Grassroots Wafflemaking

Mrs. VCH and I love a good waffle.  On Sunday, she decided to make breakfast, and I saw her go into the basement and haul up the wafflemaker.  When she called "breakfast is ready" a while later, I herded the kids into the kitchen to find...

Pancakes.

In all fairness, they were some of the best tasting pancakes I'd ever had.  One might say they were the smoothest waffles I've ever had, too.  I asked her what happened, and then saw the wafflemaker- hinge broken, charred batter stuck to it.  

Oh well.  It had a good run.  Anyone here really like their wafflemaker, or know one to recommend?  This is going to be a Christmas present for Mrs. VCH (don't worry, she's getting other stuff, too, so I won't be sleeping on the couch for giving her a kitchen appliance for Christmas!) so it should be pretty nice.  And hopefully last a long time.  Belgian waffle type, please, round or square.  

I’m no help.  No Belgian waffles for me.

When the wife and I got married, coworkers at the US Fish & Wildlife gave us a Muncie waffle maker and a recipe.  The recipe is still with us, but it was a sad, sad day when the Muncie died.  We tried a few different brands until we got the current one.  

Ham Beach and Cuisinart both make filppy-overy waffle makers like they have in the hotel breakfast bars. No experience with them but both get a lot of high reviews on teh amazons. 

link

We got a George Foreman grill as a wedding present, and surprisingly it is a useful piece of kit when it's too cold outside to BBQ. IIRC it came with waffle plates so you could get your waffles and bonus capability at the same time.

We also have some little Hamilton Beach waffle maker that works okay but takes up cupboard room with no added purpose.

Subscribed.

I have the Cuisinart flippy-over 2 sided one.  I believe I got it from Costco.  So far, so good.  It makes 2 at a time (1 top, 1 bottom), so you get a nice waffle every 2 mins.

That said, waffle makers can be a bitch to clean.  Does someone make one where you can remove the parts you need to clean?

Family got me this unit for Father's Day:

I'm the family waffle maker, and I was already rocking two cheaps waffle irons at a time to cook up Saturday morning breakfast. This one does pretty well and allows me to crank out waffles at a decent clip. Pour in the batter, close the lid, count to 10, flip it over. Then load the second side, repeat. Makes a pretty good waffle for a decent price.

http://www.blackanddeckerappliances.com/products/cooking-appliances/waffle-makers/wmd200b-double-flip-waffle-maker.aspx

ProDarwin said:

That said, waffle makers can be a bitch to clean.  Does someone make one where you can remove the parts you need to clean?

^^ This.  I hate cleaning the wafflemaker.  One with removable plates would be awesome  Especially if they're dishwasher safe.  

I hadn't even considered one of the flippy-over types.   Good idea.  now find one with removable plates!  

EDIT:  THIS ONE has removable plates, but does not flip.  I'm not 100% sold on the spinny ones, seems like they'd take up a lof of space in storage.  But if they make betterer waffles....

ProDarwin said:

I have the Cuisinart flippy-over 2 sided one.  I believe I got it from Costco.  So far, so good.  It makes 2 at a time (1 top, 1 bottom), so you get a nice waffle every 2 mins.

 

That said, waffle makers can be a bitch to clean.  Does someone make one where you can remove the parts you need to clean?

We have this Hamilton Beach.  The plates come out so you can wash them separately.  I'm not the waffle maker in the house, I handle the bacon and/or sausage in the cast iron skillet while my wife makes the waffles, but she seems to be pretty happy with it.  She uses a mix of Bisquick and Aunt Jemima powders, they are highly yummy.  

...... and now I'm hungry. 

But thats a single waffle maker.  Who has time for that??  Maybe i'll get 2 of those :)

VCH - yes, the spinny ones do take up a ton of space in storage :(

In reply to Tom_Spangler :

Try cooking the bacon first, then give it to the misses to lay in the waffle batter when she turns it on. Makes a handy breakfast on the go. 

The plates on the Foreman come out for cleaning.

I subscribe to cooks illustrated magazine and website (which is an excellent gift idea of the chef in the family).. They're one of those subscription-only supported things that review products and food with a scientific accuracy that I like.  They also don't just list the highest priced version of things as "the best."

Their top pick for a waffle iron is the "Cuisinart Double Belgian Waffle Maker," it's also large and heavy and $100.  Their next recommended is "Presto Flipside Belgian Waffle Maker" which is about half the price and smaller. 

I just ordered the Cuisinart for the Mrs, as ours broke a while ago and I know this is a desired Christmas gift..

Hope this helps you guys!

Tom_Spangler said:

We have this Hamilton Beach.  The plates come out so you can wash them separately.  I'm not the waffle maker in the house, I handle the bacon and/or sausage in the cast iron skillet while my wife makes the waffles, but she seems to be pretty happy with it.  She uses a mix of Bisquick and Aunt Jemima powders, they are highly yummy.  

