We often clean range cookers, work areas, grills and extraction units in Pubs,small restaurant, cafes and Bed and Breakfasts' kitchens. Often I have been surprised by the lack of cleanliness of areas and equipment that should be regularly cleaned.
After seeing the TV programmeRaising the Bar on Channel 4 I went in search on Willie's chocolate in the local Waitrose store but it had a slot for it but said 'out of stock'. I went back again that week then the week after and the week after and finally I bought some of his chocolate. Anyway fabulous stuff and I have now been going back for more every couple of days but more often than not it is 'out of stock'. I went yesterday and it was out of stock so have to be content with Green and Blacks but really after trying Willie's chocolate nothing compares.
On the Apprentice Final on the BBC recently they had to make a chocolate box and there were some comments about men not buying chocolate for themselves. I was in the queue for the '10 items and less' till with my just my box of Willies Delectable Cacao Venezuelan 72 to pay for and the bloke in front of me had one too. So there you go who says men don't buy Chocolate for themselves. My wife can't stand it, she likes her milk chocolate, so I get to eat it all...
We clean traditional AGA cookers on a regular basis and we have also cleaned Viking Range Cookers too, though they are not so common in the UK, or if they are we don't seem to getting them. We haven't as yet cleaned a AGA 6-4 series but I have seen them in the showroom; this AGA has four conventional ovens and in the AGA enamelled cast iron shell with gas burns on the top. We have regularly cleaned the 4-2 series model which is the smaller model and is also sold as the module fitted to the two oven (or a four oven) AGA cooker to give you the conventional cooking ability that is useful especially in the summer months when you may want to switch the AGA off to make your kitchen cooler.
If you were to compare it with the new Aga 6-4 series the cooker is comparable to a Viking in that it has a traditional gas hob and electric ovens. The differences are that an Aga has 4 ovens where a Viking has 1 or 2, and it is built from cast iron. On the AGA The enamel finish looks like what you find on high-end cast iron cookware and is available in 14 colours. The four ovens give your more flexibility in cooking meals. For the Viking it looks like you can get it as many colours (looking at the viking cooker selector US site) and also stainless steel which looks great in a modern kitchen. The Viking feels like a professional cooker to the user and feels like it could happy sit in one so some people may find it 'heavy' to use. This AGA has the advantage over a conventional AGA cooker (which is on all the time) in that you can switch off and you can switch on each oven as required.
The traditional Aga cooker is a entirely different cooker. It has a single 15,000 BTU burner and uses radiant heat. The radiant heat produces much better cooking results. Most traditional Aga owners use a 20:80 rule, with 20 % of food cooked on the two hotplates and 80% in the ovens.
A Viking owner would reverse this with 80% of food cooked on the top. The ovens are vented in an Aga, so there is no need for a hood. Attend an Aga demonstration to really appreciate the differences.
For the conventional AGA cooker you will have to become proficient at using this type of cooker. Local
AGA shops and showrooms run demonstrations and courses on how to use
the cooker. The Mary Berry AGA book which comes with a new AGA is excellent and will
give you all the help that you need. Of course for the conventional AGA
cooker it will be on all the time so your fuel bills will reflect this.
Allow £12 a week for fuel bills for a 2 oven 30 Amp AGA, £25 a week for
other fuels, with the 13 Amp Cooker maybe higher. For 4 oven AGA
cookers and those with the water boiler attached expect higher running
costs than this. Also don't forget the installation costs of the AGA cooker. There is currently a problem with oil AGA cookers - search on this blog for my post re the changes in kerosene home heating fuel in the UK.
If you live in the south west of england I would recommend going to the showrooms at Spillers of Chard where in their cooker centre you will be able to appreciate the differences of the range cookers compared here.
1. They are just beautiful to look at. All that stainless steel (if it is stainless steel they also come in different colous), and those large knobs means they are just easy on the eye. They just look so chunky and professional a proper cooker.
