From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The AGA cooker is a stored-heat oven invented in 1922 by the Nobel Prize-winning Swedish physicist Dr. Gustaf Dalén (1869 - 1937), who also founded the AGA company. In 1912, Dr. Dalen lost his sight following an explosion during an experiment with pressurized liquids and gases.

Forced to stay at home, Dr. Dalen discovered that his wife was exhausted by cooking. Although unable to see, he was determined to develop a new cook stove that was both capable of every culinary technique and easy to use. It is also capable of heating a house.

Adopting the time-honored principle of heat storage, he combined a small and efficient heat source, two large hotplates and two generous ovens into one robust and compact unit -- the AGA Cooker. The cooker was introduced to England in 1929, and its popularity in certain parts of English society (owners of medium to large country houses) led to the term "AGA Saga" being used to refer to a genre of fiction set amongst stereotypical AGA owners.

AGA is an abbreviation of the company name, Aktiebolaget Gas Accumulator.

The heavy iron castings inside the cooker are made at Coalbrookdale in Shropshire, on the site of Abraham Darby's original iron works where the modern method of iron smelting was invented.

The current range of Aga models consist of the traditional 2 oven Aga, a recently introduced 3 oven Aga and a 4 oven Aga which is wider than the other models in order to accommodate the 4 ovens and burner. The 2 oven model has 3 doors behind which are the burner, roasting oven and simmering oven. The 3 oven model adds a baking oven to these, while the 4 oven adds a warming oven and warming plate on the top. All Aga models have 2 hotplates - a boiling plate and a simmering plate.

The fuel for each of these models is one of kerosene, diesel, natural gas, propane gas, night storage electric or 13Amp electric. The models burning solid-fuel have now been discontinued.

In terms of weekly fuel consumption, Aga expects^[1] the 2 oven Aga to consume 40 litres of kerosene or diesel, 60 litres of propane gas, 425kWh of natural gas or 220kWh for the electric models. To put this into perspective, the average domestic natural gas consumption in the UK is 386.75kWh per week^[2].

In addition, Aga is selling kerosene and diesel models which, with slight modification, can be made to run on biofuel^[3].

1. ^ Aga Range Cookers.
2. ^ DTI report on Energy - its impact on the environment and society.
3. ^ Aga unveils new biofuel model.

• Rayburn Range