i guess most people these days who buy waffle irons either purchase them as
wedding gifts (for other people) or just buy them because they look cool.
whatever their motives for buying them, it seems that none of them are made
to actually be used on a regular basis.

me and my wife have found that regularly *using* any modern waffle irons
turns them into garbage within a year or so... people used to keep waffle
irons for *GENERATIONS* not *MONTHS*!!

anyway, i'd like to find a waffle iron that isn't a piece of crap.
* preferably under $100
* preferably new
* preferably readily available (amazon, jc-penny, etc)
* preferably *NOT* non-stick - that seems to be the biggest defect in most
current irons

any suggestions? thanks!

On Tue, 27 Jan 2004 22:20:20 -0500, Atom 'Smasher'
wrote:

anyway, i'd like to find a waffle iron that isn't a piece of crap.
* preferably under $100
* preferably new
* preferably readily available (amazon, jc-penny, etc)
* preferably *NOT* non-stick - that seems to be the biggest defect in most
current irons

any suggestions? thanks!

Well, it is non-stick, but it hasn't caused us any problems -- we've
been using a Chef's Choice waffle maker, the one with the five-heart
pattern (*not* a Belgian waffle), for about four years now, roughly
every other weekend. It just keeps cranking out beautiful, crisp
waffles every 90 seconds. Indicator light and beeps when the waffle is
done, excellent repeatability for the darkness setting.

Sure, I'd rather have one of the 10-inch square jobs, but I haven't
seen one that can keep up with the Chef's Choice that we have.

Roughly $69.95 everywhere. I got mine for $39 from a closeout Web
site.

-- Larry

Atom 'Smasher' wrote in
:

i guess most people these days who buy waffle irons either purchase
them as wedding gifts (for other people) or just buy them because they
look cool. whatever their motives for buying them, it seems that none
of them are made to actually be used on a regular basis.

me and my wife have found that regularly *using* any modern waffle
irons turns them into garbage within a year or so... people used to
keep waffle irons for *GENERATIONS* not *MONTHS*!!

anyway, i'd like to find a waffle iron that isn't a piece of crap.
* preferably under $100
* preferably new
* preferably readily available (amazon, jc-penny, etc)
* preferably *NOT* non-stick - that seems to be the biggest defect in
most current irons

any suggestions? thanks!

I've been regularly using two GE waffle irons that were manufactured in
1937. I don't think they'll ever die! G One belonged to my mother,
the other one is identical and was a thrift shop find.

Several years ago I gave a Proctor-Silex "Morning Break" waffle iron as a
gift. I understand that it's used every Sunday for a family of four. No
problems. It produces a standard 4-section round waffle. I don't
remember the price, but it wasn't terribly expensive.

Wayne

On Tue, 27 Jan 2004 22:20:20 -0500, Atom 'Smasher'
wrote:

i guess most people these days who buy waffle irons either purchase them as
wedding gifts (for other people) or just buy them because they look cool.
whatever their motives for buying them, it seems that none of them are made
to actually be used on a regular basis.

me and my wife have found that regularly *using* any modern waffle irons
turns them into garbage within a year or so... people used to keep waffle
irons for *GENERATIONS* not *MONTHS*!!

anyway, i'd like to find a waffle iron that isn't a piece of crap.
* preferably under $100
* preferably new
* preferably readily available (amazon, jc-penny, etc)
* preferably *NOT* non-stick - that seems to be the biggest defect in most
current irons

any suggestions? thanks!


Howdy,

We eat lots of waffles (yeast leavened and wonderful) but found that
our one old iron was just not enough. I bought another, but it was
junk. The bake was so uneven as to be unacceptable. Same for its
replacement and also the third one I bought...

Then I bought a duplicate of my ancient iron on Ebay...

Would you like my waffle recipe...?

HTH,

--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

On Wed, 28 Jan 2004 06:47:11 -0500, Kenneth
wrote:



We eat lots of waffles (yeast leavened and wonderful) but found that
our one old iron was just not enough. I bought another, but it was
junk. The bake was so uneven as to be unacceptable. Same for its
replacement and also the third one I bought...

Then I bought a duplicate of my ancient iron on Ebay...

Would you like my waffle recipe...?

I'd love the recipe, please.

Boron

"Atom 'Smasher'" wrote in message
...
i guess most people these days who buy waffle irons either purchase them
as
wedding gifts (for other people) or just buy them because they look cool.
whatever their motives for buying them, it seems that none of them are
made
to actually be used on a regular basis.

me and my wife have found that regularly *using* any modern waffle irons
turns them into garbage within a year or so... people used to keep waffle
irons for *GENERATIONS* not *MONTHS*!!

anyway, i'd like to find a waffle iron that isn't a piece of crap.
* preferably under $100
* preferably new
* preferably readily available (amazon, jc-penny, etc)
* preferably *NOT* non-stick - that seems to be the biggest defect in most
current irons

any suggestions? thanks!

