Matthew and Orla Munroe and their AGA R7 electric Range Cooker
Matthew and Orla from Kilkenny have been cooking on the AGA R7 160 electric range cooker for over 8 months. ‘We designed the kitchen to suit the AGA. Previously we lived in a really cold house in Tipperary and it had a very old oil burner range cooker and was the only thing that kept us warm. The AGA R7 is always on and keeps us warm. We also have an AGA module with a gas top, fan oven and grill but to be honest it only takes the hotplates on the main cooker 12 minutes to heat up ’
What do they love about the AGA range? ‘It’s the social area of the house where friends and family gather together. Its so convenient. In winter its already pre heated and the kitchen is warm so we don’t have to turn on the heating. We have 3 heating zones in the kitchen and we didn’t turn them on once in winter. ‘
Have you noticed a change in cooking habits? ‘ It caters to our needs. Its brilliant in that respect. Kids come in after school and out again for sports so its great to be able to cook food quickly and able to leave it in the warming oven which doesn’t dry it out. It’s great for soups for the kids. Its also child friendly. My daughter is only 10 but she loves to take out the Mary Berry cookbook and bake. The kids make pancakes on Saturday morning. ‘
What features do they love about your AGA Cooker? The AGA cooker has made us like the kitchen more and love cooking. Biggest thing for us is we never get a taste of the oven from it. It doesn’t matter what you cook, casseroles or pizzas even, food just tastes better. We had an Induction hob before and it drove me mad. Prefer the controllability of the AGA Hotplates, cooking something on the main hotplate and sliding it over to the simmering plate to let to cook away slowly. We have found the AGA is great for drying clothes in front of it. When the kids come home with muddy uniform and they need them the next day, I wash and hang them in front of the AGA overnight and they are dry the next morning’.
Do they have a particular favourite moment with your AGA? ‘We’ve had three big parties since moving in, one of them we had 60 people attending. The AGA was so easy to work on. Able to keep things warm without drying the food out. The Ovens are really deep so hold lots of pots. It really is a great cooker to have in the winter. When its cold outside and people come into the house they always gravitate towards the AGA and the heat. Sit their bum on the towel rail. ‘
