94 of 94 people found the following review helpful:
The quick and painless way to make Belgian waffles
The Waring Pro Belgian Waffle Maker will look familiar to most people who have stayed at a hotel that offers a complimentary continental breakfast. The waffle maker is usually located next to the toaster, with cups of batter nearby. Those continental breakfasts are a huge reason why I now own this waffle maker: my husband fell in love with the idea of owning one...
39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
Not Built to Last
The first one came, and it worked three times before the heating element stopped work. We sent it back, and the second one worked twice before the heating element stopped working.
This seems to be a problem with all belgian waffle irons in all price ranges. Just read the reviews on other brands, and you'll see what I mean. That's too bad, too. It shouldn't be...
The Waring Pro Belgian Waffle Maker will look familiar to most people who have stayed at a hotel that offers a complimentary continental breakfast. The waffle maker is usually located next to the toaster, with cups of batter nearby. Those continental breakfasts are a huge reason why I now own this waffle maker: my husband fell in love with the idea of owning one ourselves.
The operation is simple. Plug it in and wait for the iron to preheat. Brush or spray a little oil on the surface (first waffle only.) Pour batter on the nonstick grid, close the top, rotate the handle, and wait for the machine to beep when the waffle is done. Rotate the iron back to the original position, lift the lid, and remove the waffle. The whole cooking process takes about five minutes. The only real trick to operating this waffle maker is finding a good recipe. I didn't bother trying Waring's selections and instead found my favorite recipe online.
If you use a cooking spray instead of brushing on oil, make sure that you use the kind for grilling and high heat cooking. The original Pam leaves a sticky residue since it is not meant for such temperatures. A good, flavorless oil works best.
The whole thing cleans up in minutes, if not seconds. The nonstick grids release the waffles so cleanly that I never have to clean it. Too much batter poured onto the surface might require some exterior clean-up, but the removable metal pan underneath the waffle iron can be easily hand-washed. A temperature control allows you to control the darkness/crispness of your waffles. The manufacturer suggests a setting of 4; I found that I had to set it to 5 before I got an adequately crisp result. (This may have to do with the recipe I use as well as my personal preference for a crisp exterior.)
For recipes, I suggest that cooks use those that require stiff egg white folded into the batter for the classic Belgian waffle. These recipes usually only take ten minutes or so to whip up, and are not as time-consuming as those that require yeast.
All in all, I like this waffle maker. Now, if only my husband would make waffles at home as he does in hotels, instead of waiting for me to do it.
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I can't say enough about the quality of the Waring Pro. It makes excellent waffles. The construction is everything the engineer in me wants in a waffle iron. A drawback to this unit is that it takes up quite a bit of room. As was suggested in another review, we store our Waring on the counter top where it looks great.
We have now used the waffle maker for almost a year and find we have waffles for lunch often. My review is slightly changed to reflect more of what we have learned over the last several months.
My wife and I are not accomplished chefs so we struggled with recipes. Thus I want to comment on three things: seasoning the grids, recipes and cook time.
Regarding seasoning:
The directions indicate seasoning with cooking spray or oil; we initially preheated the Waring and then sprayed the grids with Mazola Canola/sunflower spray. We were never happy with the way that worked (we may have been too generous with the spray). My wife finally used a spatula and paper toweling and wiped between the grids. The waffles are coming out fine.
It is important to re-season the Waring which we do about every three months. We found out the hard way what happens when you don't re-season; the waffle stuck to the grids and it wasn't fun getting it out. The directions in the manual tell you what to do if a waffle sticks. It is worth reading.
Regarding recipes:
We tried about four recipes before my wife went to the library and found the following recipe in a newer Betty Crocker cookbook. This is the only recipe we use.
WAFFLES
PREP: 10 MINUTES (MAKES FOUR BELGIAN WAFFLES)
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1-3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup cooking oil
1. In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center of dry mixture; set aside.
2. In another mixing bowl, beat whole eggs slightly. Beat in milk and oil.
3. Add egg mixture all at once to dry mixture. Stir just till moistened (batter should be lumpy).
When mixing this batter, my wife followed the above instructions. For the oil she used Canola oil. Using a whisk proved to be a better way to mix the batter. The recipe says the batter will have some lumps. It did, but they were not there at the eating.
We preheated the Waring Pro using a 4-1/2 setting and did not use any oil or spray to re-season. I use the measuring cup that comes with the machine and fill it with batter 1/16" over the fill line on the cup. I pour the batter in a circular motion about 3/4" from the outer edge of the grids.
By accident, I found out that the amount of batter you put in the Waring is sensitive to where the temperature knob is set. The knob was inadvertently shifted to 6; I didn't notice. I poured batter into the unit and it rose a whole lot! In the end no big deal but now I check the setting when I turn the unit on.
I can never get the whole base to fill when pouring in the batter so I gently move the handle back and forth so the batter can flow in one direction and then the other to fill all the grids. It takes me about 30 seconds to fill the grids, close the cover and turn the waffle iron over. I then bake the waffle an additional four minutes.
About cooking time:
I depend completely on the clock for the time to cook, 4-1/2 minutes total. The signal from the Waring Pro comes very early and even monitoring the steam from the batter is not adequate.
Using the above, you will have Belgian waffles with the looks and taste that will make you proud!
Extra Waffles:
When you have extra batter, bake the waffles, let them cool, wrap individually in aluminum foil and freeze. They keep for several weeks and reheat well.
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The previous reviewer pretty much said it best. Many thanks to Waring and Amazon for saving me about $650, cuz I was about to break down and buy a restaurant waffle baker! As far as I'm concerned, this is the only [home-use] waffle maker in existence. I only wish that it was available sooner! I've gone through about 4 wafflers (I'm really not that fond of wasting my time and money) trying to find one that could make a restaurant-style Belgian waffle. Well, this is IT! You would have to spend *AT LEAST* another $400 to get anything remotely like it - and even then, you'd likely never be able to use it in the average home. My grandmother took one of the rejects - in fact, she just called to tell me what a horrible job it did! This unit makes 1-inch thick, deep-pocket, restaurant-style Belgian waffles - and it makes 'em fast too! They even include a measuring cup so you can put in just the right amount of batter. And it looks pretty cool, as well. Anyway, do yourself and your Belgian waffle recipe a great service by buying this unit... this is the only *affordable* waffle maker that can do the job right!
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75 of 75 people found the following review helpful:
Doesn't get much better than this!, September 14, 2003
By A Customer
My kitchen is littered with the remains of victims of my search for the perfect waffle maker (7 at last count). While on vacation last summer we stayed at several motels that offered free continental breakfasts. Three of them offered do-it-yourself waffles using wonderful commercial waffle makers by Heartland and Carbon. These make perfect waffles, crisp on the outside and steamy tender on the inside, and they all use that method whereby your pour the batter on the hot grid and then close the top and flip/rotate it over. This simple act separates the home waffles from the commercial restaurant-style waffles (try putting on oven mits and turning over your countertop waffler!). Problem is these commercial flipover wafflers aren't available to the home consumer, only to restaurants and motels through some kind of franchise deal. Occasionally you can find used ones on eBay for pretty princely sums and they use 220 volt electrical outlets, not something the average kitchen has! I was surfing on the web and voila! I came across the Waring WMK300, which is a consumer version of these commercial wafflers. It hasn't sacrificed quality or build but the price is a lot less. It works exactly like the retaurant models and has non-stick grids, the flipover handles, and signal lights and beeps to tell you when the waffle is ready. It doesn't even take up that much space. And best of all, the waffles come out superbly, golden crispy on the outside and fluffy inside. The consistency is amazing (there is a browness control) and it takes common 120 volt electricity with 1200 watts of heating power (most home units are 650-1000 watts). The only problem is they are in short supply, either out of stock or due shortly. Buy yours now, you couldn't make a wiser purchase.
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Yet there is no 4&3/4 star rating, so 5 will have to do.
The other reviews sold me on this waffle maker, and I am glad they did. Buy it, and enjoy it.
