! 😍
A beautiful kitchen tool. Looks like a fun kitchen addition for those of us who like to cook and make Bread
Definitely!
Thank you so much for this video. We are looking to purchase a house and it has this cooker in it. We had no idea what it was! Concerned about the NC summers, but willing to try it out!
Very exciting!! Yes, give it a try. The summer’s can be rough but we’ve never found it to be unbearable and it’s worth it for how awesome it is the rest of the year. If you have the opportunity to pick the brain of the current home owner, that could be very helpful too! All the best!
Whoo, I wonder how it feels in the southeast? I can only imagine it would be unbearable in the heat and humidity.
Great video on living with an AGA and I am so glad to hear you love it, If you look to the UK there are lots of cookbooks and use guides for the Aga. One thing you do not mention is that the ovens do not need to have air circulation inside and you can fill them up to cook, this is how a single large Aga ( yours ) can cook food for a huge dinner party at an English country house.
Thanks for the comment! That’s a good point to mention. And a huge dinner party at an English country house sounds like a wonderful experience... and I’m sure very good food 😊
I love it! I wonder if having it close yo the fridge affects anything because it is always hot?
It's not ideal to have it right next to the fridge but we didn't have another good option. It's been ok but our fridge runs more because of it.
I have a gas 4 oven Aga. We've had it for about 14 years. Being in Southern California, summer is warm, but we use the Aga so much that we leave it on all year.
Wow, that’s awesome to hear! Glad you love it and thanks so much for watching!
That’s interesting. How much heat would you say it adds? Also, are you in the desert, or costal, or…? Looking for info to compare to my local climate (eastern Wa State).
Great detailed description. You also seem like a really harmonious couple. Lucky kids.
Thanks for the feedback and kind words! Take care!
Thank you for taking the time to produce this video, most helpful :-) xx
So glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
I first found out about AGA stove/ovens when reading a historical novel set in Scotland, so somehow I expected you both to be Scottish, silly me! I’ve wondered what the lids on the burners are for, is it just a safety issue since the unit is always on? Thanks for the tour, I had no idea about the different ovens & their temperatures. 🙏😄
They are much more common in the UK but you can find them in the US. Yes, the lids are for safety and to trap heat in. That boiling plate is HOT!
I have see these stoves and always wandered about them, thanks for the great information.
You're welcome!
Been wanting an Aga for 20 years!! One day....
I'm honestly still shocked that we have one! Hope you get yours one day!
Great stove. Very appealing to reuse. The weight, however, assumes the floor is sized to support it. Most floors are not sized for weight per square meter in the category the stove weighs, so you have to find out if the floor needs to be reinforced. I would love a stove like this. It will probably need to be connected to city gas or natural gas, or the nozzles can be replaced for propane/butane gas.
Yes, I think there's a converter if not on natural gas. Thanks for watching!
We’ve ordered a new electric R7 with 3 ovens. Will be delivered in June. Soooo excited. I loved your video with all great information 💕
YES!! That’s so great! The real question is what color? 🙂. Hope you love it and thanks for watching ❤️
How do you like your AGA now that you have it? I am trying to decide if I can get an electric one.
Just stumbled on your videos and I’m obsessed!! I love your style very much🫰💕 Do you have any major cons to not having a vent hood above your stove? We’re in the process of rebuilding a home and I’m contemplating if I want one or not so wanted to see if you got any pointers on that… Thank you guys so much for all your resourceful and helpful videos!!!!
Thanks for being here!! Everything does get a little greasy and you need to wipe it down a bit more or occasionally things can get a little smoky in here but it hasn't been too bad. Hope that helps! Good luck with your build - how exciting!
Runs on gas....I had no idea! This may be a new contender to replace my current oven when it dies! Thank you for sharing.
It’s such a great homesteaders oven!
Hope you have a spare $20k.
