Waffle Iron/Maker

[ElsieD]

I'm thinking of buying a waffle iron.   I'm not looking for one that makes only a single waffle at a time, I'm looking for one that makes a 2 or 4 at a time.  Anything to look out for, both good or bad?  Any recommendations?

[AlaMoi]

wattage - get the biggest wattage model in the configuration you want....

we had a low wattage deep waffle aka Belgian maker - it would take 8 minutes to produce a waffle - totally unworkable for more than one person...

 

replaced it with a 1400 watt model - flip style - two waffles at same time -  that does the job in about three minutes.

 

[ElsieD]

12 minutes ago, AlaMoi said:

wattage - get the biggest wattage model in the configuration you want....

we had a low wattage deep waffle aka Belgian maker - it would take 8 minutes to produce a waffle - totally unworkable for more than one person...

 

replaced it with a 1400 watt model - flip style - two waffles at same time -  that does the job in about three minutes.

 

 

What brand do you have now?

[Duvel]

16 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

I'm thinking of buying a waffle iron.   I'm not looking for one that makes only a single waffle at a time, I'm looking for one that makes a 2 or 4 at a time.  Anything to look out for, both good or bad?  Any recommendations?

I think investing into something easy to clean, and with sufficient power, would be the way to go. I own a Tefal Optigrill+ and it fulfills both requirements …

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I use a delonghi:

 

https://www.delonghi.com/en-us/livenza-digital-all-day-grill-with-waffle-plates-cgh1030d/p/CGH1030D

 

 

 

[AlaMoi]

an earlier model (with knob vs. slider for 'doneness') of this one

 

Cuisinart WAF-F40 Double Flip Belgian Waffle Maker Black/Stainless Bundle with 1 YR CPS Enhanced Protection Pack (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

 

[Dave the Cook]

1 hour ago, Duvel said:

I think investing into something easy to clean, and with sufficient power, would be the way to go. I own a Tefal Optigrill+ and it fulfills both requirements …

 

Looks good. In Germany, does it come with waffle plates?  Because in the US, it doesn't. Based on what I see, they don't exist.

[chromedome]

I combed thrift shops for years and found a vintage Kenmore, which makes four large rectangular waffles in the old-school thin style. That's not necessarily a practical option for everyone, but waffle plates for 2-4 deeper-pocketed Belgian style waffles are available for (and sometimes bundled with) a number of the panini-style contact grills/presses. The Cuisinart Griddler and Breville Sear & Press spring to mind.

 

They're more $$ than a straight-up waffle maker, but they're not uni-taskers so it's a question of what you value and prioritize (and whether you have a use for their other features).

[ElsieD]

We have the the Breville Smart Grill and you can't get waffle plates for it.  They do sell separate waffle plates but it's for a different model.

[chromedome]

13 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

We have the the Breville Smart Grill and you can't get waffle plates for it.  They do sell separate waffle plates but it's for a different model.

Bummer.

[Midlife]

We’ve had a Waring Pro ‘flip-over’ 2 waffle maker for many years after using one at a hotel we stayed at. I have to admit it’s a bit much in the cleanup phase if you overfill it a bit, but it does a great job. I’d think any waffle maker would be subject to the same though. 

 

Waring WMK600 Double Belgian Waffle Maker (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

 

[palo]

I have a Waring Pro ‘flip-over’ single Belgian waffle maker - works well

 

p

[btbyrd]

I went down this rabbit hole last year before finally landing on the All Clad 4-square waffle maker, model WD700262. It's usually around $200, but goes on semi-regular sale at the major culinary retail outlets. But if you're going to buy anything from All Clad, do what I did and wait for one of their seasonal sales of factory seconds at https://homeandcooksales.com/ . That's their official website for seconds, so don't feel weird about signing up on their e-mail list to get notified of when the sale is on. Alternatively, you can try to source one from Capital Cookware on eBay, which is an authorized retailer for factory seconds. Anyway, I got mine during December's Home and Cook Sales sale, when it was priced at $119.95. I used the Honey app to find a coupon code that got me free shipping and 15% off, so my total was $109. Hard to beat that!

 

My original plan was to buy the Waring Pro flip over waffle maker, but Waring stopped selling consumer waffle makers due to some corporate restructuring. Cuisinart then started selling rebranded Waring flip over waffle makers, changing the dial/knob on the Waring to a slider. That seemed much harder to clean than I'd like. But the Waring/Cuisinart dual flip waffle maker was highly regarded. It's what I was looking for, but all of them were out of stock everywhere. Things don't seem to be much better now in terms of availability. Oh well. Here it is in action: 

 

 

But back to my iron.

 

It is a beautiful hunk of metal, and it gleams on the countertop. The top locks so it can stand on its side, which makes storage less of a pain than with bulkier presses. The iron has has deep wells that produce crispy and delicious waffles. While I think I may prefer a round waffle generally, this makes four square ones at once -- and it's hard to argue with making four at a time. I wasn't really aware as to how well waffles freeze and reheat. I'd tried it with pancakes in the past, and the results were *okay*. But waffles from the freezer? A quick trip through the toaster oven, and it's waffle time, baby!

 

 

 

It's my wife's birthday this week, so I made Funfetti cake waffles for her Sunday breakfast.