However, what I did not see in the other reviews is the one minor flaw: the recipes included in the manual all require extensive time preparation and most require yeast. Now, I've tried these, and they're very good. However, I wish they'd included a simple recipe to whip up while the waffle iron is heating.
So try the recipes here, they're fine. But don't limit yourself to recipes that take at least an hour from the time you start until the time you're making waffles. I used a recipe from an old waffle iron, I tried the grocery store Belgian Waffle mix, and I tried Bisquick. They were all fine (hint: try adding 1 tablespoon of vanila extract per 2 cups of flour to an ordinary recipe).
Great waffle maker. The manual could use a slight upgrade.
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I know a lot of people are looking at this item and saying "$80 for a waffle maker?!" But trust me, this is no ordinary waffle maker. Think about the best Belgian waffles you have ever eaten, whether it was at a fancy hotel brunch or your favorite breakfast place. Those are the kind of waffles you can achieve at home using this waffle iron.
The waffle maker is very easy to use. It heats up quickly and is easy to clean. The ability to "flip" the waffle iron means that instead of having a waffle that may be crisp on the bottom but feels flabby or underdone on top, you will get a waffle that is equally crispy and browned on both sides, because flipping the iron allows the waffle batter to seep into all the cracks of the iron and results in a crispier waffle.
I purchased this waffle iron because here in Albuquerque, we used to have a restaurant run by a woman who was the daughter of the man who first introduced Belgian waffles to the United States, at the World's Fair in 1964. The place was called Mariepaule's and her waffles were always hot, crisp and buttery-tasting. The restaurant eventually closed down and I had spent years trying to re-create her waffles. I had purchased a couple of $20 waffle makers but still couldn't get the result I wanted. The same day I bought this waffle maker, a copy of Saveur magazine arrived at my house with Mariepaule's original Belgian waffle recipe in it. This recipe, combined with the Waring waffle maker, makes the best waffles I've ever tasted. If you love Belgian waffles, splurge on the waffle maker and use this recipe - you will be amazed by how wonderful they taste. Enjoy!
Heat an electric Belgian waffle maker iron until very hot.
Meanwhile, combine flour and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add 1 1/4 cups water, egg yolks and vanilla, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in melted butter. Beat egg whites in a medium mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until frothy, 1-2 minutes, then increase speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form, about 1 minute. Gently but thoroughly fold half the egg whites at a time into the batter.
Pour about 1 cup of the batter (or enough batter to fill pockets in iron) into hot waffle iron, immediately lower waffle iron lid, and cook until waffles are golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove waffle from iron and separate waffles if necessary. Repeat process.
To serve, put each hot waffle on a plate, top with a pile of whipped cream and strawberries, and sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.
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I have had this waffle iron for about a year. Overall, I am very pleased with its performance. On occasion, I have had a bit of a sticking problem, and found that I got better results using ghee (clarified butter) rather than oil on the cooking surfaces.
Anyone buying this item also needs to be aware of the problems that can be created by using cooking sprays. Unless you want to ruin an otherwise great appliance, DO NOT USE COOKING SPRAY ON YOUR WAFFLE IRON. The lecithin in cooking sprays will burn from the heat of the waffle iron and leave a sticky residue on the surface, eventually causing the failure of the non-stick feature.
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The first one came, and it worked three times before the heating element stopped work. We sent it back, and the second one worked twice before the heating element stopped working.
This seems to be a problem with all belgian waffle irons in all price ranges. Just read the reviews on other brands, and you'll see what I mean. That's too bad, too. It shouldn't be that difficult to make a belgian waffle iron that can last for more than three uses. Who ever heard of a "disposable" waffle maker?
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My culinary skills are quite limited so I am always happy when I find a new appliance that makes cooking easy. Waffles, pancakes, eggs, and other foods are not necessarily difficult to make but they take more time than I am willing to give up as I begin my day. With the Waring Professional Belgian Style Waffle Maker, I can make waffles with little or no effort. This has greatly increased my number of hot breakfasts since this device is so easy to use and so easy to clean.