I don’t have an AGA but I long for one. Yours is really lovely! Awesome that you got it affordably! You may already know but I will mention it just in case, your individual ovens are warmer up top and cooler below. For instance if you’re baking a delicate cake, I wouldn’t put it high up in your baking oven for fear that you would browned the top too much. Also the top of your roasting oven can work as a broiler or you could fry bacon or make a pizza on the floor of your roasting oven. Can you tell that I’ve watched a lot of videos about AGA’s? Rayburn’s are similar but they can function as your heat and hot water source in addition to being a cooker!
Also, AGA toast. You place the bread between this doo dad and place it on the simmering plate. I’ve never tasted it but it’s allegedly the best toast in the world.
Oh! AGA makes cookware. The ovenware in particular is designed to work with the rail system.
Thanks so much for all the wonderful comments! And yes, we’ve definitely browned some things before by placing too high in the ovens 😊. They take a bit of time to feel things out but they really are a lovely addition to the home. That’s neat to hear about the additional functions of a Rayburn! We’ll need to try that toast too!
As homesteaders you may consider running your AGA on biogas (from a septic tank or manure digester) that's free and helping the environment as methane has about a hundred times the greenhouse effect as CO2 by weight.
That sounds awesome. Thanks for the suggestion! We’ll need to look into it.
I’m learning about these just over the last week or two, and i THINK I’d really enjoy one - but my big concern is that “constant” heat. I live in Eastern Washington state - we get to 110°F in summer, and i really have concerns over what that would be like. The winter would be amazing though, I’m sure.
They are definitely more ideal in the winter but we find them bearable in the summer. Not for everyone in every climate though! Thanks for watching! :)
Awesome stove! For summertime, consider an outdoor kitchen?
Yes! We’ve been dreaming of that too!
Great video! I’ve always loved the look of the Aga. That said, folks (including my friend who owns one) say Agas are issue-prone and the repair community is so thin, they’ve had to wait months to get something fixed. And we live near Boston. I do a lot of precision cooking, broil a lot, rarely slow cook, like to see progress through a window, and my holiday birds are bigger than the Aga’s roaster section. I’d also really miss not being able to smell great holiday dishes and baked goods as they cook. My original electric GE oven lasted 50 years! Julia Child used my same oven in several of her early cooking shows (though hers was a double)! But it’s always fun to learn how others cook!
Thanks for sharing! There are definitely pro's and con's. That's awesome that you got 50 years out of your oven. They certainly don't make them like they used to :).
Wow! How did they move it to your house since it weighed so much?
We have a smaller AGA. I wouldn’t live without it!😊
4 strong guys and a moving company with all the equipment! It was a job for sure but it all worked out!!
That exact size oven is available near me on marketplace. They're asking 6k for it. New is over 30k, so I'm definitely thinking about it
That’s a pretty good price!
wow. thats the craziest concept stove outside of a wood stove. gorgeous! so have you tried canning on it? is so how did it work?
Thanks for the comment! Yes, we do pressure can with it and it has worked great! We get it up to pressure on the boiling plate and then switch to the simmer plate and with a little shimmying to find the right temperature it holds a steady pressure.
@@FromScratchFarmstead may I suggest doing a video on how you do it? I think you might be the only one on ytube to do it with that kind of stove.
I am interested in learning canning and seeing someone do it using an Aga cooker also.
If I lived in the mountains I would definitely have one.
They would be lovely in a mountain cottage 🙂. Thanks for watching!
Hope youre all well? I wonder if you'll be doing another follow up Aga video?
Ive had my Aga for about 17 years. And its a constant learning curve. My most used oven is the warming oven... for drying everything from herbs, wild teas, flowers, tomatoes, wild mushrooms to jerky (mostly for the dog!).
And of course, you can dry herbs etc, by hanging above it from the ceiling.
We dry clothes next to it and the dog who appreciates the warmth after a cold, winter walk.
Hope that opens another door of usage!?
Thanks for sharing! It is on our short list to do a day in the life of our AGA video now that it’s gotten colder out and we are using it for all of the thing! Thanks for watching!
@@FromScratchFarmstead Great! Looking forward to it! There's endless learning about using an Aga.. popcorn on the simmering plate (bake o glide!), chestnuts on the hot plate.. I'm always hungry for new ideas ❤
I am more curious about how it works for canning/preserving? Can you share on that?
Thanks for the suggestion! We did make an AGA frequently asked questions video where we talk about this. It works great for canning but I think we’ll have to make this video to show how. Thanks for watching!
@@FromScratchFarmstead I had the same curiosity. I'll have to look for that video then too.
Good video. When you acquired the stove was it taken apart and serviced then installed?
We actually moved ours put together (although this is not recommended!)
@@FromScratchFarmstead Thanks for the information. Best wishes to you all.
Very cool stove. Thank you for the information. We are in the planning stage and looking for land right now. Cheers!
Thanks! Good luck as you move toward searching for land. It's an exciting time!
Do you need to need to have a structural engineer reinforce your floors below it so it doesn’t fall through your floor?
I believe AGA has some literature on that in their manuals so I would definitely check there. I remember checking it and thinking we were well within their recommended requirements since it was going to sit adjacent to a load bearing wall, which I think is ideal. If it was going to be sitting away from a wall or in the middle of spanning floor joists, I would definitely want a more professional opinion before proceeding. Reinforcement could be necessary. Hope that helps! Thanks for watching!
Awesome review guys! Thanks for sharing :-)!
Thank you for watching!!
Thank you both for your... Aga advice *
It's hard to find a country home in the UK that doesn't have one of these. I grew up with one and while they're lovely and cosy they are SO SO SO expensive to run. Sure they look lovely, but burning energy 247? Not practical these days (of huge fuel costs) unless somehow you have an electric one running on solar! Currently trying to move to the country and if we end up with a place which has an AGA, we will be removing it for a regular range cooker. Here in the UK the cost for running a small 2 oven one of these (oil) is at least £20+ ($25) a week which is painful! Of course fuel costs might be much lower where you are as Gas certainly is cheaper than what we have here too.
BTW have you guys had AGA baked potatoes yet? Nothing better than the incredible crusty skins! (and of course roast dinners)
My mum often forgot about baked potatoes and would find black charred remains the next day LOL
Wow, $25/week is a lot. Ours isn’t nearly that high and totally worth the little extra cost for how well it fits our life. Thanks for the comments and fun to hear about your AGA experience growing up!
And yes, baked potatoes, or really potatoes any way you make them, turn out perfectly! We haven’t left potatoes in but we’ve left beets in... never a fun experience 🤣
@@FromScratchFarmstead yeah for just two of us it’s not worth it (sadly as they really are the cosiest!) and I love cooking Asian dishes too and wok cooking really isn’t very easy on an aga lol.
I had one and left it in the house I sold. I MISS it SO Much
Bummer! Yes, they have many upsides but moving them is no simple task 🤣
Whoa -- I knew they were always on, but I didn't realize they were always ON, full temperature! And not adjustable! That would be like learning to cook in a wood-fired oven. And stove. Alas, I have an old, cast iron gas oven with a constant pilot light that keeps the oven about 100 degrees all the time, and even that alone makes my kitchen noticeably warmer than other rooms. An AGA is not a warm-climate-friendly appliance. (Hence a Swedish product, beloved in England.)
On a different topic, I noticed your cabinets don't have a toe space and kick plate. Is that intentional or just unfinished? I was thinking about the same arrangement for my own kitchen remodel, but wasn't sure if it was going to drive me crazy having to fish escaped carrot slices or whatever from under the cabinets all the time.
Yes, maybe not the most warm weather friendly indeed! I don’t know that we made this the most clear, but you can adjust the burner temp for the oven. It’s just designed to run optimally at one constant temperature so turning it down means it will cook differently. But throughout the summer we do dial it back a bit at night or when not in use to save energy and reduce heat. Just takes some time to then get back up to the proper temp!
