"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
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...

Thank you I will give it some thought

O