What's inside my Aga Cooker?
If you didn't see your Aga Range Cooker getting built, you might be wondering what's inside this big cast iron workhorse.
For the purposes of this post, we'll be talking about the traditional 'always on' Aga range cookers, rather than the newer, more controllable models.
To be honest, the Aga range cooker seems more complex than it is. It's basically a cast iron jigsaw that uses conduction and convection to distribute the heat around the cooker. The 2 oven models come with an 'ash pit' where the heating element sits (oil burner, gas burner or an electric coil element). A cast iron barrel sits on top of this ash pit and conducts the heat through the cast and the air. Ducts channel this up to the top oven first, which is why your top right hand oven is your hottest (roasting) oven. Next, it trickles down to your bottom oven, bringing it up to simmer temperature. While this is happening, the boiling plate that sits directly on top of the barrel gets a huge conduction of heat which is also why it's the hottest hot plate! The simmer plate sits on top of the roasting oven cast conductions, bringing a gentler heat.
All of the cast iron parts in our Refurbished Aga Range Cookers are shot-blasted to remove any impurities and return them to like-new condition.
Once they're restored, we coat the ovens, expansion rings and hot plates to give them a layer of protection.
Once the cast is in place, all of the empty space is filled with Vermiculite!
Vermiculite is a mined mineral that expands when it's heated up. That's why the vermiculite we receive looks like popped popcorn or tiny accordions! This is a great insulator and is commonly used for chimney breasts, stove fires and even for incubating eggs. There's lots of uses but we use it to void fill. It makes sure that you aren't spending time (and money!) heating empty space. Vermiculite is not known to be harmful to humans or animals so it's safe for us to use, albeit a bit dusty sometimes.
For our Fully Refurbished Cookers, the Top Plate, Front Plate, Lid Rings and Doors are all re-enamelled. We use a specialist for this who have been working with Aga Range Cookers for decades. They shotblast the old enamel off then coat them in new Vitreous Enamel (the same type that AGA Rangemaster use), then fire them in a huge kiln to harden and protect. After they are inspected, they are dispatched back up to us for prepping before they're installed.
This process ensures that your enamel is completely scratch and chip free. We also offer 'pre-owned' cookers from time to time. This process is the same with the top plate and lid bands but the front remains original as there is no need to re-enamel. Since there is only the top plate to enamel, these cookers come at a reduced cost.
If you're looking for a fully refurbished cooker, make sure the front plate and top plate are both re-enamelled so that your cooker is pristine and showroom standard!
The finished product is a completed refurbished Aga Range cooker, ready to warm your kitchen and feed your family for years to come!
Some Further Reading:
