Waffling

December 18, 2011 10:43 AM

Belgian waffle irons. Suggestions?

I am giving a gift of a waffle iron this year and I have no idea where to start. Do you have a model you love? What features cant you live without? This is for a new york city apartment so space is limited. Any pro tips or recipes? Thanks!

posted by ihadapony to Food & Drink (14 answers total)

I hold very strong feelings for my Waring Pro which is this one. It's not super compact but it's worth the extra space. It seems very durable, it can be completely cleaned*, it's ready quick, and the waffles come out GREAT and puffy and nearly hollow (in a good way) because, I suppose, of the flipping part.

I think it's a good value for the price Amazon has it; it seems it's perpetually on sale, but knowing what I know now I would cheerfully pay the full price for it. We even take this thing on our employee retreats, make a big batch of batter, and crank out waffles.

*The outside can be completely cleaned. How do you clean the inside? You make another waffle, that's how!
posted by ftm at 11:00 AM on December 18, 2011 [2 favorites]

Just got the double version of the Waring Pro (WMK600) from Sam's club for $65. It's lots of fun. I'd never tried yeast waffle recipes before, and they're amazing. Kitchenaid has a double waffle maker too but it costs 3x as much.
posted by and for no one at 11:15 AM on December 18, 2011

First off, check out the Waffleizer!

Seconding the Waring Pro. I don't have extensive experience with other waffle makers, but we've been very happy with ours.

Here's my default waffle recipe, which makes rich-but-hearty whole grain waffles:

1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 cup rolled oats
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. flaxmeal, if you've got it
2 lg. eggs
1 cup yogurt
3/4 cup milk (or half-and-half), more to reach proper batter consistency
1/4 cup butter, melted
oil for waffle iron

There's some wiggle room in all the proportions, of course. Add and mix the dry things, add and mix the wet things, use like waffle batter.
posted by silentbicycle at 11:26 AM on December 18, 2011 [5 favorites]

I have the same Waring Pro that ftm linked above and I second that recommendation. Waffles are restaurant quality and they cook quickly so we can make enough for the whole family and eat them together while they're still warm. I can't really think of any negative points... I guess it is a bit bigger than most kitchen appliances, but it fits in the cupboard so that doesn't bother me.
posted by Nickel at 11:27 AM on December 18, 2011

Oh, and now that I see silentbicycle's comment, we just use the bisquik boxed pancake mix (using the waffle substitution on the back), and the waffles are fluffy and delicious. I imagine they would be even better when a homemade recipe like that one and will need to try it next time we make waffles.
posted by Nickel at 11:29 AM on December 18, 2011

Nickel, I'm similar in that I just use Krusteaz boxed pancake mix with the waffle substitution. I enjoy doing things from scratch and so I have tried a couple times to make Belgian waffle batter from scratch and for me, it was only very marginally better than the Krusteaz, for 5x the effort. It's entirely possible that I did something wrong but the Krusteaz stuff comes out so close to perfect that I don't tend to bother with anything else anymore.
posted by ftm at 11:32 AM on December 18, 2011

Good Eats "The Waffle Truth"
posted by glibhamdreck at 11:32 AM on December 18, 2011

Specs:
Don't get a combo waffle iron
Get metal chassis, not plastic
Non-stick surface
Floating-hinge
Adjustable thermostat
Ready light
Round, not square
Moat to catch run-off
The hotter the better
posted by glibhamdreck at 11:35 AM on December 18, 2011

I have a Nordic Ware Belgian Waffler. The learning curve is steeper and you need to pay more attention than you do when using an electric waffle iron with lights and things. But I make great waffles with it, and it takes up no more space than a frying pan. It's so great for small kitchens.

I like to make the overnight yeast-risen waffles from Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything.
posted by mskyle at 12:11 PM on December 18, 2011 [2 favorites]

nthing the Waring Pro that ftm linked, and suggesting Golden Malted Waffle Mix (that's for a 3 pack). It's sooooo good, super easy to use, and they come out fluffy and crisp every time. We usually get it at World Market. The waffle iron, mix, and real maple syrup is exactly what we got for my brother in law for Christmas this year.
posted by brilliantine at 12:18 PM on December 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

I got a two-square one free with a George Foreman grill at Christmas one year. Got rid of the grill, and the waffle maker has been great since then. Bob's Red Mill makes good pancake/waffle type mixes of varying wheat-levels.
posted by rhizome at 12:20 PM on December 18, 2011

Best waffle iron would be a cast-iron Griswold, the kind with the ball&socket joint which makes for easy pivoting. I was going to say 'Good Luck' finding your own but look! There's many on eBay.

And the best waffle recipe would be the Sourdough
posted by Rash at 1:21 PM on December 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

Ha. Waffleizer is my blog. Thanks for the shout-out, smallbicycle.

I've also heard good things about the Waring Pro in the first link.
posted by veggieboy at 3:09 PM on December 18, 2011 [1 favorite]

Wrong, Rash. The best waffles are gingerbread!
posted by wenestvedt at 8:03 AM on December 19, 2011