Waffle Irons

[Anonymous]

I was thinking of getting one of these for my kitchen. We do lots of homemade pancakes for breakfast and would like to add waffles to the list. Any recommendations from folks out there? Regular iron or the Belgian waffle type? I have a small kitchen, with minimal counter space so can only go for a small one, even though we are about to become a family of six. <yikes!>

[Anonymous]

I like my regular Cuisinart iron.

[Anonymous]

Second the cuisinart. The recipes are easy to make (don't require whipping the eggs whites, which one of the others required) and they come out light and crispy. Very easy cleanup. I think belgians are too much waffle, I prefer the regulars. My cuisinart is a round one. I think they make a square one too.

[Anonymous]

Love my villaware belgian waffle maker. I think it depends which kind of waffle you want to eat. I like regular waffles but belgian are so much fun. It does use egg whites that need to be whipped but I just throw them into the stand mixer to whip while I mix everything else.

[Anonymous]

My husband makes me heart waffles with the villaware waffle maker. It's not a belgian -- and they are so good. He also makes his own waffle batter with olive oil so they're "guilt free".

[Anonymous]

We got the non-stick villaware as a gift - we wanted the one without the non-stick service, but decided not to exchange it. That was a mistake - a year later, the thing is still off-gassing whenever we heat. Makes nice waffles, but I hate that we're exposing ourself and DS to all that toxic crap.

[Anonymous]

People have different feelings on this topic but I share PP's concerns about the nonstick versions. I had one that I stopped using because I could smell the chemicals whenever we used it. I did quit using nonstick cookware for this reason (I "discovered" cast iron and can't believe I didn't use it before, also use stainless steel) and now when I smell nonstick pans at people's houses when cooking I'm aghast (and a-gassed).

[Anonymous]

we rarely use ours (less than once a year). We can make pancakes on a griddle (electric) so much faster. I just don't have the patience to make one waffle at a time, and I think waffles are more sensitive to being kept warm in the oven while you cook the rest of the batch.

See if a friend has one you can borrow for a few weekends and see how you like it.

[Anonymous]

I have a regular waffle iron and really wished it was a Belgian. They're just so much better.