2. They will save you a whole load of money compared with an AGA cooker. You can get the whole range and overhead canopy for half the price of an AGA and you don't have to pay out the AGA running costs of £25 a week or the installation costs of an AGA cooker.
3. The way the ignition works on the hob is a delight, just turn the knobs and the gas rings burst into life.
4. They are so easy to clean so says our Oven Cleaning man from OvenGleam; we just call them out when it gets dirty. (they aren't that easy as it happens as it takes about 3 hours and it's heavy work and we have to strip them right down but you'll be pleased by the results)
5. The neighbours will be green with envy as you have a semi professional range in your kitchen and they haven't. I think this is true I certainly think they are just a fanastic cooking machine.
If you are looking for one in the south west of england I have seen demonstrations of them at Spillers of Chard they have a special Mercury Range Cooker kitchen. Also see the link below to see how you can use the Mercury to get yourself fit too!
I've seen in todays Times Newspaper the chances are better than 50 per cent that temperatures will be above Britain's summer average and the rainfal will be near or below normal. So great news a hot sensational summer to look forward to.
So now is the time to get your barbecues ready. We offer a barbecue cleaning service and we will get it gleaming so that you aren't embarrassed by it. Just think rather than having a dirty barbecue it will look like new.
We have noticed that the number of oven cleaning bookings has increased recently. It must be the oven cleaning season! We also know that as the weather gets warmer people will be able to live without their AGAs on for a day or so and they will call us in to clean them for them.
Here are things to check to see if you oven is clean:
1. The door: Can you see into the oven when you switch on the oven light? Are there any drips apparent on the door? So is is the door clean on both sides?
2. The control knobs: Are the control knobs brown in colour and or sticky to the touch?
3. The inside of the oven: Are there any bits of burnt on carbon on the inside of the oven? Burnt on carbon is the black bits which you probably can't remove? If you have a dog or cat are there any cats hairs inside your oven either on the door or on the floor of the oven. Is the top of the oven around the grill greasy or black with burnt on carbon? Are the racks brown or black and are they greasy? Is the grill pan either black and/or greasy? If you can see the bulb cover is it clear? Does the inside fill greasy to the touch?
4. The outside of the oven: is the stainless steel spotless and shining? Are there any marks of grease on the outside at all?
5. The hob: Does the hob pot stand racks have black bits on it? Is it dull or greasy? If the hob is a ceramic one are there any marks on it at all?
6. Is your extractor or extractor hood greasy?If it has filter paper in it has it gone red or is it brown? If it has aluminium filters are they discoloured in any way?
Of course once we have cleaned your oven professionally everything will be clean and sparkling with the "new" look and feel.
We had a lovely lady of 82 ring us today to book her oven in to be cleaned. She told us that she wanted to book her oven in for an oven clean before she died. We said "You not going to die soon are you?". To which she replied "No, but just in case; I want it to say on my grave stone: "At least she had a clean oven"!"
I cleaned a range last week it was an old Rangemaster 110 which the lady said she had had for 12 years. The old Rangemaster's are branded Leisure and this model was the 'Victoria' and are they usually white but internally they are exactly the same as the Rangemaster 110. So normally this would be a reasonably easy job as most of the panels are self cleaning. I usually do a quick dip on these and all the grease, however greasy they are, comes straight off. The effect at the end is a brand new cooker.
This one was very dirty! The grease in the main oven was about 3 inches thick and was layered with old burnt chips and dog hairs. So in all it took me about 3 hours to do which is about 30 minutes more than normal but it looked great at the end.
Whilst I was cleaning it the lady kept asking me "Is this the dirtiest oven you have ever seen?". This is a common question and I told her that it wasn't as I had the one which had been covered in dog hair all over on the outside like a fur coat. But it was certainly a dirty one.
I often get the person who says "it was the previous owner who did all that". On one occasion I asked "how long have you been here then?" She replied "18 years" !!