 

 

Topped with Milk Bar's Birthday Cake ice cream. There was Neuske's bacon at the party too, but it's not pictured.

 

 

[palo]

@btbyrd - great  video, but I doubt if I will try that in my waffle maker ( it's one of the original Waring Pro models)

 

p

[weinoo]

31 minutes ago, btbyrd said:

Anyway, I got mine during December's Home and Cook Sales sale, when it was priced at $119.95. I used the Honey app to find a coupon code that got me free shipping and 15% off, so my total was $109. Hard to beat that!

 

You're like the @rotutsof North Carolina!

[ElsieD]

Thank you all for your responses.  I ended up buying the Cuisinart WAF 350C and have used it twice.  I was not happy with the waffles.  They were dark brown on one side, almost too brown, and barely tinged with colour on the underside.    I'm going to try another batch and cook one square up on each of the settings and see what happens.  Day two I made muffin sandwiches.  I toasted the English muffins in the iron, and cooked sausage rounds in it as well.  I scrambled two eggs and spread them between the 4 pancake slots. 0nce I flipped them, a slice of cheese went on two of them.  Once the cheese had meltedwe had our sandwiches.   That turned out really, really well.  We'll see what happens with the next batch of waffle batter.

[rotuts]

@weinoo 

 

there are ' clicks ' that are bait 

 

trazillions 

 

then there are clicks , 

 

that lead to :  

 

why not ?  less for Them ?

 

less than 3 I hope 

 

[blue_dolphin]

I didn't mention my waffle maker here earlier because it only makes one at a time and that's not what was requested but I'm going to call it out anyway because it may be a good option for others. 

I recommend it particularly for someone who wants to try making waffles without making a big financial or space investment. 

It's the little Cuisinart Classic Waffle Maker (eG-friendly Amazon.com link). The price kind of jumps around.  I paid $21 about 5 years ago, it's now closer to $30, which is still less than most others.

It takes ~ 5 min to heat up and each waffle takes 1-2 min to cook so even though it only makes one at a time it can still crank out a batch fairly quickly. The waffles are round, in the thinner, classic style rather than Belgian and it doesn't have extra plates or anything like that.

It's a little thing and stored on its side, takes up about the same space as a cookbook. 

It feels really cheap.  The slider moves like it's not attached to anything, though it does actually work.  I've used it a fair bit and if it dies, I'd be inclined to just get another one rather than moving up to something that costs between 3 and 10X the price. 

 

 

 

Edited March 12, 2023 by blue_dolphin
missing word (log)

[AlaMoi]

one's needs play a huge role in this waffle making business.

for two - empty nesters - a high wattage double flipper style seems perfect.

my 'one egg' recipe quantity makes 3.5 round waffles - so we both can eat at the same time + my 'second' is ready right quick, and the .5 left over batter is seriously appreciated by my sous chef aka "kitchen dog" . . .

 

for one - a single serve style works great - fast or slow.  it's cooked, one eats, that's it . . .

 

the speed / wattage only becomes when one is trying to feed more mouths than the per batch wattage can produce.

our old Hamilton Beach single flipper took seven minutes for the first (preheated) waffle, but eight minutes for the second.

by the time "my waffle" was ready to eat, DW was done and moving on . . .

 

a big four square plate style should work well for 'a family' - had one of those old style round cast iron, long pre-heat types - produced four quarters at a clip - great for four people - no one was finished with their first morsel before the next batch was 'done' . . .  dumped it when the antique style fabric shield cord was getting waaaay-toooo-hot for "safety" - probably should have replaced the cord&plug in.  old stuff always worked great.

 

anyone gone down the 'ye olde cast iron gas burner waffle iron' route?  seems like 'some practice required' but in terms of 'make 'em quick' could be veddy attractive.....

 

[btbyrd]

The cast iron ones are great ways to start a kitchen fire. Ask me how I know!

[ElsieD]

Do all your waffle irons cook evenly?

[palo]

Speaking of rabbit holes

 

I stand corrected, it is not a Waring Pro waffle maker but rather a Waring Commercial waffle maker:

 

https://www.hubert.ca/product/21383/Waring-Commercial-WW180X-Single-Belgian-Waffle-Maker---11L-x-17W-x-9-12H

 

And again @btbyrd, you may have got a great deal on your All-Clad, but I think I did as well or better as I paid about $200 for mine about 15 years ago and while not used extensively, still works like new - added bonus the plates are replaceable (in another 15 years)

 

p

[btbyrd]

If anyone's savvy, the official All Clad factory sales event is on now at Home and Cook Sales. Use code VIPSDMAR0923 to save 15% and get free shipping. They have the 2 and 4 waffle version of my maker for sale, as well as the deluxe 4-waffle version with a display and removable plates. Be forewarned that the handling time before items ship is like 10 days or so.

[ElsieD]

I decided not to bother with another batch of waffle batter and called Cuisinart instead.  A new waffle iron is on it's  way.

[jedovaty]

You could buy a few of these and have them on the range all at once!

https://www.appalachiancastiron.com/

 

I really wish one could find belgain style waffle makers in cast iron without non-stick coatings.  It's on my project list to try casting my own someday, something similar to the ones by that defunct french iron company (the name slips my mind, they come up once in a while on etsy and fleabay but pricing has become stupid expensive).  For now.. pancakes on the griddle.. so boring