Customer Reviews

VillaWare V3200 Classic Belgian Waffler - Round

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The difference between Belgian and regular waffles is the depth of the hole in the waffle; Belgians are very deep. This makes for a light and crisp waffle. (In contrast German and American style waffles are more tender and flexible.)

This waffle iron is nicely compact and absolutely perfect for making delicious waffles. But I don't like the included recipe. Instead, I use this one:

2 egg whites, whip stiff
Mix next ingredients and fold egg whites into the batter:
2 egg yolks
3/4 c. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
4 tbsp. butter melted (waffles have a lot of fat for crispness so they are a treat...watch out.)
pinch of clove powder

Note that traditional Belgian waffles are made with a yeasted dough and can be done the night before. Toppings can be ice cream and chocolate sauce, powdered sugar, apple butter, or cherry pie filling, heated, with whipped cream, or just whipped cream and powdered sugar.

Either way, this waffler is just great for a party or fancy brunch.

I spent a few days in the Wellesley Hotel and they supplied Belgian waffles in the continental breakfast every morning. They had it set up so that you could actually make your own waffles using a premade batter. They had a really cool waffle maker that caught my interest. It had a digital timer and an audible alarm. After having ONE of those waffles I was hooked and wanted to be able to make my own waffles at home. I took down the information on the waffle maker for future reference.

The company name on the waffle maker was "Carbon's Golden Malted" When I got home I looked up the company online and found they don't sell the commercial model waffle makers to the general public. They do sell the batter though. They also had the Villaware model waffle maker for sale in a package with some of their waffle mix. I did some further research and found the commercial model waffler for almost six hundred bucks shipped and that was a good deal! I was impressed that Carbon's Golden Malted would sell the Villaware waffler because I felt quite certain they had tested it and were satisfied that it produced acceptable waffles comparable to the ones made on the commercial model waffler.

...

After the debacle with the cheapo waffler I did an exhaustive search on Amazon and BY FAR the Villaware 3200 received the best reviews. That and the fact that it was endorsed by Carbon's Golden Malted locked the deal for me.

I recieved it in just a few days from Amazon and I got right to cooking up a batch of waffles. I like to just cook a whole box of Krusteaz batter at once and freeze the waffles so I don't have to spend time mixing and cleaning up just to make a couple waffles. I've found the waffles soften up after refrigeration and then warming with the microwave. I actually like the softer waffles. If you would like them more on the crisp side like they are fresh from the waffler you can always warm up your waffler, take a precooked waffle out of the fridge and then pop it in the waffler for 30 to 60 seconds to "recrisp" it.

If you intend to "recrisp" regularly you might want to remove the waffles maybe 30 seconds early when you first cook them if they darken when you recrisp. I would suggest if you just want the waffle to warm up and get crisp without darkening pop it in before the waffler fully warms up. That will also get you eating your waffle quicker. Another suggestion is to put the side that faced up when you first cooked it DOWN when you "recrisp" because the bottom always gets slightly crispier than the top since heat rises.

Let me tell you the Villaware 3200 produced waffles EXACTLY like the ones I made on the commercial waffler at the hotel--light, fluffy and evenly cooked.. What's more? No huge mess! The instructions don't really tell you precisely how much batter to use. I found that roughly 2/3rds of a cup makes a good waffle with ZERO overflow. Using a box of Krusteaz batter I make about 12 waffles. I have found the waffles come out perfectly cooked just using the timing light. This waffler is sturdy and well made. I expect it will last for a good long while. I couldn't be more delighted with this purchase!

One other tip. The instructions to the waffler tell you not to overmix the batter and to fold in the eggs that you whip separately. I'm someone who likes to save time. I have had great results using a Braun hand mixer to make the batter. I just dump all the ingredients in a bowl and put the hand mixer to it. The mixer "aerates" the batter quite well and the waffles come out nice and fluffly.

It's been absolutely amazing to me how every waffle I make with this waffle maker comes out perfect! I've had mine about 6 months now & maybe 100 waffles now have been produced with this magic machine! It beeps to let you know when ready to pour your batter, beeps when the waffle is ready & each and every time I open it I have an amazing perfect waffle waiting!

I found the recipe in the booklet to make too "egg-y" of a belgium waffle so I modified the recipe some & here's how I make my waffle batter the way I like it (the person who reported the bad review I see for this item probably had a batter mixture failure).

Here ya go (for 2 waffles): * 2 eggs separated * 2 cups flour * 1 cup milk * 1/2 teaspoon baking powder * 1/2 teaspoon salt * 2 tablespoons of butter or margarine * 1 teaspoon sugar * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1) Melt butter on low in microwave & set aside to cool a few minutes. 2) Separate your eggs. Whip the egg whites with wisk until a little fluffy. If you use EggBeaters (which are just egg whites anyway, you can use 2 tablespoons whipped & 2 tablespoons unwhipped). 3) Using a wooden spoon, mix all ingredients together except for egg whites & butter. 4) Fold in the whipped egg whites. 5) Pour in the melted butter (make sure cooled to a cloudy appearance & not clear or could cook your eggs in the batter). 6) Mix again & then if too thick, add additional milk until pourable consistency. 7) Use Pam Canola spray on waffle surfaces before pouring in the waffle maker. 8) Fully fill the waffle pan bottom (don't be sparing). 9) Voila, after your next beep & the green light after a few minutes, you should have a perfect waffle. Just lift out with a fork. Nothing should stick on the waffler except a little left over canola oil.

