The History of the Aga Range Cooker
What started as a husbands solution for an overwhelmed wife, quickly turned into "The Aga Saga" and the famous cooker made its way into the cosy homes of Great Britain.
The story starts (rather tragically) with Dr Gustav Dalen (pictured) losing his sight during an experiment in his laboratory.
After his accident, he was mostly confined to his home and his wife took on the role of his carer. He could tell that the added pressure was taking its toll on her and wanted to help so he got to work in the only way he knew how - he invented something.
The original Aga range cooker looked quite different than the ones we know and love today but the principles have remained unchanged for decades. The traditional Aga range cooker was designed with the idea of Radiant Heat and Conduction. This allowed the cast iron parts and ovens to manipulate the heat (from solid fuel at the time) to heat the water, cook the food, heat the house and dry the clothes.
Since its invention, the Aga range cooker has evolved numerous times until the modern deluxe models emerged (the ones in the pictures across our site). These cookers keep the classic well-made structure and their 'always on' way of heating your food and your home. The more modern versions have turned to additional electric elements, touchscreens, electrical cabling, and individually controlled hobs/ovens. This is gradually moving towards the conventional cooker setup, rather than the traditional way of working that the Aga was built for and know for across the world.
Aga Range Cooker Facts
- The world went crazy for the Aga around the 1930's. So much so, that a new phrase was created: "The Aga Saga".
- The wait time for an Aga Range Cooker was 27 weeks! Much longer than we roll them out today.
- Going into the 1960's, Oil was introduced and was very well received as a more efficient alternative to solid fuel
- Mary Berry has said that her Aga range cooker "makes her want to cook".
- After manufacturing the classically British cookers in Shropshire since 1930, the AGA Rangemaster brand was sold to a US company in 2015.
Some Further Reading:
