This is an excellent question. I'm short on time (Christmas!) but I'll come back to the thread later when I can.

What it boils down to is simple: We can't design the perfect stove. We can only choose from the options available. And right now, the Aga Legacy is the best option for me.

I still vastly prefer open burners and find closed burners extremely frustrating. You have to adapt your cooking to your tool rather than using the best tool for the job. For example, if you need high heat, you have to choose a wide pan to cover the flame, even if that pan is really too wide for what you're cooking and might lead to say, excessively rapid evaporation. You still have to be extra careful with boilovers because you're heating the sides of the pan. And so on.

So, all else being equal, I'd prefer open burners. But all else isn't equal.

First, none of the open burner stoves give me the look I want. I don't want my house to look like a restaurant. I grew up working in a restaurant kitchen, and to me that environment represents stress, burns, cuts, sweating and grease fires--not the fiction of a crisp white jacket and applause from celebrity judges. If I had to go with a professional look, I'd do it, but it's not my first choice.

Second, all of the open burner stoves have serious flaws. I really like the Bluestar burners but I wouldn't allow the oven into my house. There continue to be too many tales of sparks and flames and wooshes, despite very concerted efforts by fanboys and kitchen renovation business owners to suppress this information on the Appliances Forum. The Capital can't simmer, at least not for most people. I know there's now a simmer burner coming out, but I want to simmer on more than one burner. American Ranges look interesting, but they're unproven and to me look particularly ugly.

Finally, all open burners come coupled with high BTUs. I don't see the point. I am not searing steaks every day for twenty tops at once. I don't wok. My neighbor has a Capital Culinarian range top, and while she "loves it," she also seems to burn everything. Plus, high BTUs come with bigger ventilation requirements, and those come with spendy make up air (MUA) requirements, which are increasingly being enforced by inspectors. Now, that doesn't mean I want only 10K burners, but I think 15-18K are enough for me.

As far as the Aga goes, I like the look. I'm not thrilled by the tiny ovens but I like the flexibility. We're a small household and I think I can fit lots of dishes in there at the same time. Also, two cooks I respect both told me they played with the Aga and were really pleased with the responsiveness.

I break ground April 1, so I haven't ordered yet and can't give you a firsthand report. I may regret my decision and am actually making sure my setup will fit one of the other ranges if worse comes to worst and I have to swap out. But you never know in advance if you'll like any stove, unless you've already owned one. I just did the best I could at making a decision and I hope it's the right one.

Hope that helps.

Marcolo--

Merry Christmas! Thanks for taking the time out of your day today to answer.

I am coming from almost the same place you are (and I have been thinking in the same vein as you about why I probably could get along without all of these massive BTU burners), and that is why I have been struggling with this problem. Actually, it really reassures me to hear thay you've spoken with people who had actually tried the Aga out and were satisfied with its performance.

This is our current design dilemma. I should be meeting with the cabinet maker today but have yet to pull the trigger on the actual range.
My DH said NO NO NO to the Aga Legacy he does not have the love of the look I'm striving for. If the AGA had larger ovens I would override, however damaging the repercussions would be. ;)
Are you planning a color version? Thats my next compromise. Getting the 36" with a color, white or black oven door and a little bling on the handle. I really wanted the Legacy 44" :(

ppbenn--

For me it isn't the oven size that is the issue because I also have a wall oven. That said, I do think I could probably manage just fine with only the Aga. We had a group of about 15 yesterday, and I did a large pork roast. This I could have done in one of the Aga's ovens and put the other dishes that needed to stay warm in the other oven. So, perhaps in some ways it is more practical than just having a range with the one large oven.

One of the reasons this is at the top of our list right now is becaue we have found a discounted floor model in a now discountinued color--brick. I've seen the white model also in person, and, to us, the white model just seemed to look more cheaply made. I don't know why, but that was the impression both my husband and I had. If I were paying full price, my choice would be a color or the black.

Thought I would jump in here. I have a 36 dual fuel Aga legacy. Before I purchased it I had heard that the power from the burners would not be enough, that the larger oven heats unevenly from front to back, and that the ovens are too small.

Two years later my experience has been that the BTUs are fine for me, I don't use a wok, but I do stir fry, sear steaks and occasionally do other tasks that require a high heat and have found the Aga up for the challenge. It also simmers very well. I have not found the larger oven to heat unevenly and I do a lot of baking. As for the oven size, well that has been good and bad. I LOVE the smaller oven. It preheats extremely quickly, I like that it has multiple racks to hold multiple side dishes and I even like and use the warming rack feature. As for the larger oven, while it is big enough for a 20 lb+ Thanksgiving turkey, my cookie sheets did not fit so I had to go out and buy new smaller ones and smaller sheets mean fewer cookies baking at a time. Not a problem most of the year, but come Christmas time I do miss my old, larger cookie sheets.

In general I enjoy cooking with the Aga and am pleased with the performance and pleased with the way it looks, but I have to admit that I would NEVER buy another product from Aga. The quality control and customer service is horrendous. Within weeks one of the five burners would not turn on. Although the range was under warranty, getting Agga to come and fix it was a multi month nightmare. Now a different burner will not work and although I purchased an extended warranty I am dreading dealing with Aga again. Just take anything negative that you have ever heard about Aga's customer service and multiply it by 10 -- it just isn't worth it, in my opinion at least.

Hope this helps, Lilly

Lilly--

The cooking sounds good, but the service part is definitely not so good. Can I ask if you were dealing with the national Aga service or a local Aga certified repair service. And, do you live in a large metro region or a smaller more remote region? Your posting has definitely given me pause. Thanks for taking the time.

Lilly, I'm sorry for your experience.

However, I've read a version of your story for every other brand as well (yes, even Wolf). If you live long enough, you'll be able to say "Never again!" to every appliance on the market.

As I said, we choose from the options we have, not the ones we wish we had. I'm buying through the most supportive retailer I can find, and hoping for the best.

I live in a rural area with no local certified repair center so I dealt with Aga. I realize that living in a more remote area makes repairs more difficult but it does not explain or excuse the service I received from Aga. I called and reported the problem. When no one got back to me a week later I called again and I was told "we got your call, we are doing what we can, please don't call us again about this." I am not kidding!! Well another week went by so I called again and again received rude service, It took over two months (!!!) to finally get the burner on a brand new Aga repaired.

If you do decide to buy an Aga, here is some info you might want to keep handy:

Brad Stauffer
bstauffer@agamarvel.com
616-619-5335

This is the name and contact info for the man who is charge of the North American operations for Aga. In my experience he seems to be the only person in the organization who can actually help you get your range repaired.

Caveat emptor!

hmm.. can you use the other burners when you have a big pan on the center burner? we had planned to get a 36" stove with a five burner configuration like that. my dh made a template the size of his giant all clad pan and took it to the appliance store. he decided that the rest of the stove would not be usable with that big pan in the middle. we weren't looking at this stove so it could be different. but i would check it out.

and marcolo is right about customer service. it sucks these days. i think things in general are more reliable but companies have cut their customer service to the bone.

i get my cast off today and hopefully can return to the use of capital letters.

First of all, greetings of the season to all! Secondly, as an owner of an Aga 6-4, I think Marcolo's contributions to this thread have been some of the best I've ever heard as to why one would choose an Aga over other contemporary ranges. Certainly, his argument as to why its totally okay to want a cooking machine that doesn't look like an industrial kitchen wonder is quite compelling. Let's be honest folks: looks/appearances should not be the only factor in making an appliance choice, but the idea that looks should not factor in at all is pure nonsense. In my case, when I first embarked on my kitchen remodel, I had intended to make my antique, 6 burner, 54" range with double ovens to be the focal point of the kitchen. However, as Murphy would have it, the range did not survive the remodel and I was forced to make a new range purchase in the middle of my project. Once my research convinced me that my cooking/baking needs would be more than satisfied by the performance capabilities of an Aga, I pulled the trigger on purchasing the 6-4 because of its looks. Now, four years later, I'm as happy as ever to own a contemporary, pro-style range which not only continues to wow me with its cooking results but also has looks which are an appropriate match for my century old house.

That said, I must note that my early experiences with Aga tech services were abysmal! Shortly after installation, I kept having weird, sporadic issues with the ignitors but I found the service team, based in Canada at the time, to be horribly slow to respond to my complaints (or entirely nonresponsive), rude and incompetent. In fact, at one point, they suggested I was imagining the unit's problems! Still, not one to be put off by such behavior, I persisted in going up the ladder with my complaints until I reached the veep of the service department who eventually authorized the replacement of the unit's electrical harness and extended the warranty for another year. Since then, Aga North America has moved its operations across the river to Michigan and I've been hopeful that they also cleaned house and improved their service department in the process. Fortunately, I can't comment on the quality of the Aga service today. That's because, since the harness was replaced, I've had no further service issues to report.

Well, I am still torn after visiting the appliance store again today. The Aga (and the Bertazzoni and the Ilve) certainly has a cachet to its appearance and does seem to fit more lookswise into a kitchen like mine in a nearly 100 year old house. To me this is important too as is the performance of the appliance. If we are concerned about decorating our kitchens, it would seem reasonable to think that appliance appearance would also be a component of that planning.

Lilly--

I know you are warning people away from Aga, but I still may possibly do this. I live in a major metro area and have actually spoken to an experienced repair tech at one of the Aga certified repair places in town; he gave me good feedback on the product other than saying that the major complaint he has heard from customers is that the oven is slow to heat up.

You say you like how it cooks. Can you comment the how it is to clean up (both stovetop and interior)? Thanks again.

While I, personally, would not purchase another product from Aga, if that is the look you want -- go for it!

I would suggest looking at the 36 rather than the 44. On first glance it looks like the 44 has a lot more oven capacity but it is deceiving. The fourth "oven" on the 44 is storage, not cooking space. The multifunction ovens are exactly the same size on both the 36 and the 44. The convection oven is larger in the 44 (2.4 cu. ft. vs 1.8 cu. ft.) but the layout is different. In the 44 the convection oven is wider and in the 36 it is longer. That means that the 44 can only accept 3 oven racks in 5 positions while the 36 can accept 4 oven racks in 9 positions plus a removable plate warming rack. If you are looking to use the second oven for flexibility, the 36 is more useful. However the 44 has an one more burner than the 36 if stove top capacity is your goal.

My thought process when I purchased the Aga 36 was that I loved the look, I would give it a try and if it was an utter disaster, I would replace it with another 36" two oven range such as a Verona, a Fratelli, or a Bertazzoni. All three ranges are about $3,000. I am not pretending that these are cheap fixes, but I felt better knowing that I had a back up plan. With the 44" I felt I had fewer options.

Lilly--

36" is what I am contemplating too. How is the cleanup? Is the top easy to keep looking semi-decent? I am not a clean freak but want something that doesn't look awful without a ton of super cleaning. The insides looked fairly easy to keep clean since they somewhat came apart and also I wouldn't be bending over a large oven door to reach way in to the back. What has your experience been?

Thanks again for your help.

I just bought the 36 in aga legacy in vintage white. It won't be installed until the end of next month, so i dont know yet how it will work. I need to have more than one working oven in my kitchen. I bake a lot, and most of my meals are made in the oven. I often need to cook two things at the same time at different temps. That makes making dinner long sometimes and then the first thing out gets cold...

I have been cooking in small ovens since moving to the DC metro area in 2009, so I knew the small ovens wouldn't bother me. and there are lots of small baking items available. ;)

I originally considered double wall ovens and a cook top. Then a 30 inch slide in range and a small 24 in wall oven. But I have a small kitchen and could not give up the space, or make it work in my space. I then decided to look at 36 in slide-ins with double ovens.