Serve with fresh strawberries, sliced, sugared (mixed with a little water) or with blueberries if you prefer. Always use 100% Canadian (not Vermont) Maple syrup.

Also, easy to clean & perfect for the micro-kitchen since it stands up on its side for storage. Since it looks so nice, chrome & all, mine stays out on display on my counter in my retro art deco styled & tiny kitchen.

Yummy! I've gained a few pounds because of this kitchen appliance. Good luck!

I wanted a fast blegian waffler and this fits the bill. It takes about 4 minutes to warm up and then the waffle is done 3 minutes after you pour in the batter. It also has the deepest ridges ( 1 1/4 inch ) so it is a true belgian waffle maker. We use it nearly every week and are very happy with it.

I gotta be honest, I bought this as a Mother's Day gift for my wife. She's probably thinking it's the greatest gift she's ever gotten because now I'm constantly asking her if she wants me to whip her up a batch of waffles! It stores easily and clean-up has not been an issue. There is a small rim to catch overfilling accidents and so far it's kept the spills to a minimum. Learning curve is very gentle. The "Waffle Tone" actually does a very nice job of telling you when it's done. The waffles themselves are very good and I was extremely pleased with how evenly it cooks both sides. You cannot tell the top from the bottom. One recommendation is to go easy on the spray/oil/grease. The non-stick surface works very well so too much additive causes the waffle to not brown/cook quite as evenly. Very little practice required to get it right.

Instruction book has a few recipes which are pretty good. Standard pancake mixes have a waffle option on them that works really well and takes half the time to prepare (just add egg and oil to the regular mix). I added a little vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar and..........well, I'm getting hungry again.

Very good choice.
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When traveling we always liked to stop at the International House of Pancakes for their Belgiam Waffles. Of course at around five dollars each, we said there has to be a cheaper way to satisfy our addiction. We began an online check and found the industrial quality irons to run between six and seven hundred dollars. Oh well, back to IHOP.....WAIT!!! what about this Villaware 3200. It has great reviews and the price is right for a couple of senior skinflints. So with the help of the Visa Card and UPS, we were eating the best Belgiam Waffles we have ever tasted. Did I say that cleanup was easier than brushing your dentures? Can't brag enough about this little gem. Thanks Villaware and so long to IHOP!

This waffler makes perfect belgians every time and I don't think I can live without it.

Let me get two small complaints out of the way. The dial has numbers from 1-6 on 1/4 of the dial, but the dial turns entirely, so it is a little confusing. Just make sure you line it up with one of the numbers. Secondly, it has a loud beep that dies off at the end. It sounds very odd and I don't know if it is defective, or if that is the intended "waffle tone". But despite these complaints, I highly recommend this model.

Once hot, on setting 4 it takes about 2-3 minutes to cook each waffle. And it doesn't take long to get hot.

A few tips:
* Buy Krusteas Belgian waffle mix
* Buy one of those plastic handled scrub brushes for two dollars at walmart and give it a quick brush after using it. I find that using it dry cleans it up nicely and gets in the crevices. It also gets rid of some of the old brown oil that can build.
* Definitely use pam or some spray. You don't necessarily need to put it on before every single waffle, but definitely before the first one. I forgot to do this one time and i had to chisel the pieces out.
* Strawberries and whipped cream. The frozen stawberries are good enough. Pecans and syrup. Blueberries... Endless possibilities.
* Try adding chocolate chips right on top of the batter after you pour it on the iron.

Use it for dinner and invite some friends, they won't be disappointed!

... this is the best waffle iron I've ever used. Extremely easy to handle/clean and makes very good, crisp waffles consisitently. Villaware made a reliable waffle iron at a fair price. Don't hesitate on this purchase. Just buy it. You won't regret it!!

I've had the waffler for about a week. The waffle iron works great. I've been making great wheat waffles and they have been coming out delicious.

Only two peeves: cleaning and ready light

1. Lots of cracks and crevices to clean. The waffler cannot be immersed in water. Is there a waffler brush out there?

2. The waffler lights on and off but if you have a really bright kitchen you can't tell if the light is on or off. A small beep would have been nice.

Just little peeves but otherwise satisfied.

Happy Waffling!!!

This waffle iron is very easy to use, clean, and store - the beep is not the most pleasant sound I've ever heard, but frankly, who cares? The only thing I don't care for about it is that the ridges do not seem to heat as fully as the pockets, so the waffle pockets come out well done, and the ridges still off-white. But they taste great. I strongly recommend locating a 'real' Belgian waffle recipe (in which yeast is included). I use the quick-rise yeast so it really doesn't take that much longer, and the results are fantastic. Each time I use the iron I make a really big batch of extras, freeze em, and have 'toaster waffles' all week long for the kids. And actually the pale ridges are a good thing in this case, because they brown in the toaster.