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Waffle Varieties


prashamk

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Hi,

 

There are no Waffle Joints in my city & hence I am willing to start it. Since I am not much experienced in this business, I want to keep it simple. I will be starting in winter months so it makes sense to offer only hot waffles and hot brownie. I may add cold waffle icecreams (icecream sandwiched between two waffles), ice creams and other things later on as business picks up. 

 

There are vendors that supply ready mix for vanilla, chocolate & red velvet waffles but I want to know what are the different varieties of waffles, in terms of garnishing. 

 

Regards

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Do you mean like hot fruit compotes - such as spiced apples, similar to what would go on a Dutch Baby pancake

or Blueberry  or other berry compotes with or without toasted nuts?   Or something more exotic?

We used to have an omelet and waffle place here in Lancaster and they used the commercial prepared fruit pie fillings for toppings.

With some they combined toasted nuts - as with the spiced apple.  Slivered almonds with the blueberry,  Walnuts with one, I can't recall which. 

It was very popular but they lost their location when the row of shops was demolished to make room for a supermarket and they couldn't find another suitable location at a reasonable rent. 

They only offered buttermilk and whole wheat waffles.  

 

There are any number of toppings:  This Food and Wine article has seven.

 

Here is a list of 101 toppings.

 

When I was catering, I used to do brunches with a "Waffle Buffet"  with a line up of toppings that the guests could apply themselves.

The hosts and I would choose how many and what flavors of waffles and the same for the toppings.  Usual number of hot toppings, other than syrups, was 8 although at  a couple where there were many more guests, I did 12.  

The only one that required someone to serve it was the whipped cream, always last in line.  

 

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"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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Waffle shops in my part of the world usually limit themselves to plain waffles and pecan waffles (waffles with tiny chopped pieces of pecans in the batter). Toppings, besides maple syrup, can include as Andi mentioned above, all kinds of fruit compote, fruit syrups, jams, preserves, nut-accented syrups. Chicken and waffles (waffles, with fried chicken) is for some reason quite popular, not that I can necessarily ld thinunderstand why.

 

I would think the ice cream waffles would go well, especially in the summertime.

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www.kayatthekeyboard.wordpress.com

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There are also different structural differences to waffles - the standard US waffle is maybe 1/2 inch thick and has 1/4" indents, while a "Belgian waffle" (not sure if it actually comes from Belgium, but that's what it's called) is maybe about an inch thick and has 3/4 - 1 inch indents.

 

Some waffles can be quite dense, while some can be super light and crispy - Modernist Cuisine dispenses the batter from a nitrous oxide canister which makes the result extremely light and crispy.

 

@Chris Hennes, if I remember correctly, did a whole thing on waffles, including the modernist version - maybe you can do a search for that?

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5 hours ago, KennethT said:

There are also different structural differences to waffles - the standard US waffle is maybe 1/2 inch thick and has 1/4" indents, while a "Belgian waffle" (not sure if it actually comes from Belgium, but that's what it's called) is maybe about an inch thick and has 3/4 - 1 inch indents.

 

Some waffles can be quite dense, while some can be super light and crispy - Modernist Cuisine dispenses the batter from a nitrous oxide canister which makes the result extremely light and crispy.

 

@Chris Hennes, if I remember correctly, did a whole thing on waffles, including the modernist version - maybe you can do a search for that?

 

I just restudied the waffle thread and could find only my own post about charging Cunningham's batter in the iSi.  No mention I could find of a modernist waffle version.  I don't own a copy of MC but I have read it.

 

Any more information?

 

As it happens I really wanted waffles today, after essentially not having eaten dinner (not sure two cookies count).  I dug out Cunningham's recipe before bed.  But sadly I could not summon the energy.  No waffles today for me.

 

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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FYI, there is a recipe online for "Good Night Waffles," in which one makes up a yeasted batter the night before, lets it ferment countertop overnight, and in the morning adds egg and baking soda. Lightest, most ethereal waffles I've ever had. I make them in an el-cheapo Belgian waffle maker. The kids clamor for them.

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2 hours ago, kayb said:

FYI, there is a recipe online for "Good Night Waffles," in which one makes up a yeasted batter the night before, lets it ferment countertop overnight, and in the morning adds egg and baking soda. Lightest, most ethereal waffles I've ever had. I make them in an el-cheapo Belgian waffle maker. The kids clamor for them.

 

Indeed Cunningham's batter is a yeasted batter begun the night before.  I had no strength to do it.  Last night I was freezing on cold high school bleachers till 11:00 pm, got home at 12:30 am -- and the day before I fell in the cold, wet mud.  Thought I would never again get warm.  Tonight I am suffering an overly strong and unbalanced Mississippi punch.  Takes much out of one.

 

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

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14 hours ago, andiesenji said:

Do you mean like hot fruit compotes - such as spiced apples, similar to what would go on a Dutch Baby pancake

or Blueberry  or other berry compotes with or without toasted nuts?   Or something more exotic?

We used to have an omelet and waffle place here in Lancaster and they used the commercial prepared fruit pie fillings for toppings.

With some they combined toasted nuts - as with the spiced apple.  Slivered almonds with the blueberry,  Walnuts with one, I can't recall which. 

It was very popular but they lost their location when the row of shops was demolished to make room for a supermarket and they couldn't find another suitable location at a reasonable rent. 

They only offered buttermilk and whole wheat waffles.  

 

There are any number of toppings:  This Food and Wine article has seven.

 

Here is a list of 101 toppings.

 

When I was catering, I used to do brunches with a "Waffle Buffet"  with a line up of toppings that the guests could apply themselves.

The hosts and I would choose how many and what flavors of waffles and the same for the toppings.  Usual number of hot toppings, other than syrups, was 8 although at  a couple where there were many more guests, I did 12.  