I went out looking for the Verona or Fratelli to see if my pans fit in the small ovens. I didn't find one, but I did find an AGA. At first glance, I didn't like it. Then the salesperson opened up the oven and I was in love with the space! And bonus, my existing baking pans do fit in the AGA"

Luckily, my husband agreed to the AGA. It is the one really big splurge in the kitchen and I really look forward to cooking on it.

needinfo1,

I can't tell a lie -- the black grates show dirt and are not easy to keep looking good. Somehow when I bought it I thought that black would hide dirt! Instead without constant cleaning they look pretty bad, especially when you turn on the vent light over the range. That's the bad news, the good news is that if you have a large, single bowl sink you can put the grates in the sink for a good clean and until you use them again they look great!

The ovens are not self cleaning, but that has not been an issue. The multifunction has a bottom tray that slides out easily for cleaning. The tray fits in my dishwasher, which is a plus. The convection oven does not have a tray, but the size and shape make reaching in to clean fairly easy.

Also, in my earlier post I listed other ranges I have as "back up" plans. The 36 Bertazonni only has one oven, I meant to say the 36" De Lunghi.

Good luck!!

Hi Lilly--

So it is the grates that don't look good; I am assuming they look kind of crusted with grease and grime. How is the black surface around the burners? Thanks.

Hi there needinfo1!

Unfortunately, no, it is not just the grates that look dirty, the surrounding black surface gets cruddy as well with dirt and grease, but also with water spots. Once you remove the grates for cleaning, though, the surface is easy to wipe down since it is smooth. The grates take more time since they are full of little nooks. I am a fairly neat cook so I don't understand why the black gets so dirty looking. It is very discouraging. I have a friend with the smooth top all-electric legacy and that stays much cleaner looking. Personally, I don't like to cook on an electric cook top -not enough heat control for me -- but if you are ok going all electric, the cleaning will not be such an issue.

Since you seem to be fairly interested in the Aga, I thought I will share some other info with you. Ignore what is not of interest to you!

large vs small oven:
I use the smaller convection oven 90% of the time. I have even changed the way I cook to use the smaller oven. For example, I now make two smaller pans of lasagna rather than one big one. I do this for two reasons. 1) while the smaller oven preheats extremely quickly the larger one takes an inordinate amount of time to preheat, longer than any other oven I have ever used and I don't like to waste the time (or the energy use) waiting an 2) while I am of average height my husband is quite tall and he finds it too low to go to stoop down to get things out of the low, larger multi purpose oven. If you, or someone in your house, is tall, this is something to think about!

noise:
The small oven is a convection oven and the larger multi-purpose oven has a convection mode. The fan noise that comes with convection is not quiet. If you are cooking on the stovetop at the same time and have the exhaust fan running, it adds up to quiet a bit of noise. I am okay with this, but I have noticed that I sometimes don't hear things (like the phone ringing!) when both the exhaust fan and the convection fan are running.

the broiler:
The little broiling oven is cute and works well for things like bread. I would love to be able to use it for things like chops but the rack is just too close to the heating element to fit much more height than a piece of bread. There seems to be room, so I wish Aga had mounted the rails for the rack just a bit lower so the broiler could be more useful.

So there you have it, the good, the bad, and the dirty! Good luck with your decision, Lilly

I just noticed on the Appliances Forum, a photo just posted on the Lacanche ranges thread. The photo, posted by Flevy today, shows a real stunner of a range. I'm wondering if you have considered any of the Lacanches, since it seems the Aga's have issues (even taking into account that all brands have issues as Marcolo pointed out).

Here is a link that might be useful: Thread about Lacanche Ranges

lilly--

I have to admit that after reading all you have to say about the cleaning difficulty and the service issues you have had, I am now giving this some second thoughts. I also really appreciate the feedback about the broiler function because that was a question I had when I looked at the range. It really did seem to me that the space under the burner was way too shallow to be very useful.

So, thanks a lot. I am still thinking.