...... and now I'm hungry. 

Yep- found that one with a few minutes of searching.  Seems to be the best bet out there for a flip-style wafflemaker with removable plates.  I think I slightly prefer the round waffles.  Think about it- you put batter in the center, so as it disperses a round waffle will disperse more evenly than a square one.  

One the downside, you get less waffle square area when you go to re-heat them in the toaster.    We typically make a huge batch of waffles and then freeze them.  Our daughter loves sandwiches made from waffles, so it's easy to thaw a few out to make her lunch.  We also sometimes do eggs and waffles for dinner, which freezer waffles work well for.  

Some said the Ham Beach unit was a bit slow to warm up.  Any experience with that?

I've got the Waring flippy-turny one from one of the warehouse clubs.  It's probably 10 years old by now.  No complaints.  We use it once in a while to keep it special.   Something about a nice warm waffle on a cold Saturday morning. 

Re the plates:  even with a non-stick coating, you really need to keep a layer of oil on them.  I brush mine before almost every waffle.  You could also use a spray like PAM.  I have NO issue with sticking, but agree it's a pain if it sticks (been there).  One of those "ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" things.

We have a Cusinart Griddler, which doubles (triples?) as a waffle maker, grille, and panini press.  We like it and use it maybe once a month or so.

It can be had for well under $100 and the extra plates are about $30.  They are teflon coated, removable, and dishwasher safe.

The waffles are good, but it takes a little practice to figure out exactly how much batter to use - it's a fine line between waffles with big wanes in them and an overflowing mess.  Also, they come out better if you open it and flip them halfway through - it's not the rotating kind.  You also need to make a fairly stiff batter recipe.

It makes nice panini, too.  I'm a grilled sammich fan.

I got a Cuisinart that has hard-ceramic coating on it and there isn't a waffle recipe out there that will stick to it.  We do cook tons of stuff in it, but grilled-cheese sandwiches are the only thing we've found to stick with any tenacity.

So conflicted!  I like the Cuisinart one for its panini abilities but the ham Beach one for its flippiness!

Tater tots in a waffle iron make "waffle browns" and they're delicious. Sadly I broke our waffle iron making them. Don't press on them before the frozen centers are all defrosted!

Also, my wife (who could likely start a blog under the name "Grassroots Cooking", if that doesn't yet exist) has a few of her own waffle recipes.  One makes an oatmeal-blueberry waffle that's delicious and extremely hearty.  The other is a sourdough waffle - she maintains her own starter - that's equally tasty.  

We haven't bought any sort of mix for anything in years, and most of the bread we eat, she bakes.  Occasionally I'll buy a loaf if I'm out and find something good-looking- the Italian shop I go to makes their own Prosciutto bread which I never am able to resist...

I’ve never owned a waffle iron, and my wife doesn’t eat waffles but now I have an urge to pick one up. I love a nice hot waffle.

In reply to volvoclearinghouse :

It's not very hard to flip the waffles on the unit I have once they're mostly cooked.  The flipping is largely just to make sure they're evenly browned.

I don't like single-use kitchen tools, so that's why wwe went with the Griddler.

[EDIT] If it helps make up your mind, the flip side of the ridged panini grille plates is smooth, so you can use it as a griddle.  I believe it even opens flat out so you can use both halves to cook on like a flat top or grille.  The waffle plates are single-sided.

dculberson said:

Tater tots in a waffle iron make "waffle browns" and they're delicious. Sadly I broke our waffle iron making them. Don't press on them before the frozen centers are all defrosted!

This is a very interesting idea. Now I want a waffle maker!

mmm...waffles.

Our's isn't fancy, but is a medium sized Belgian type waffle maker.  I think it's a Cuisinart.  It's lasted 10 years and is now getting to the point things stick if you don't hit it with some non-stick spray first.

Oatmeal waffles are awesome-- imagine oatmeal fried in butter.  Maybe you break even health wise between the oatmeal and the butter and eggs.

Pumpkin waffles are excellent as well, though it's hard to beat a real Belgian waffle with fresh sliced peaches and whipped cream...

Making waffles from scratch also uses about a full dishwasher full of bowls by the time you separate and whip the egg whites.

EastCoastMojo said:

dculberson said:

Tater tots in a waffle iron make "waffle browns" and they're delicious. Sadly I broke our waffle iron making them. Don't press on them before the frozen centers are all defrosted!

This is a very interesting idea. Now I want a waffle maker!

Wally said:

I’ve never owned a waffle iron, and my wife doesn’t eat waffles but now I have an urge to pick one up. I love a nice hot waffle.

Enyar said:

Subscribed.

Wafflemakers for everyone this Christmas!!