I’ve got a hankering for some waffles, and I know my wife would love it if I made them for breakfast every weekend. Does anybody have a favorite iron? Is it worth it to pay the extra for a sandwich press on the other side?
Not to hijack already but…
Went to IHOP one morning (yeah, a mistake), and my waffles called me $8. I was so pissed off I went down to Walmart and bought a waffle iron. For $10. Now I makes me all the waffles I want for a couple of cents.
I think Alton Brown’s advice is best: metal outer casing (the plastic ones can’t get as hot as the metal ones, or the plastic would melt, plus it’s more durable), round (round heats more evenly than square, plus you don’t end up with missing corners), heavy (heavy irons hold more heat, which leads to better browning and crispiness).
Metal, round, heavy. Can’t go wrong.
Also, to go with Alton Brown, NEVER use pancake batter. In his show he explains how pancakes are closer to cake than waffles, while waffles are more like funnel cakes, doughnuts, beignets, and the like, being that waffles are cooked with oil, thus producing the cripsy exterior.
The batter Alton Brown uses can be found here
Enjoy your waffles!
Far be it for me to recommend a cooking utensil of any sort. That being said, it is comforting that Alton has such a nice fan base. He has never led me astray even though I can’t bring myself to put as much coffee in as he says.
We use the Waring Pro waffle maker. I actually think it should get a little hotter, but it’s good. Make sure you have a good place to store it though. It’s large. It might be our only real gadget (outside of ‘blender’ and ‘food processor’).
We make regular waffles for breakfast, corn meal waffles (usually with chicken), and sometimes for desert, chocolate waffles with vanilla ice cream.
Corn meal waffles with pulled chicken, and chicken gravy or barbeque sauce are awesome.
I recommend trying a lot of different waffle recipes. My wife likes one kind, I like another. There are some recipes that are supposed to sit overnight; some are instant. There’s no ‘best’ on that question, just opinions.
Don’t get a non-nonstick waffle iron, especially if there is any remote possibility that you might be groggy in the morning and forget to spray it with no-stick spray.