There are a couple of new waffle makers on the market. They are being hyped
as restaurant quality irons, but god only know what that means! I suspect
that getting one without a non-stick coating will be difficult. You might
try calling around to restaurant suppliers in your area. Here are a couple
of links to the newer units that I mentioned. If you get one, let us know
what you think.
http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=waring+waffle+maker
http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=...l+waffle+maker
http://proline.kitchenaid.com/counte...ker_detail.asp
Note that the KitchenAid model is only available at Williams-Sonoma and
costs about $250 www.williamssonoma.com

What do you have against non-stick coating? Assuming that you are not
physically abusing the coating with metal utensils or abrasives, I would
think that a non-stick coating is a nice feature in a waffle iron and should
hold up well.

I use a flea market find that I paid under $1 for and it works well for me.
IIRC, it's Toastmaster brand and must date from the '60s - it's Teflon
coated, The original, brown Telfon which was not that tough, but it's held
up well. I admit I use it only occassionally (a handful of times/year) .

"Atom 'Smasher'" wrote in message
...
i guess most people these days who buy waffle irons either purchase them
as
wedding gifts (for other people) or just buy them because they look cool.
whatever their motives for buying them, it seems that none of them are
made
to actually be used on a regular basis.

me and my wife have found that regularly *using* any modern waffle irons
turns them into garbage within a year or so... people used to keep waffle
irons for *GENERATIONS* not *MONTHS*!!

anyway, i'd like to find a waffle iron that isn't a piece of crap.
* preferably under $100
* preferably new
* preferably readily available (amazon, jc-penny, etc)
* preferably *NOT* non-stick - that seems to be the biggest defect in most
current irons

any suggestions? thanks!

On Wed, 28 Jan 2004 08:41:56 -0500, Boron Elgar
wrote:

On Wed, 28 Jan 2004 06:47:11 -0500, Kenneth
wrote:

Would you like my waffle recipe...?

I'd love the recipe, please.

Boron

Evening before baking waffles:

968g. milk (1 qt.) + 3/4 tsp yeast + 1.5 tsp salt + 1.5 tsp sugar +
640g AP flour + 1.5 stick melted butter.

Mix to form batter.

Cover, and let stand at room temperature overnight.

When ready to bake waffles:

add 3 eggs + 3/4 tsp baking soda, beat well to form smooth batter.



These are really wonderful. The quantities above are for a load of
waffles. You might want to divide it for a family of 3 or 4.

I have been doing these for perhaps 30 years. I believe I got this
approach from the Farm Journal originally...

Please give 'em a try, and let me know what you think.

HTH,

--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

On Wed, 28 Jan 2004 19:53:23 -0500, Kenneth
wrote:

On Wed, 28 Jan 2004 08:41:56 -0500, Boron Elgar
wrote:

On Wed, 28 Jan 2004 06:47:11 -0500, Kenneth
wrote:

Would you like my waffle recipe...?

I'd love the recipe, please.

Boron

Evening before baking waffles:

968g. milk (1 qt.) + 3/4 tsp yeast + 1.5 tsp salt + 1.5 tsp sugar +
640g AP flour + 1.5 stick melted butter.

Mix to form batter.

Cover, and let stand at room temperature overnight.

When ready to bake waffles:

add 3 eggs + 3/4 tsp baking soda, beat well to form smooth batter.



These are really wonderful. The quantities above are for a load of
waffles. You might want to divide it for a family of 3 or 4.

I have been doing these for perhaps 30 years. I believe I got this
approach from the Farm Journal originally...

Please give 'em a try, and let me know what you think.

HTH,

These sound great. The recipe I have used most often has no yeast, but
gets it "fluff" from separating the eggs & beating the whites into
peaks (and from baking powder, of course).

This sounds great. It'll take a week or two until I try it, because
you original post got me thinking so much about waffles, that we had
them for dinner!

Thanks.

Boron

On Wed, 28 Jan 2004 20:48:30 -0500, Boron Elgar
wrote:

These sound great. The recipe I have used most often has no yeast, but
gets it "fluff" from separating the eggs & beating the whites into
peaks (and from baking powder, of course).

This sounds great. It'll take a week or two until I try it, because
you original post got me thinking so much about waffles, that we had
them for dinner!

Thanks.

Boron

Hi Boron,

The duration of the fermentation (as in many foods) provides all sorts
of wonderful flavors. In addition, they are light as a feather...

All the best,

--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

On Fri, 30 Jan 2004 15:34:35 GMT, "Vox Humana"
wrote:


"Atom 'Smasher'" wrote in message
...
Jack Denver wrote:

A little teflon is safe to eat. The stuff is very inert ..they use it
to
patch arteries inside your chest. It will go right thru your digestive
system unchanged and undigested and so has no health effect.