Ha, guess the missing toe kicks are that obvious! It was a bit of a mad dash to get the house livable before our 3rd child was born and some finish details didn’t make the cut. I do plan to put them on. Given the amount of legos and balls... and yes sometimes carrot slices, I fish out from under them right now I might recommend them 🤣
@@FromScratchFarmstead Thanks for the info!
I love my Aga but due to gas prices in the uk it would now cost £5k to run all year and I can’t afford that . So we are having a log burner fitted in the kitchen and have to use my “summer” electric oven all year around.😢 I don’t have a fitted hob so an induction hot plate will have to do . It’s so sad that I can’t use it . 😢😢
Oh no, so sorry to hear!! But also completely understand with where prices are at right now. We’ve definitely felt it these past few months and try to dial back the heat on the oven whenever possible. Hope prices can go back down and you can get your AGA back up and running! Thanks for watching!
I heard they also run on coal and heating oil. Check out the Mapperton live channel on RUclips they talk about their Aga.
you can convert your traditional AGA cookers to an electric one very easily by attaching an Econtrol cooker to it
@@Alkhemistthemuse oh thanks , I’ll have a look into that as we are getting solar panels in the garden 😀
Thanks for making this video! There’s not much info about these! Where are you located? Mostly curious about it being too hot in the summer. I’m sold for it in the winter!
You bet! We struggled to find info too. The most helpful information we gained was talking to AGA owners and technicians while we shopped around for a new one. We're in northern Illinois, so summers aren't too bad. You can adjust the heat setting on the burner, so one trick we learned in the summer is to dial back the heat after being done cooking for the day then turn it back up first thing when we got up. It definitely helped not put off quite as much heat. Another thing to consider is your floor plan. If you're space is more open, then not as much heat will get trapped in one space. If your kitchen is closed off, it will keep in more heat. The stove just has so many things that we love about it, that it's no problem putting up with some extra heat on the hot hot days of summer :) Hope that helps!
Like you say in the video, in the UK we often turn them off in Summer and have a smaller oven/hob just for those 2 months when it's too hot for the Aga. There's a similar product called a Rayburn which can also run your heat & hot water system. Some people run them off fuel oil instead of gas.
Does the Aga heat your refrigerator, since they are next to each other?
It's not ideal for our fridge to be next to the aga. The fridge probably needs to work a bit harder than it otherwise would. Thanks for watching!
Is it hot to the touch?
Doesn’t it work against your air conditioning?
It's warm to the touch but you. wouldn't get burned touching the outside. We keep our home at 78 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer so on some day the ac needs to work a little extra but it also keeps us from needing to turn our heat on until it gets very cold!
Best to make sure your floor can take the weight of that thing and where and how that flue is going through the wall to the outside. It can't go into your chimney. ciao
Have you pressure canned on your aga? If so on the boiling plate and does it build to much pressure to stay on the boiling plate? Or do you use the gradual heat build to a boil that results from the simmer plate
Great question! I wondered the same thing as we do a lot of pressure canning. If you heat up your pressure canner on the boiling plate until it gets to pressure, then move it over to the simmer plate to hold the pressure, it works great! We actually found pressure canning to go really smoothly on the AGA.
@@FromScratchFarmstead thank you so much!
You might want to re-locate your refrigerator some distance away from your stove, if possible. It’ll extend its life.
For sure! The placement is not ideal!
Since it is so heavy, do you have it on a slab or can the floor support it if you have a basement below?
You do need to build what's called a plinth underneath it so that it sits at normal counter height. It also helps distribute weight a bit. You'd want to check AGA's recommendations, but my understanding is that if it's next to a load bearing wall then you are fine. If it's in the middle of an open joist span, then you'd probably need to look into reinforcement. Thanks for watching!
sorry to pester you with another question but I don't have a dealer near by to ask. lol sooo I've seen places that say it cost about $2k a year to run on propane or $160 a month. seems kinda high or do you think that's kinda close.