The most desirable quality of this device is the ease of use and this factor alone makes it worth the purchase. When I first opened the box and looked at this waffle maker, I still had my doubts about its simplicity. But a few uses showed just how simple it was. Everything is automated for the consumer, removing all of the guesswork from the process of waffle making. First, you flick the switch. Then, you wait for the green light to tell you that the waffle iron is preheated. Then, you pour the batter, close the lid, and turn the handle. When the waffle is ready, the device beeps. That's all there is to it. Even the measuring cup that Waring includes is already pre- marked with a "fill line". There are no ounce markings. No, that would require too much thinking. Instead, Waring marks a line on the cup that says "fill line". By pouring the batter into this cup and reaching this line, you can be assured that the batter will be just the right amount to make one waffle.
With the heat settings, there are six different knob positions and they control how quickly the beeper sounds off and how soft or crisp your waffle will be. Waring recommends using the "4" setting. This is usually the one I use but I have been known to lower this setting to "3" for a softer waffle. Again, by following the manufacturer's recommendation, one can get a very good waffle without any cognitive input. Waring takes care of all this for you, helping to create a tasty waffle with minimal effort.
The next great thing about the Waring Professional Belgian Style Waffle Maker is the ease of cleaning. With the non- stick cooking surface, there is almost no cleanup at all. Any waffle bits or batter left behind are easily removed. All you need is a damp cloth to glide over the indentions on the waffle iron and the bits of waffle fall right off. And you don't need to worry about any mess from drips because the square drip tray catches these errors. All you do is transfer the tray to the kitchen sink for a quick rub down. In a matter of seconds, the tray is clean. The reason the drips remove so easily is because the tray remains cool during the cooking process and the batter (if any happens to drip) is usually also cool or slightly warm. It isn't hot and cannot get burned onto the surface. You don't need a scouring pad or steel wool pad to clean. A wet cloth is all it takes.
Yet another good reason to purchase this waffle maker is the waffles themselves. The pockets in these waffles are large and deep and the waffles themselves measure about seven inches across. This is a nice size. They fit right on your plate and one of them makes for a nice morning meal. And with those large pockets, they hold syrup and other toppings with ease.
Is there anything bad about the Waring Professional Belgian Waffle Maker? I can think of only one thing: It makes only one waffle at a time. There is nothing else bad to say about this device. You know a product is very good when the worst thing I can say about it is that it doesn't cook twice as great a quantity as it does. It really is that good!
Cooking breakfast is still an infrequent occurrence in my household but hot breakfast food is becoming a more and more common part of my mornings thanks to the Waring Professional Belgian Style Waffle Maker. It's one of the few small appliances that occupy a permanent spot on my kitchen counter and it's one of the best presents I have received in a long time. Great waffles made with ease and with little or no cleanup make this waffle maker an excellent addition to any home.
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27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
A little pricey but the last one you will ever buy, June 5, 2004
By A Customer
Let me start by saying that we have owned several Belgian waffle makers over the years. Some were less expensive electric models (yuch!) and the latest was a rather expensive non-stick cast iron stove top model. They all had one thing in common...the degree of browning on the waffle was always a guessing game. We found the Waring Pro waffle maker being used by one of our favorite hotel chains that offers a free breakfast and knew that we had to have one. We watched a long line of people use it and everyone was very satisfied with a waffle that was done to a consistent medium brown, crisp on the outside and soft and moist on the inside. After purchasing the Waring Pro from Amazon.com, I can easily say that we are able to make even better waffles using the Classic Waffles recipe provided with the machine. While not the quickest recipe to make,these have to be the lightest waffles you will ever eat with DEEP pockets to trap any topping you want to put on them. The Waring Pro has to be commended for its consistency and ease of use. Unlike lesser machines, you are able to set the machine to your desired level of browning(level 4 is a good starting point)and the green light will indicate when pre-heating has been achieved. Add the batter with the enclosed measuring scoop,rotate the waffle iron 180 degrees and the beeper tells you when it's done. Simply the BEST Belgian waffle maker you can buy. Don't waste your money on several cheap Belgian waffle makers as we did. This is the last one you will ever need to buy.
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