This explains how they get teflon to stick:

http://xcelplus.com/how_teflon_is_st..._your_pans.htm
-------------------------------------------


Not to worry, says DuPont's Kris Mohan: We are, after all, talking
non-stick. "It's completely inert, and it passes right through the body
without interfering with anything."

hehehe... don't worry, it's so safe you can eat it!

nothing to worry about, says dupont... that alone is cause to worry

sure, the teflon is inert, but there's plenty of "other stuff" in there...
glues, binders, colors, stabilizers, etc. i prefer not to eat that in my
waffles.

You could take a coated iron to a shop and have it sand blasted. My guess
is that you will have to get a vintage iron, live with a non-stick iron,
modify a non-stick iron, or do without waffles.

EBay has vintage ones all the time, even going back to the 30s. The
prices are not outrageous, either.

I had to buy a new one...the trick is finding a regular waffle, as
most are Belgian these days. I decided upon a Villaware Belgian and I
must say, that even the first waffle of the first batch was fabulous.
It it adjustable and beeps when done.

You can see it here, though we paid 10-15 dollars less locally:

http://www.1-kitchen.com/VillaWare-V...-Non-Stick.asp

We got such a kick out of it that we all sat around & watched it bake
waffles. We are easily entertained at our house.

Boron

Jack Denver wrote:

What do you have against non-stick coating? Assuming that you are not
physically abusing the coating with metal utensils or abrasives, I would
think that a non-stick coating is a nice feature in a waffle iron and
should hold up well.
---------------------------------------

in theory, that's correct. in practice, however... my non-stick cuisinart
was only non-stick for almost 2 years of VERY LIGHT use. the only utensil
that ever touched the iron was a wooden spatula, and even that was used
lightly. it was always cleaned with a soft sponge, not a harsh scrubbie.

it seems that if there's no non-stick, then it can't wear off. i've found
plenty of people who say their pre-non-stick irons are still going strong
after generations... not so many people who have their non-stick irons
going for more than 2 years.

if nothing else, whatever iron i get next will be heavily used for the first
90 days, even if i have to give away waffles... if it's gonna break, i want
it to break under warranty.

atom

But if the coating wears off, then how is it worse than one with no coating
to begin with? Even worn or spotty non-stick is not MORE stick prone than
no coating at all.





"Atom 'Smasher'" wrote in message
...
Jack Denver wrote:

What do you have against non-stick coating? Assuming that you are not
physically abusing the coating with metal utensils or abrasives, I would
think that a non-stick coating is a nice feature in a waffle iron and
should hold up well.
---------------------------------------

in theory, that's correct. in practice, however... my non-stick cuisinart
was only non-stick for almost 2 years of VERY LIGHT use. the only utensil
that ever touched the iron was a wooden spatula, and even that was used
lightly. it was always cleaned with a soft sponge, not a harsh scrubbie.

it seems that if there's no non-stick, then it can't wear off. i've found
plenty of people who say their pre-non-stick irons are still going strong
after generations... not so many people who have their non-stick irons
going for more than 2 years.

if nothing else, whatever iron i get next will be heavily used for the
first
90 days, even if i have to give away waffles... if it's gonna break, i
want
it to break under warranty.

atom

Jack Denver wrote:

But if the coating wears off, then how is it worse than one with no
coating
to begin with? Even worn or spotty non-stick is not MORE stick prone than
no coating at all.
------------------------------------------

1) when the coating comes off, that means i've been eating little pieces of
the stuff. not good.

2) i'm not sure how or why, but after the coating comes off, i can't even
cure what's left underneath it, like one would with good ol' cast iron. i'm
sure this is related to the age-old question: if nothing sticks to teflon,
how do they get teflon to stick to the pan?

well, after the teflon (or facsimile of teflon) is gone, what's left is
incredibly sticky.

A little teflon is safe to eat. The stuff is very inert ..they use it to
patch arteries inside your chest. It will go right thru your digestive
system unchanged and undigested and so has no health effect.

This explains how they get teflon to stick:

http://xcelplus.com/how_teflon_is_st..._your_pans.htm

Usually if your waffles are sticking, either the iron is too cool or there's
not enough fat in the recipe, but your stick and a half of butter to about 5
cups of flour is plenty -more than enough actually. Perhaps try spraying the
iron with a light coating of cooking spray (Pam) before pouring the batter?





"Atom 'Smasher'" wrote in message
...
Jack Denver wrote:

But if the coating wears off, then how is it worse than one with no
coating
to begin with? Even worn or spotty non-stick is not MORE stick prone
than
no coating at all.
------------------------------------------

1) when the coating comes off, that means i've been eating little pieces
of
the stuff. not good.

2) i'm not sure how or why, but after the coating comes off, i can't even
cure what's left underneath it, like one would with good ol' cast iron.
i'm
sure this is related to the age-old question: if nothing sticks to teflon,
how do they get teflon to stick to the pan?

well, after the teflon (or facsimile of teflon) is gone, what's left is
incredibly sticky.