Oh no problem! So the actuall cost I’m guessing will vary based on your location and gas/propane costs. We actually have gas run to our house since there’s a municipal building nearby so I’m can’t speak to the price of propane. The other factor is that our gas bills have at least doubled in the last year. Before inflation hit we were probably only paying about $40-50/mo. to run it. And in the winter, since it reduced the amount our furnace needed to run, gas hills only went up maybe $10/mo. Right now our gas bills have been up over $100/mo. Maybe even closer to $150. So $160/mo. might not be that far off. Just keep in mind for us it means we almost never need to run our furnace in the spring or fall and and it really helps in the winter, so you reduce gas and electric usage from the furnace 3/4 of the year. Hope that helps!
Thank you very much !
You're welcome!
Hi I was wondering if having the fridge next to the aga will affect the "running" of the fridge? (will the heat of the aga not affect the fridge)
It's definitely not ideal to have an AGA next to a fridge. However, in our case we haven't seen a huge impact on the temps in our fridge. We have a small 3 inch cabinet spacer piece between the stove and fridge that I think helps block and dissipate the heat quite a bit. Even something small like that I think can really help a lot. Plus, it's actually really helpful to have a small sliver of countertop next to the stove to set things on while cooking - salt or spice shaker, other ingredients, etc. - since the top of the oven runs warm and sometimes you don't want to set things directly on it.
In England these are willed to people or if they move, they take it with them.
That doesn't surprise me! We've always said we can't move now that we have it!
Thank you. Lots of infos.
Some Ava’s will run on wood or coal. Some have dual heating options.
Yes! Thanks for sharing this.
Where are you from? I'm in San Diego Ca. I have a 4 oven AGA like you. Who are servicemen that you have can you share thanks
We are in the Midwest so unfortunately not too close. There is a service request form on the AGA USA website. Maybe you could find someone through there? www.agarangeusa.com/customer-care
A real kitchen tool that we don’t see any more
Would you be able to pressure can?
Yes! We bring it to pressure on the boiling plate and then move it to the simmer plate to hold pressure. It works perfectly!
I do have stove envy! But in Texas we have extreme heat for 7 months a year, it would be way too hot!
Super
How do you clean it
Mostly with a wet rag and wipe it down. They do have a special cleaner that they make that's designed to use while the oven is hot. Thanks for watching!
It's a bit odd you have your fridge next to the oven. It must have to work quite hard to stay cold.
It wasn't ideal placement. But there was really no other option given our spacing and that we bought a used cabinet set and had to work with what we had. There is a 3" cabinet spacer between them that I actually think helps dissipate a lot of heat. And since both are very well insulated, we don't find it to be much of an issue. Thanks for watching!
One negative, with your fridge next to it I am certain your fridge is constantly running extra hard to keep it cold.
Definitely not ideal! Thanks for watching!
South if Va, AGAs would be able to be used from Apr to Oct lol
I have this exact stove. It’s now in storage as it won’t fit in my current space. What does it cost to run a month now?
Honestly as best we can tell it’s only been about a $10/mo. increase on our gas bills. It’s really minimal. Hope you can get it up and running soon!
Please tell me who can
Assemble my AGA. The cooker is exactly like yours.
It is from the original owner.
That's exciting! I do some searching and see if you can find an age technician in your area to help you!
would it fit a 25lb turkey ?
I think it could if you had the right pan to cook it in. I haven't tried anything that big.
I have cooked a 22lb turkey on my AGA
How do you hang laundry on it?
If it’s just a few things, we hang on bars or we almost constantly have a drying rack next to it drying things!
How with these days gas price?
Yep, not diggin the inflated gas prices right now. But it’s still totally worth it for how much we use it. Just trying to be more intentional about dialing the heat down when it’s not in use which really helps. Thanks for watching!
Do you can on it??
Yes! It works great for canning!
How do you find someone capable of installing it?
I'd reach out to a local dealer and see if they have a technician on to install. Thanks for watching!
Do you find that the ovens are too small? Like say for a turkey.
