On Sun, 15 Jan 2006 15:25:39 GMT, Ophelia wrote:

an Aga :-).

Thank you Peter. That is the kind of personal experience I was looking
for. It seems to me you are correct in that it is in fact "a status
symbol". Unfortunately some people will pay a fortune for such a thing
and yet others like to be in the middle of it by pretending to have
knowledge and make 'clever' comments It is something I decided I
would have when we moved to the right house but you have changed my
mind.

Peter is doing something that needs to be dine, debunking the aga myth, but
be aware that much of that polemic is actually false. It exagerrates for
reasons of making good copy, and although I too have eaten some execrable
meals cooked on or in agas, I have also eaten some fine ones - very fine
ones.

I would urge you to take a more balanced view.

In terms of rapid modern food, with kit that enables crap cooks to turn out
average meals fast, agas don't score well.

In terms of being a conveniently located heater, of attractive design (in a
traditional setting), that is actually MORE efficient than an oil or gas
boiler, that is also capable of fulfilling cooking needs to a very large
extent IF YOU TAKE THE TROUBLE TO UNDERSTAND how it works, it has no
peer..But if at all possible, hedge yor bets. If you are on gas, get a gas
hob as well - the gas aga companion is actually nice - electric ovens, gas
hob, and a gas aga is the best of all worls..and on oil with no gas the
electric companion is also advantageous.

Undesrtanding the nature of the beast is the key to getting the best out of
it, Not all cooks can grasp engineering principles - they have little idea
of food chemistry and what cooking actually does, either.

As I say, we have both. We don't boil kettles on the aga, but we don;t
normally use the electric cooker either. Only when doing a meal for 10-12
people..then we need te extar space. Its OK, but nothing special, The Aga
is special, but takes time to develop the proper relationship with...

"A whore is easy to meet..."