Invented by a Nobel Prize-winning physicist and coming in colors like rose, lemon, and pistachio, Aga’s cast iron ranges are definitely eye-catching. The luxury brand was at the 2016 Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas this week, along with a couple new offerings.
At the end of this year, Aga will release its Mercury multifunction oven, which does European convection in one oven and conventional heating in a second. “It still fits a 26-pound turkey, so you’re not lacking space,” says Leah Kalemba, Aga’s Media and Communications Manager. One version has high-heat gas burners on top, while the other has a 48-inch induction cooktop, the biggest on the market, Aga says. Making an induction cooktop that size came with a few problems, says Kalemba, including figuring out a way to introduce airflow into a compartment so components don’t overheat and wear out faster.
The range’s other compartments house a slide-out grill and storage drawer that will raise the temperature of your plates, thanks to residual warming. Don’t store chocolate in there, in other words.
Aga is also letting users mix and match more with its traditional cast iron collection, meaning you can pick your fuel type and configuration instead of choosing from predetermined options.
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Aga’s Marvel also had something new at the show, an ultra-quiet ice maker with a black interior. (It can match that Jenn-Air fridge with the “obsidian” interior.) The company already claims to have the quietest ice maker and the new Clear Ice Machine is 30-percent quieter, says Kalemba. While it can make 34 pounds of ice a day, it has an eco-mode to save water and energy on the days you aren’t throwing a gala. Though Marvel is working on adding filtration to its ice makers, the freezing process, which is slower than that of the ice maker in your fridge, helps reduce air bubbles and remove impurities. It’s basically ice for those who like ice in their scotch but don’t want to mar the taste with murky water as it melts.
