Just before the heatwave hit the other week, we made the decision to turn off the Aga. Before that she had not been off for well over a year, she was switched off briefly early last Spring but we missed the familiar warmth so much she only stayed off for a couple of days ... she was after all the heart of the home.
Well that's what I thought, this year though it's strange but I feel totally differently about her.
The beautiful cool of the kitchen each morning is wonderful to step into. No rushing around opening windows to let the overwhelming heat escape. Of course, we do miss opening the oven doors and chucking something in knowing it will be beautifully cooked in next to no time.
But shhh ... don't tell her ... she has a couple of little replacements, that between them are managing to do all the things that her great big hunk of hot cast iron usually does.
A simple little hot plate bought off Amazon deals with all the boiling, simmering, and poaching, while our trusty old Remoska is sharing oven duties with the microwave. As Alan has found it cooks a mean steak and has his bacon sizzling and crispy in no time.
I'm loving the simplicity of this so much I'm very tempted to get rid of the hob in the Van and have just one of these instead. Just think of all that extra space I would have on the worktop.
Ours is an electric Aga, a reconditioned older model that is a doddle to switch on and off, although she will take a full 24 hours to reach optimum temperature once we decide that it's time for her to be switched back on. And for that we need to run off the mains as she only runs off our solar power during the day. She drained the battery back up system so much at night when we first installed her that she would have shortened the life of the battery bank. So she was switched over to a 50/50 use of mains and solar power.
And talking of power we are saving a lot of money while she is switched off and the sun is shining so regularly, the 45 solar panels are pulling in the lovely daylight and sending a much larger proportion to the National Grid meaning more money for us and less being eaten by a hungry Aga.
Sue xx
Morning Sue. We wouldn’t be without our Remoska. We have had one for years and use it every day (and the Coachman on our travels). Have got a grande one now and can do whole joints of meat and chickens. Hardly ever use the oven. We were told it can save approx £300 per year on fuel. Carol.x
ReplyDeleteWe've had this one for years, I think it's the medium size one that is not always available now, but we've always been pleased with it. I bet if we left the Aga switched off permanently we save even more than that ... but she does heat the house in Winter and dry the washing so I doubt that would happen :-)
DeleteYou've just given me a brilliant idea, thank you! Our cooker is 17 years old, still working but playing up, especially the hob. Two of the rings work fine, but the other two only heat on full. We have replaced the oven and grill elements several times and they work so I am reluctant to spend a lot of money replacing the cooker at the moment. Are you pleased with the hot plate and does it work as well as the hob on a standard cooker?
ReplyDeleteGlad to be of help witha bit of inspiration :-)
DeleteYes I am really pleased with it and it works as well as any electric hob I've ever used, this is the one I ordered:
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07KQZPQP9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
When I bought mine, only a couple of weeks ago, it was on special offer at £29.99. Perhaps try putting it into your online shopping basket and see if they offer a reduction!
Your aga is a beauty, but saving you money and using solar power is brilliant.
ReplyDeleteShe really is isn't she, but yes it's good to be making this extra money while the sun is shining :-)
DeleteMy friend has an electric at a and she said they are very expensive to run but they are beautiful. I mainly cook on my hob which is gas and the slow cooker. When I use the tall thin fan oven on my range cooker that has 3 shelves it costs less than 2p for a couple of meals plus cakes etc. My average gas/electric daily usage is 12p and I cook every other day. I love the little cooker, modern technology is making the appliances so efficient these days.
ReplyDeleteThey are expensive to run if you see it as just a cooker, but if you add in all the other things they are quietly doing without you even thinking about it they suddenly become a bit more cost efficient. Warming the whole house, drying the washing etc etc.
DeleteI think if we didn't have the solar panels powering her during the day we would have to consider the viability of the cost. But getting paid for supplying power to the National Grid alongside running an Aga means we are running quite efficiently.
Twelve pence per day for gas and electric is VERY cost efficient, you are obviously doing it right :-)
Interesting. We had an Aga on the farm - a comforting dark green one. We had it from new and it was a trusty friend. Now I live alone I rarely use the electric cooker - just rely on my Remoska, my Slow Cooker and my Microwave unless I have visitors.
ReplyDeleteI definitely could get along just fine with my Remoska, hotplate and microwave ... oh and my little rice cooker, it's brilliant.
DeleteNever heard of a Remoska here in Australia, sounds like it might be nearly as versatile as an Air Fryer. So satisfying to be saving energy use.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of a Remoska here in Canada either. Good for you on the electrical savings.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.