Nikas Culinaria

Do you remember the Flying Lizards and their awesome 1979 song “Money (Thats what I want)”?

Yeah, thats only 28 freaking years ago (picking sad self up off the floor).

I was singing that song after we bought some recent lottery tickets. I am sad to say that I didn’t win the $390 million lottery. I was close *winks* but zero cigars were had.What I am left with is a powerful hankering for the one thing I really want these days (besides about 50 maids and 5 nannies).

That would be an AGA.

What is an AGA, you say?

An AGA is not a Kenmore (cheesy version - thats what I have, or the “Pro“), its not a Viking, its not a Wolf or a Vulcan. Its something else again.

For one, its always on. Its a modern-day hearth. Its the heart of a serious foodie kitchen. Its an older design. Its made of cast iron.

It has a different way of doing things so you have to do things differently too. There are plenty of books to show you the way to AGA cooking nirvana (see my aStore for a few books).

The model I want, the 4 oven standard gas, has seven cooking zones:

1. Insulated Covers: Those twin insulated covers are the great Aga hallmark. When closed, they’re just gently warm to the touch. Open them and both hot plates are instantly ready to cook.
2. Boiling Plate: A high heat that can boil water faster than most electric kettles. It’s large enough to hold three average sized saucepans at once.
3. Heat Source: Once an Aga is up to operating temperature just a trickle of energy is all that’s needed to keep it there. You can choose from natural gas, propane gas, electricity or oil.
4. Simmering Plate: Again holds three average sized saucepans. It also doubles as a griddle.
5. Roasting Oven: This oven can take anything up to a 13kg/28lb bird. It is also used for grilling and doubles for baking.
6. Baking Oven: Featured in every 3 or 4 oven Aga. Like all Aga ovens the cast iron interior holds in its heat tenaciously, so don’t be afraid to open the door and take a peek at progress.
7. Simmering Oven: Using this versatile oven in conjunction with the hotter oven and hotplates is the key to Aga cooking simplicity - and its wonderful flavours.
8. Warming Oven: Featured one every 4 oven Aga. Keeps cooked food warm without drying it out, ideal for entertaining.
9. Warming Plate: A valuable general purpose surface standard on every 4 oven Aga.

This is a link to the PDF that describes these ranges in detail.

The inside of one of these ranges looks like this:

Why do I want one of these?

There is something romantic about cooking stocks and stews and roasts over a long period of time. I just finished a season-appropriate soup today (rutabaga, carrot, parsnips, homemade chicken-ham bone-pork rib stock) that took days and made the kitchen smell just heavenly. I can only imagine our kitchen with an AGA and slow cooking a olla (pot) of beans or developing a complex chicken stock on the back burner, slightly simmering over the residual heat that these things are supposed to have. My husband talks of memories of his aunt and uncle’s English farm kitchen and a Raven range that had so much residual heat that it kept the kitchen warm. I think thats sorta neat.

Next, I need a farm.

I will need to buy some more tickets.

Where to buy (I get nothing from this link):

• Find a local seller in the USA and Canada
• Find a local seller in the UK

Find books on AGA cooking (this is an affiliate link):

• My one-stop shopping AGA aStore!

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