Meandering anecdotes and an occasional incisive comment, courtesy of an overeducated, feminist former-professional, who is continually outsmarted by her overly-gifted children and genius spouse and who seeks refuge in books, cocktails, and the occasional Xanax.
Hi there! I just discovered your blog and it feels like looking into a mirror. Love it!
So, the reason I found you was in searching for reviews for the Aga... and like you, we are debating (agonizing) between an Aga or Cornufe... or just going with some cheaper, uglier 36" range... sigh. My questions for you are: Any regrets? Are you still loving it? How big is your kitchen? Ours is pretty small and very simple, and we worry that a massive 44 inch range (or an ornate 40 inch range) will look ridiculous. Any other ranges you have since been lusting for? Or are you forever faithful to your Aga. Thanks for the insight and saving us from another sleepless night...
I'm very, very happy with my Aga. I'm sure I'd be thrilled with a Cornufe, too.
Here's my strong opinion: do NOT settle for 36". I use the extra width all the time... it's so convenient to be able to fit 2 or 3 really big pans at the same time, nice and spread out, and some littler ones as well.
Anyhow, I strongly endorse the Aga. I do not have a particularly big kitchen, and the Aga looks fine. It's retro styling fits my home, which is an Edwardian, very nicely. I think a huge stainless steel range would look out of place in a small, older kitchen, but the Aga is lovely.
My thoughts exactly on the big stainless range. We really want to avoid all stainless appliances in our kitchen. It's a 1940's house and we are trying to keep to that style. That's why I worry that the Cornufe would also be out of place...
So, what do you think of the ovens? Are they big enough to really bake? I like to make a buche de noel every year and I usually use an 11x17 jelly roll pan to make the genoise. But, I think I will have to go slightly shorter and wider to fit in the oven. Do you find yourself using both ovens simultaneously? Do they heat up faster than standard ovens? Bake more evenly? I'm hoping so... We're veggie, so no worries about turkeys. :)
Finally, have you had any problems at all with your range? I've read some negative reviews about the Aga, but I wonder if it's just the small handful of people who have a problem that bother to write about it... maybe there are thousands of happy campers out there who don't write reviews.
Thanks for your thoughts. I really appreciate it! Buy you a gin-to (that's how they say gin and tonic in France) next time I make the huge trek from Menlo Park up to SF.
We've actually been baking a lot, making cakes & cookies, and Iris has her first paying job: making a cheesecake once a week for a friend. You'll need to scale down that jelly roll pan. My jelly roll pan doesn't fit in, and most of my baking sheets didn't, but baking goes well. I made a 3 layer cake a week or so ago and had no problem fitting 3 layer pans in one of the two ovens.
Indeed I find the multifunction oven in the Aga Legacy is especially good for baking. For cheesecakes & pies, we bake them in that with the heat coming only from the bottom, and they come out perfectly. We do find ourselves using both ovens simultaneously from time to time, so I use that capability more than you would expect.
I do not have any bitches about this range. I love it dearly. It makes me so happy; I just wish I'd gotten such a wonderful range years earlier.
The ovens do not heat up any faster than you'd expect. They definitely heat more evenly than my old stupid oven, which always was so much hotter in the front than the back.
The Cornufe does cost more & does have a little bit more power in the big burners, and it comes in some nice colors. But if you'd like a retro look that can fit an older home, I'm thrilled with my Aga Legacy.
9 comments:
Too cruel, Carole. You know I have Aga envy!
What's up with the mise? You're too anal!
You should invite me over to properly consummate the installation of your Aga by cooking a nice big roast with lots of gravy.
Forgive me, but it looks like you are sauteeing cheetos in butter.
Ha! It was matchstick-cut carrots & caramelized endive & caramelized onions.
And my word verification is "retard." SO OFFENSIVE!
I do keep a lovely mise, Goats. I'll roast a Tofurky for you any day.
Hi there! I just discovered your blog and it feels like looking into a mirror. Love it!
So, the reason I found you was in searching for reviews for the Aga... and like you, we are debating (agonizing) between an Aga or Cornufe... or just going with some cheaper, uglier 36" range... sigh. My questions for you are: Any regrets? Are you still loving it? How big is your kitchen? Ours is pretty small and very simple, and we worry that a massive 44 inch range (or an ornate 40 inch range) will look ridiculous. Any other ranges you have since been lusting for? Or are you forever faithful to your Aga. Thanks for the insight and saving us from another sleepless night...
I'm very, very happy with my Aga. I'm sure I'd be thrilled with a Cornufe, too.
Here's my strong opinion: do NOT settle for 36". I use the extra width all the time... it's so convenient to be able to fit 2 or 3 really big pans at the same time, nice and spread out, and some littler ones as well.
Anyhow, I strongly endorse the Aga. I do not have a particularly big kitchen, and the Aga looks fine. It's retro styling fits my home, which is an Edwardian, very nicely. I think a huge stainless steel range would look out of place in a small, older kitchen, but the Aga is lovely.
My thoughts exactly on the big stainless range. We really want to avoid all stainless appliances in our kitchen. It's a 1940's house and we are trying to keep to that style. That's why I worry that the Cornufe would also be out of place...
So, what do you think of the ovens? Are they big enough to really bake? I like to make a buche de noel every year and I usually use an 11x17 jelly roll pan to make the genoise. But, I think I will have to go slightly shorter and wider to fit in the oven. Do you find yourself using both ovens simultaneously? Do they heat up faster than standard ovens? Bake more evenly? I'm hoping so... We're veggie, so no worries about turkeys. :)
Finally, have you had any problems at all with your range? I've read some negative reviews about the Aga, but I wonder if it's just the small handful of people who have a problem that bother to write about it... maybe there are thousands of happy campers out there who don't write reviews.
Thanks for your thoughts. I really appreciate it! Buy you a gin-to (that's how they say gin and tonic in France) next time I make the huge trek from Menlo Park up to SF.
We've actually been baking a lot, making cakes & cookies, and Iris has her first paying job: making a cheesecake once a week for a friend. You'll need to scale down that jelly roll pan. My jelly roll pan doesn't fit in, and most of my baking sheets didn't, but baking goes well. I made a 3 layer cake a week or so ago and had no problem fitting 3 layer pans in one of the two ovens.
Indeed I find the multifunction oven in the Aga Legacy is especially good for baking. For cheesecakes & pies, we bake them in that with the heat coming only from the bottom, and they come out perfectly. We do find ourselves using both ovens simultaneously from time to time, so I use that capability more than you would expect.
I do not have any bitches about this range. I love it dearly. It makes me so happy; I just wish I'd gotten such a wonderful range years earlier.
The ovens do not heat up any faster than you'd expect. They definitely heat more evenly than my old stupid oven, which always was so much hotter in the front than the back.
The Cornufe does cost more & does have a little bit more power in the big burners, and it comes in some nice colors. But if you'd like a retro look that can fit an older home, I'm thrilled with my Aga Legacy.
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