Does anyone cook on/in an Aga?

That's one of the main reasons I'm looking at Bluestar ovens. Very basic. They started out as the residential end of Garland, who makes one of the best commercial stoves. Their cheaper than Wolf and supposedly more dependable.

I thought Miele was indestructible! The stove Mr. B loved had too many gizmos for me. Not that I'd turn it down...

Do they sell Rangemaster stuff over there?

It's the same Company as Aga now, and the one we've had for fifteen years has been brilliant.

Here is a similar model to ours, and they also come in dual fuel.....electric ovens and gas hobs. They come in many colours and cost about £2k brand new.

They don't weigh a ton and csn be turned off.

http://www.johnlewis.com/rangemaster-classic-deluxe-110-electric-range-cooker/p231792846?sku=231792846&kpid=231792846&s_kenid=e8f136d8-2040-4b67-a84e-c9adad4b99c4&s_kwcid=402x364282&tmad=c&tmcampid=73

That looks nice!

I've never heard of Rangemaster but I'm going to look it up!

my cousin had an AGA and had trouble because of something that never worked right in the piezo starters and one of the ovens. We have a 6 burner Ficher and Paykel stove from a store in Lancaster. They set it up nd we have it checked every year when they come to do our water tanks and filters.
We like the F & P (Its less expensive than an AGA because its a US restaurant stove that relies on stainless not cast) . tHE CAST IRON IS PRETTY BUT IF YOUR COLORS RENT exactly THE SAME AS THE STOVE, youve gotta repaint.
Our stove is 12 years old . We had another brand befoore and it was pretty good but all the hinges busted because of the weight.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jul/15/aga-sold-to-us-firm-middleby-129m-pound-deal


"Aga Rangemaster sold to US company Middleby in £129m deal....."

When i was in university, i worked as a short order cook in the student union (i lied in the interview). We had a Hobart six burner with griddle similar to the picture below. It was indestructible. Once i asked the restaurant manager if we had a number for emergency service. He looked at me blankly for a moment, then kind of laughed. He said that as far as he knew, the range and griddle had been in use almost continuously since it had been installed in 1911. He said if it ever broke down, they'd probably just buy a new one. That was in 1968--57 years in service is not too bad.

I've cooked on a lot of restaurant stoves and I would absolutely buy one if I could. They're inexpensive compared to residential appliances for what you get. BUT the fire suppression system, venting system, and gas line are all really expensive. Even if you do all that most insurance companies say "been nice knowing ya'. Good luck." and the the bank holding the mortgage goes ape ****.

There are a few commercial range companies that have residential lines but their stoves are SO expensive. They are the only companies that don't seem to create over-elaborate controls though so I'm thinking that alone makes the extra cost digestible.

I'll have to take another look at F&P. I read some really bad things about them (and Dacor) which knocked them off my list. Customer service problems if I recall but I'll look again. Thanks!

I looked at one last weekend and loved the grates on it.

I just read that Middleby also owns Viking.

weve had no trouble and I like the fact that the circuits and gizmos are up -dateable as newer computer gizmos come into being .

I dont think any gas range uses pilots any more, they all pretty much use piezo crystals and sensor systems that time the start with the gas flow.

I went back and looked and it was customer service problems.

So I looked around and saw that every company had lots of complaints about customer service problems (including Bluestar, which tops my list right now).

I'm thinking you're probably pretty handy around the house, take care of your things, and have them regularly serviced.

We're kind of the same way so I'm thinking we wouldn't have too many issues no matter what we bought.

I can only think of one product I've ever purchased that was an absolute lemon that we couldn't get to work. I dealt with customer service until I was blue in the face and they were no help. It was really frustrating and took about six weeks to get the issue resolved (and I was an total dogged bitch about it until it was resolved).

I can see how someone who gets the lemon could complain enough to clog the internet with bad reviews.

I didn't but I could have.

What kind of circuits and gizmos are you talking about?

I'm trying to avoid circuits and gizmos. I want knobs that adjust temperature and that's about it.

One fancy new thing I kind of like is the "speed oven". It's a microwave/convection oven thing. You can use it as a microwave or as a convection oven or as a clever combination of the two. I think this is probably the future of ovens -- the standard thing everyone has in their home.

Miele is like all fine German cars - you need to have a dedicated mechanic on staff.

Well, keep Hobart in mind, they've been doing this for well over a century. Also consider a used small Hobart, or other commercial stove--i worked for a restaurant supply place for several years. Although i would not have recommended our store (which was larcenous with regard to used equipment), many places sell quite reasonably priced used equipment. I agree completely about simple controls. Gas on . . . gas off . . . yeah, that'll cover it.

Hobarts are THE standard for large kitchens and restaurants. They are large and easily cleaned (Health laws of most states even list the Hobart (or equivalent) for most kitchen stuff.

I briefly worked for Pa Environmental "Resources" (their name at the time) and I ran a SMALL field office with health inspectors. Hobart would give training sessions to our inspectors. They mase dishwashers, all kinds of ookers , stoves, ovens, and even pizza ovens.
Their only problem as I recalled was that they fit mostly into kitchens where space was NOT limited.
The stoves were like tanks, heavy gage Stainless and an oven door that would weigh 150 lb.

Miele makes stoves?? We have two Meile vacuum cleaners and they are great

circuits like that for "Self cleaning", convection programs, much more accurate temp recording,(and maintenance) piezo crystal bars and even interactive circuits that allow you to start a cook cycle (or shut it off) from a cell phone. These are all plug ins . (All this junk fits in a very small package in the face of the stove where all the knobs are.

We are not "yuppie" anymore> We think its hilarious to have to run off and start a roast thats been left festering as it comes up to temperature all afternoon. Weve never used that feature but it came as a plug in with the temp
maintenance.

I looked around to see if Hobart made any residential ranges and learned that they own a company called Maestro who make beautiful stoves that I can't even find a price for, anywhere.

This is their smallest stove:


We looked at putting in a commercial stove but between the electrical requirements, the gas requirements and the insurance company's "nope" we've given up on that idea.

Miele is pretty new to the stove market (that might be why they have a super high dependability rating) and their stoves are gorgeous and priced sky high.

eBeth has made me wary though. I have a BMW made Mini Cooper and parts and service are expensive.