The new electric AGA Dual Control is everything you love about the AGA cooker, but with added flexibility and much reduced running and servicing costs.
The AGA Dual Control looks much like a traditional AGA cooker and - just like the traditional model - the cast-iron ovens are always available for use, creating that indefinable AGA warmth.
However, with an AGA Dual Control the ovens feature a new low energy setting and can also be switched off completely.
What's more, the two hotplates can be turned on and off independently. This means you can make a reduction in the overall heat input into the room from the cooker when desired and, in turn, reduce running costs.
HOW THE HOTPLATES WORK
Behind the top left hand door sits a small dial which operates either the boiling plate, the simmering plate or both. In each of the hotplates there is a powerful heating element. The boiling plate will be ready to use in around 11 minutes from cold. The simmering plate will be ready to use in around 8 minutes.
HOW THE OVENS WORK
As with all previous heat-storage AGA cookers, the cast-iron ovens are indirectly heated from a single small heat source, the heat being conducted across to each oven in exactly the correct proportions to provide the different cooking temperatures for roasting, baking and simmering. This provides kind-to-food radiant heat which locks in moisture and goodness. All three ovens have a new feature of a low energy setting, reducing the oven temperatures. This in turn gives a reduced heat output into the room and, naturally, a reduction in running costs. From this new low energy setting it is possible to reach full oven cooking heat in around two to four hours.
Low Energy Setting
The energy setting is achieved through dropping the roasting oven to below 200°C. the temperature of the other ovens will also reduce accordingly.*
*Low energy setting does not apply to the slow cooking and warming ovens on the 5-oven model.
5-oven AGA Dual Control
 |
W - Warming plate B - Boiling plate S - Simmering plate C - Control panel 1 - Roasting oven 2 - Simmering oven 3 - Baking oven 4 - Warming oven 5 - Slow cooking oven
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Warming plate - Rest plates and food on the warming plate to keep at a warm temperature, for a limited period of time.
Boiling plate - The boiling plate is the hotter of the two hotplates.
Simmering plate - The simmering plate is on the right-hand side. It is the cooler of the two hotplates.
Roasting oven - roasts and grills beautifully and is big enough to fit a 13kg (28lbs) turkey. Radiant heat means food keeps its natural succulence and flavour.
Baking oven - heated to an ideal moderate baking temperature - ideal for cakes, biscuits and bread.
Simmering oven - simmers perfectly by constantly maintaining the oven at just the right temperature for long, slow cooking. This develops flavours and will make even the toughest cut of meat melt-in-the-mouth tender.
Warming oven - designed to warm plates and serving dishes, to rest meat before carving and to keep food warm, prior to serving, for a limited period of time. Food should not be left in there indefinitely and certainly not for any longer than two hours.
Slow cooking oven - The slow cooking oven is ideal for dishes such as shoulder or leg of lamb, steamed puddings, casseroles and stocks.
A large proportion of the energy is used via the hotplates on a Traditional AGA cooker, so by being able to turn them off, there is a significant saving to be made. The addition of the option to reduce the oven temperatures provides yet further potential energy savings.
Rigorous testing of the AGA Dual Control has been undertaken to assess the energy consumption under different conditions of use. We have commissioned an independent body - GASTEC at CRE to test the AGA Dual Control. Below is a table, which represents one week of typical usage. The data in these tables is however approximate and will depend on ambient conditions, mains voltage supply and variability in manufacturing assembly.
LOW ENERGY SETTING
The energy saving is achieved through dropping the roasting oven to below 200°C. The temperature of the other ovens will also reduce.
ENERGY CONSUMPTION TEST PROCEDURE
Meals for a week for a family of four (2 adults/2 children):
|
Breakfast |
Lunch |
Dinner |
Monday |
* |
* |
Left over roast meat, jacket potatoes and vegetables |
Tuesday |
* |
* |
Chicken Enchiladas |
Wednesday |
* |
* |
Homemade pizza and oven chips |
Thursday |
* |
* |
Pasta with chicken sauce |
Friday |
* |
* |
Shepherds pie and vegetables |
Saturday |
Cooked Breakfast, Kettle
|
Soup and bread, kettle |
Curry, rice and Naan bread |
Sunday |
Croissants, Kettle |
Roast beef, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, vegetables. Apple pie and custard |
Cheese on toast, Kettle |
* Uncooked breakfasts and lunches for 5 days
The energy consumed over one week for this test was 128kW. When compared against a 13amp 3-oven AGA which uses 240kW, this represents a comparative reduction of around 46%. Clearly there are even greater savings to be made if only the top plates are used (during warmer periods of the year for example) with the ovens turned off.
NB - The 3-oven AGA Dual Control requires a 32amp connection.
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