The only one that required someone to serve it was the whipped cream, always last in line.  

 

 

Hot Fruit Compotes is definitely a new addition to my list, thanks. I'll dig deeper into it. 

 

Waffle Buffet is a good idea too. 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 9/30/2018 at 9:29 AM, kayb said:

Chicken and waffles (waffles, with fried chicken) is for some reason quite popular, not that I can necessarily ld thinunderstand why.

 

Yes! This chain, Dame's Chicken and Waffles, seems extremely successful around here. As a fellow G.R.I.T.S. (Girl Raised In The South), I'm left scratching my head as well. It's a popular trend, but seems to have been dreamed up by hipsters, as far as I can tell. Some of the more upscale restaurants are offering chicken and waffles too one tiny piece of chicken for $18? This image, menu and pricing are from Dean's in Cary. Scroll down a little to Entrees.I do not get this at all. O.o

 

But yeah, you cannot go wrong with fruit compotes or fresh fruits with whipped cream for toppings. Also pecan waffles are really good too. You might also try to offer several different syrups, like the IHOP (International House of Pancakes) chain around here. I'm old enough to remember when IHOP used to serve boysenberry syrup in Southern California and they all used to be served warm. Now you are lucky if the bacon grease has not congealed on the plate when they serve your breakfast. They used to heat the heavy china plates they still serve on, but now don't bother, at least at my local chain, so these plates serve as a heat sink to instantly sap the heat out of the breakfast you are paying good money for.

 

Consider pre-heating your serving dishes. It will make a real difference and heat the syrup and have real butter at room temp.

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11 hours ago, Thanks for the Crepes said:

 

Yes! This chain, Dame's Chicken and Waffles, seems extremely successful around here. As a fellow G.R.I.T.S. (Girl Raised In The South), I'm left scratching my head as well. It's a popular trend, but seems to have been dreamed up by hipsters, as far as I can tell. Some of the more upscale restaurants are offering chicken and waffles too one tiny piece of chicken for $18? This image, menu and pricing are from Dean's in Cary. Scroll down a little to Entrees.I do not get this at all. O.o

 

Interesting. The combination never made sense to me, but as a non-Southerner I'd assumed it was Hallowed By Tradition and therefore to be accepted unquestioningly.

 

I guess it's like poutine, which is such a cliched Canadian thing now. I never encountered it myself until the 1990s, and initially assumed it was the latest fad out of the U.S..

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There's a famous mini-chain in Los Angeles called "Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles" (click).

I think it's the salty-sweet taste combination that brings customers in.

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Can I semi-cook it and keep it in a warmer and then do a quick final heating before I serve to the customer? Or can I fully cook it and then store it in a OTG on warm setting?

 

This query is for weekend traffic management. 

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On 10/15/2018 at 10:45 AM, Toliver said:

There's a famous mini-chain in Los Angeles called "Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles" (click).

I think it's the salty-sweet taste combination that brings customers in.

I haven't bought chicken at KFC for many years but in the late '60s and '70s when the kids were still home, they used to include odd shaped pods that contained honey and a lot of people drizzled it on the chicken.

I wouldn't eat it that way but the kids loved it.  Oddly, they never put honey on the fried chicken I prepared. I would set it out, no takers.

 

I was always fascinated by those pods which had the ends sealed in opposite directions. Always reminded me of an Escher print.

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"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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I've finally decided to go with Stick Waffle for its ease of operation and quick production. Since its on stick it doesn't require any cutlery and people can consume it while standing too. Also each machine can produce 4 pcs at a time so I can serve 4 people in each go.

 

I visited a nearby city and found couple of people making them. They have 2 kinds of waffle base i.e. Vanilla & Chocolate and on top of that they put Maple Syrup, Milk Chocolate or White Chocolate with some garnishings like dry fruits or chocolate chips, small cake crumbs and other colourful things (usually used in Cup Cakes) . They keep it really simple and I feel for a someone like me who is just stepping into world of waffle, it may be ideal. 

 

These are simple observations / assumptions. I request experts to suggest any alteration, addition to the above. 

 

 

 

Image Source: https://pancake-world.com/product/bamboo-waffle-sticks-28cm-box-of-500/

pw_waffle_sticks__3.png

Edited by prashamk (log)
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Ooohhh...how about wrapping a slice of fried bacon around it? And then drizzling the whole thing with maple syrup? I'd be a regular customer!

 

I used to frequent a breakfast place who did French toast that way, cut into strips and then put those on skewers, wrapped bacon around them, and a final flash fry to crisp up the bacon. You could fry the bacon and wrap the waffle stick before it cooled , and then it would hold its shape.

 

 

 

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13 hours ago, kayb said:

Ooohhh...how about wrapping a slice of fried bacon around it? And then drizzling the whole thing with maple syrup? I'd be a regular customer!

 

I used to frequent a breakfast place who did French toast that way, cut into strips and then put those on skewers, wrapped bacon around them, and a final flash fry to crisp up the bacon. You could fry the bacon and wrap the waffle stick before it cooled , and then it would hold its shape.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I forgot to mention that I follow Jainism that doesn't permit consuming meat or egg or even plant roots. So Bacon and lot of other stuff are banished. Its the main reason why I am looking towards a Dessert Joint instead of a full fledged restaurant. 

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6 hours ago, prashamk said:

One more query... Do commercial joints drizzle melted chocolate or just chocolate sauce over waffles? 

I'm no expert, but I would imagine it would be a chocolate sauce (sometimes called chocolate syrup), not melted chococlate.  Keeping melted chocolate melted and pourable over a long period of time may be problematic....  Plus, chocolate syrup is easily available (don't have to make from scratch) and is inexpensive.

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