The Story of the Aga....Aga Saga!

Odd Shot! Ironing the Aga Way!

History Of Aga cookers The aga cooker, a great invention that appeals to many people, for it's great abilities of cooking big meals easily. Not only that, but it is viewed by many as a stylish addition to the family that has many uses, from warming up the house to helping with the laundry. Have you ever wondered where the aga cooker came from and who had this fantastic idea? The Man Behind The Aga cooker Dr. Gustaf Dalen, a Swedish man, and also a Nobel Prize Winner, was the great mind behind the aga. He was an unfortunate man, and it was this unfortunate incident that begins the story of the aga. It was an earlier invention, and a rather large explosion that left him blind that encouraged him to go about the invention of the aga cooker. Being blind, he was rarely out of his house, leaving his wife to take care of everything. It was during this period that he realised his wife was seriously stressed and very tired from cooking, heating the house, cleaning and everything else that comes with a home. Dalen wanted to design something that could help his wife out with all of these things, to leave her in a better mood, and give them more time together. It was this design that lead to the aga, and also the foundation of the AGA company. AGA actually stands for Aktiebolaget Gas Accumulator, the name of the company. It was the year 1922 when the design was complete, and it was the aga cooker. A kitchen appliance that could handle every culinary technique, heat the house with it's constant heat and also aid with the washing, drying and pressing of clothes. The hotplate and the rails on the front of the aga enabled the quick drying of clothes, and it could also allow for the clothes to pressed. It was on constantly, heating the house during the cold months and could also be used to heat water for washing, not just dishes and laundry, but for personal washing as well. The Introduction of the Aga cooker to England Aga was introduced to England seven years later, in 1929, and to date, there are three main models of the original aga. There are two, three and four oven types and it can run on a wide variety of fuels. Kerosene, diesel, propane gas and natural gas amongst others. The newer models also have the ability to burn solid fuels, and has been proven to be much more economical than conventional ovens. It uses less fuel, which means that not only was it very economical in 1922 in the first years of it's history, but it is also cheaper to run than most gas and electric ovens to date. Due to the way it retains heat, the more you use it, the more economical is it. The aga cooker was loved back then, and it still loved today, and it is because of it's stored heat, it means that less fat is needed for cooking. (Saving money again!) The food keeps it moisture, flavour and texture and also doesn't lose any vital nutrients and it's appearance is not affected. This means that not only is the aga useful, economical and stylish, but it is also better for your health and makes food taste and look much better. The Aga cooker design The design, shape and build of the aga cooker has changed very little since it's invention. The only real things that have changed is the design to make it burn fuel that is more convenient for today's lifestyles and also to make it burn cleaner. It's simplicity has made this an appliance that has needed very little modification and the phrase, "If it's not broken, don't fix it" comes to mind. It is this simplicity that has ensured that the aga has lasted this long, and I'm sure will make sure it stays around for many years to come! Our Aga When we moved to our house, nearly 18 years ago, it was heated by solid fuel, in the form of a fire with a back boiler, housed in the main sitting room. The kitchen was very small and we decided to knock the ajoining wall down and make the area into one large kitchen. The fire which was hopelessly in-efficient would have to go but the question was, what do we replace it with? After much research we decided on an Aga. We felt it would look as though it had always been there and the kitchen would indeed look like a kitchen and not a DIY experiment that had gone wrong. At the time, as is still the case there was no mains gas in the village so it would have to run on solid fuel. We found ours, second hand and at the time it had an agamatic boiler which would heat the main central heating of the house. A farmer over in Catterick had a second hand aga business and so we purchased ours for £500. There were some faults with it, a major one being a crack in the main barrell, but Jon fixed this. When we bought the Aga it did not come ready assembled. The pile of components, pipes and doors was like a complicated 3D jigsaw to me, but fortunately, Jon with his precision engineering background, and with the aid of a basic diagram assembled the Aga. The preparations were quite specific as it could not go on any old surface. It had to be housed on a concrete plinth and on a surface which would not burn, should hot coal fall onto it. Again, this was something Jon did, but we couldn't do anything yet as the whole assembly and plumbing had to be signed off by a corgi-registered plumber. Once this was done the Aga boiler and cooker were lit and it was in action! A few years later we decided to go for a more efficient source of energy for our central heating. The trouble with the Aga boiler was that it had to be on constantly, so for the best part of the day it was using unecessary fuel. We had an oil tank fitted and the Aga boiler was no longer needed. We already had an electric cooker for the months we did not use the Aga so we kept the Aga cooker. Aga Accidents Now we have had some fun! At the front of the Aga is the temperature gauge.

Basically the ideal temperature should lie midway between the middle are. If it is in the red, it is too hot and if it is in the black it is too cold. Due to the flu pipe going straight into the chimney the wind is a major factor in the heating capacity of the cooker. So, if it is very windy imagine the effect the available oxygen will have on the burning coals. Correct! The temperature rises at an alarming pace. I remember on one occasion the mercury inside the guage was at the very end of the red section, so hot it was bubbling! To a man who likes his fires I can still see the look of merriment on Jon's face! LOL! Dramatic as it was it was an indication of the unecessary waste of fuel, so Jon had a think and came up with the idea of a damper. This cuts down the intake of air thus saving fuel. We now have a range of dampers according to the wind levels. Again, due to the flu pipe going into the chimney there are no smells, not only of cooking but of burning! LOL! There have been occasions when I have been baking and have left an unsuspecting tray at the back of the oven, only to discover a tray of coal like black masses a few days later. Cooking with the Aga Is wonderful, my kind of style. Slow, low cooking! Everything is slow roasted in the bottom oven, the cooler of the two ovens. Yes, I finish things off and do the typical baking in the top oven but the slow method is what we prefer. At Christmas the meat and turkey are put into the bottom oven on Christmas Eve, all with the necessary seasoning and trimmings, simply covered in the casseroles. Left until about an hour before the dinner, away from the sniffing noses of the german shepherds in residence! Yes, they have had their fair shares of my cooking! LOL! The two chrome lids are covers for the hotplates. Again two different temperatures. The one on the right is the hottest, being closest to the main heating barrell. I tend to use the ovens more than the hotplates, conserving the fuel. We run ours on anthrocite, currently £12 a bag which lasts a week, due to Jon's wonderful manning of the Aga. It is he who brings in the coal, deals with the ashes and twiddles various devices to keep the Aga happy. We are experimenting with some cheaper types of coke over the coming months which I will keep you informed of. It is a multi-fuel cooker, so we can use wood, but from experience we know the desired cooking temperature is difficult to maintain. We have some plans/ideas to mix the coke, anthrocite and wood. The type of experiments Jon loves as it will involve machines and fire! New Agas are really expensive, (6,000) and come in a range of colours including purple and yellow! but for me the cream second hand ones have more legends attached to them Ours came from a nursing home and was built around 1956! A damn good year for big warm boilers! LOL! I hope this little insight has given you a taste of life with our Aga, we call it the Aga Can! Because it can! Agas are associated with lavish country kitchens and indeed the new ones are a bit of a status symbol but ours like everything else born around 1956, including our house, may be not in its prime but is loved by those that matter! Incidentally, whilst sitting here on my backside blogging away I have also done some ironing and cooked some yorkshire puddings and baked! Now, any ideas where I could fit a broom? Hmmmmmmmmm on second thoughts, skip the latter! For more Oddshots, visit Katney