The ovens are roughly 13”W x 10”H x 20” Deep. We’ve cooked a 7-8 lb chicken no problem but have not yet done a turkey. A small turkey would definitely fit, it's mainly an issue of finding the right roaster that works in those dimensions. We have not looked into them much, but AGA makes their own cookware line and I'm sure they make a roaster that will give you maximum capacity in the oven compartments.
Propane?
Ours runs on natural gas but I believe that they make a converter to run on propane. Thanks for watching!
What about roasting a turkey, does a large bird fit?
The ovens are roughly 13”W x 10”H x 20” Deep. We’ve cooked a 7-8 lb chicken no problem but have not yet done a turkey. We have the second largest le creuset Dutch oven you can get and it fits well in the oven but would probably only fit a small turkey. My guess is you can find a roaster that works with those dimensions and would fit a turkey - it just might take some searching.
Yes - if you use a roasting pan, a turkey fits & cooks beautifully without drying out. Then you can put it to rest & relax on the warming plate on the left hand side on top.
What state are you in
IL. Thanks for watching!
Yep 23,000 ug
That's why we went the used route and got it for a fraction of that. Thanks for watching!
What area do you live in?
We are in northern Illinois!
Can you cook a turkey in there?
You should be able too with the right pan (We haven't actually tried yet!) Thanks for watching!
It's not an AGA OVEN, it's an AGA COOKER. It has four ovens, a simmering plate, a boiling plate, and a warming plate. Much more than just an oven.
Thanks for the clarification!
I wish they did a wood burning version of it.
Totally agree!
I believe you can only get wood burning version in U.K.
The wood-burning equivalent is called the Rayburn. I don't know if they're available in North America.
In Europe they pronounce it Awe-gar
Oh interesting! Good to know!
Can you broil?
Yes! The top of the hottest oven acts as a broiler.
So cool!!
7129 King Station
Thanks for watching!
For 35.000 $ I'd rather buy a house .
So thankful to have found ours used for wayyy less than that! Thanks for watching!
Creola Hills
It is not worth having this expensive stove if you live in North America, It is near impossible to get them serviced and when you do the cost is so high you could buy a normal stove with it. getting rid of mine.
Interesting. That hasn't been our experience but could be dependant on where you are. Thanks for watching!
@@FromScratchFarmstead I live in Massachusetts.
I can’t believe you have an AGA next to the fridge????
Yep, not 100% ideal but it works. We have a 3” wide cabinet spacer between them that helps a lot and since they’re both insulated really well it doesn’t seem too bad. Thanks for watching!
Great videos but makes no sense why you guys who are so self reliant but then buy this gas stove. Should have been wood.
Agreed! That would have been ideal. We do still love our oven though!
Hirthe Turnpike
Thanks for watching!
Sooooo it's always on and you sweat your beehive off during the summer. No thanks...
Yep, they’re definitely not for everyone. Thanks for watching!
I picked up mine for 300. It's smaller than yours.
Wow! Great find!
Yeah. I was so happy to find it.
That's a $30k oven😮
We bought it used for wayyyy less!
Damn, new those things are worth like 40 grand.
They certainly aren’t cheap - used is definitely the way to go in our opinion! Thanks for watching!
What a terrible purchase. I just don't believe your bills are lower, not even Aga claim that. One large rectangular iron radiator in the kitchen is not an efficient way to heat a house. Every feature of the Aga has been made redundant by something smaller and more efficient
Good points! We're definitely not saying they're for everyone. They fit our lifestyle well preparing most of our meals from scratch where the oven is in use literally over 50% of the time any given day. To bring an oven up to heat on and off all day or run appliances that long also wouldn't be that efficient. Plus, it's worth considering the energy and environmental costs to produce all of those individual appliances and the fact that they typically only last a few years and then need replacing. AGA's are built to last beyond a lifetime with only minimal parts needing replaced. Again, not disagreeing with what you're saying, but there's a lot of layers to consider in all of it and it's really about finding what fits your lifestyle and values. Thanks for watching!