An Aga is unlike any other kind of kitchen cooker - many will say that once you own one, you’ll never want to go back to a conventional oven and hob. Because they are very unique (and rather intimidating at first..!) it may take some time getting used to, but after a few tries you’ll soon find that you’re able to do a lot more with your Aga than you anticipated. It is a gentle giant, a warm and welcoming ‘friend’ in the kitchen and like most friends, requires getting to know!
Mary Berry, perhaps the Aga’s biggest advocate to date, declares that owning an Aga is 'like joining the best club in the country - when you meet another Aga owner it is like discovering an instant friend.’
Image: https://www.agaliving.com/blog/mary-berry-shows-us-round-her-new-home
To give you some AGA history, it was originally invented by a Nobel Prize-winning Swedish physicist, Dr Gustaf Dalén in 1922. Having been blinded by an explosion from an earlier invention that went wrong, he decided to turn his attention to designing something to help his wife in her daily life. The cookers during this time were often dangerous, dirty and exceptionally time consuming and so the goal was to invent a clean, economically run, easy to use oven which produced great food with the minimum effort. In doing so, he created the AGA cooker that changed the lives of cooks all over the world.
Invented and initially produced in Sweden, since 1957 all production of the AGA has been located in the UK. In 1956, AGA introduced new colourways to be available alongside the classic cream colour that had been championed for 34 years prior. To compliment these new colours, AGA lid covers were introduced to add the extra pop of colour & pattern, as well as adding insulation to help your AGA's efficiency. These hot plate covers also act as great protection, preventing scratches, food and grease from touching the iconic chrome lids.
During lock down, I decided to add the Aga Hob Cover kitchen accessory to my collection of homewares, and have loved every step of the process. My favourite part is seeing finished products sitting in their new homes on my customers beautiful AGA's.
Featuring the 'BAR', 'Designer Nutcrackers' and newly added ' Champagne & Fizz' designs, these cooker hob covers are perfect for adding some colour to your AGA this summer.
These quirky, hand-painted designs are sure to bring a little cheer to the heart of your home. Pair them up with some of the wonderfully bright Tea Towels for the ultimate AGA makeover.
They are made in the UK and hand-stitched, resulting in a durable, high-quality product. Complete with a loop to fasten them to the AGA top, not only do they look beautiful, they are also practical too! Made from 100% Cotton outer, with a black or natural trim, heat resistant wadding with a flame-resistant towelling back. Approx 37cm diameter to fit a standard round AGA top.
With limited quantities available, the exclusive nature of these hob covers makes them an ideal gift for friends, family, bakers and housewarming gifts. When you add 2 AGA Covers to your basket, you will receive 15% off!
Like Mary Berry says, owning an AGA makes you feel like your part of a special club, where each member shares top tricks and advice on how to use your AGA to the fullest! After talking to many owners, I’ve created a list of hacks to help people make the most of owning one of these kitchen beauties.
Trick 1: Accidentally left the bread out over night? No problem! Revive a stale loaf or baguette by running under a cold tap, and placing the loaf on the floor of the roasting oven for a couple of minutes to revive its fluffy texture. You can also rejuvenate day-old bread or cookies etc by placing them on the rack of the simmering oven. Drop an ice cube on the floor of the oven, and close to the door to allow the steam to hydrate the food.
Tip 2: To loosen tight screw top preserve jars, simply place inverted on the simmering plate for 30 seconds, this will allow the metal lid to expand and may then be easily twisted off using a tea towel.
Tip 3: A trick that I learnt from the exceptional baker behind 'Doughnuts by G' is to place a lemon or lime in the roasting oven for two minutes before squeezing to extract the most juice. This will also give off a lovely citrus aroma within your kitchen. If you are a doughnut fanatic like me, visit www.doughnutsbyg.com to pre-order your box now!
Tip 4: Purchase some Bake-O-glide! This non-stick, non-stain material is amazing and will save a lot of time when washing up. Simply place this material in a tin or tray when cooking, and place in the washing machine once finished! It is also brilliant on the simmering plate for fried eggs, pancakes etc, with no need to clean the top of the Aga. Put a piece of Bake-O-Glide onto the simmering plate, break an egg onto it and close the lid. In about 2 minutes you have a perfect egg, no fat, no frying pan, no washing up. Follow the link below to purchase - https://bakeoglide.kitchen/
Image: https://www.agaliving.com/blog/aga-cooking-hints
Tip 5: Here is an easy solution if your bread tends to stick to your toaster rack- simply pop the rack on the Boiling Plate for a minute to heat up before you put your bread in it. These toasting grids are also great for making cheese toasties as you can op them in the dishwasher straight after - just make sure to dry them! If you haven't had your hands on one of these toast grids, follow the link to purchase! https://www.blakeandbull.co.uk/products/toaster-toasting-rack
Tip 6: A simple solution to humidify your room. Leave a pot of water on the simmering plate to rehydrate air. This is a great tip if you’re feeling a little under the weather! I like to add essential oils into the water to fill the house with the soothing aromas - my favourite being Velvet Rose Oud and Eucalyptus. Follow the link to choose from a variety of lovely essential oils. https://purescented.com/velvet-rose-oud-fragrance-oil/
I hope you have all found something of interest from this blog. Please comment below if you too have learnt a thing or two whilst having your AGA!
To read more about my designed AGA Hob covers, please click here!
1 comment
Ben fanatieke Aga-fan en heel nieuwsgierig naar alles wat met de Aga te maken heeft . Heb zelfs zins een jaar een Aga . Geweldig , ben er heel blij me !