How Do You Take Care of a Reconditioned Aga Cooker?
Prolong the life of your reconditioned Aga cooker with our helpful care guide.
Burn-Off Period
When you switch on your reconditioned Aga cooker for the first time, you will need to perform the burn-off process, as if the cooker was bought brand new. This process removes any oils and other substances used during the manufacturing or reconditioning process.
The burn-off process can take between 4-6 hours, but you’ll know when the process is complete as you’ll no longer smell the oils and other substances. Switch on your reconditioned Aga on full heat to literally burn off all of the oils and other substances.
Following this process, you should then season your oven weekly for around 6 weeks.
Seasoning the Ovens
Seasoning the ovens of an Aga cooker prevents rust from forming on the cast iron, especially if the oven will not be used for long periods of time. With a new, or reconditioned Aga cooker, you should season the ovens weekly for around 6 weeks.
This involves gently rubbing corn oil on the oven surfaces, before leaving the oven on full heat for an hour to build a protective layer over the cast iron. This reduces the amount of water permeating the oven during use, thus preventing rust from forming.
Cleaning
Once you’re up and running with your reconditioned Aga, you’ll no doubt be cooking up a storm. As such, you’ll need to regularly clean your oven to keep it in tip-top condition.
Enamel
Keep the external enamel sparking with a daily rub down with warm, soapy water. Any food spills should be cleaned as they happen, as baked on food is much harder to remove. In these cases, however, an enamel cleaner can be used to safely clean the area (acidic or harsh oven cleaners should not be used as they can damage the enamel). Likewise, any acidic food spills, such as orange juice, should be wiped up immediately.
Ovens
Aga ovens keep themselves clean by carbonising cooking spillages. As such, you’ll need to use a wire brush to remove any dust and light rust to get rid of any stubborn bits.
Hotplates
Aga oven hotplates are very durable and are fairly easy to care for and, as they are made from cast iron, any spills will carbonise, and can be easily removed with a wire brush (like inside the ovens). More stubborn spills, or burned-on spills can be removed with a damp cloth, ensuring any detergents and residues are thoroughly rinsed off.
Door Linings
Your aga’s doors are easily kept clean by wiping them down with a cream cleaner or soapy sponge once the oven is turned off and has cooled down.
For a deeper clean, you can remove the door (when cool), and place it on top of a towel on a work surface, enamel side down. Again, use a cream cleaner or soapy sponge to remove any marks, avoiding immersing the doors in water (excess water can damage the insulation). Carefully dry the doors before replacing them.
Lids
When your lids need to be cleaned, first ensure that the oven is off and cool. Use warm, soapy water to remove any marks, but try not to use an excessive amount of water .Ensure that the lids are dry before closing.
Servicing
Having your reconditioned Aga regularly serviced will help to prolong the life of the cooker, and ensure that it is performing optimally. An engineer will check the performance of your reconditioned Aga, as well as identifying any potential issues before they become a major problem.
However not all models need to be serviced, therefore it’s important to check whether or not your model requires servicing.
Top Tips & Other Important Information
- Avoid harsh oven cleaners, acidic cleaners, power sprays, and steam cleaners
- Avoid using abrasive pads or metal scrapers
- Warm, soapy water is an ideal cleaner for most parts of your reconditioned Aga
- Various parts of your reconditioned Aga can be removed for a deeper clean, but be careful to replace them in the same position
Contact Us
If you have any questions about caring for your reconditioned Aga cooker, contact us today and one of our friendly staff will get back to you shortly with information specific to your model.