Waffle Weekend

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Chicken and Waffles, again

Popeyes does the chicken, I do the Belgian waffles. Sometimes I'll get a container of their gravy for dunking the chicken. I've been to Roscoe's and saw diners ordering the chicken smothered (covered in gravy) which they park on top of the waffle and douse the whole thing in syrup.

Haven't tried it THAT way yet. :)
 
I've done it...

I've gone and bought one of these.....given the almost complete lack of quality waffle makers sold here, I'd take a chance and buy from at least a brand that appears to have some quality in it....

...plus, I've never owned one and the US voltage of 110v won't work here without issues...so no point importing one...

http://www.everten.com.au/product/Cuisinart-Waffle-Maker.html
 
Cuisinart

Ron, you made a good purchase, one you'll be happy with for years.  Let us know how your first batch turns out.
 
Have no fear...

...I will certainly let people know.

Kelly, would you suggest the batter you made should work well in this?

...and should I season the non-stick plates?
 
So, no sooner do I go out and order one, when a mate offers me this....

...and no, the Kenwood Chef isn't on offer...

Anyone have a clue what it is?

ronhic++5-30-2011-00-17-6.jpg
 
Not In Season

You do not need to do one thing to season the new waffler.  Just fill it up and eat.  The surface of the waffle is small enough the waffle holds together well so any recipe you like should work.  I have made the recipe posted with this waffle baker and it works swell.
 
Sounds FAB Kelly...

...and thank you for being such a font of useful information. I'm really looking forward to trying it.

Any ideas on the make and/or vintage of the waffle maker that I posted above?
 
Seasoned Traveler

I am going to guess the vintage waffle iron has uncoated grids. Is it a well known Australian brand and does it allow for adjustable settings or have an heating indicator light? Our first good luck will be if the grids are relatively clean and not blackened.  I would let it preheat and bake a waffle "brick" with made with a sacrificial batter of flour, water and shortening to revigorate the seasoning.  It may take a waffle or two to get the nuance of the baker's performance, how it browns and how much batter it holds and then you should be set to enjoy.  If it has no indicator then the steam test is the one to watch.  As they are cooking waffles emit steam from between the grids.  As the rate of steam reduces the waffle is getting browner.
 
Kelly,
Those waffles of yours have my mouth watering! While many talk about the pleasure of a good pancake, my preference has always been a light, crispy waffle - and yours look perfect! I will borrow your recipe and make some this weekend.

I have an old waffle iron - large like your beautiful Sunbeam, but mine is a Dainty Maid (not sure who made it or if it was a private house brand - does anyone know??).

Thanks for sharing and reminding me how awesome waffles can be!
 
I love me some waffles...

and so does my wife and all five of our dogs!  We call them "woofles" at my home.  Mama had a 1950's GE wafflemaker which "mysteriously" got lost once when my brother was on a waffle kick.  Of course, he denied picking it up.  My Mama replaced the GE with a Penncrest wafflebaker she bought at JCPenney sometime around 1970 or 1971.  No matter what we tried it always stuck so Mama eventually threw it away and it was Eggo Waffles if I wanted a waffle.  Years later I bought my wife a wafflebaker with a heart shaped griddle.  I don't know the brand...I picked it up at Tuesday Morning.  We've been enjoying waffles made from the recipe in the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook with Karo green lable syrup since!
 
Waffle maker arrived late in the week...and not having any plain flour or baking powder was a bummer...

 

...but we're set for tomorrow or even tonight for dessert!
 
Heresy!!!!!!!

I can't believe someone with so many Sunbeam mixers wouldn't have flour.  I start to panick when I only 25 pounds in reserve.  Outside of a bakery I am one of the few who buy baking powder is 2 pound containers.  If I were closer, you'd be welcome to come and borrow.
 
LOL....

 

Calm down Kelly....You also have to recognise that I am a tad intolerant of wheat - so have gluten free flour on hand....

 

...but I want my first go to be with the real deal...

 

Now, have you got a good savoury option?

 

...and Cornmeal? what on earth is it? It isn't something that is common here

 

 
 
True Grit

If you have eaten Corn Nuts, Corn Tortillas or Fritos you have garned the ubiquitos taste of cooked corn.  Since corn meal is like a gritty flour it is slow to absorb moisture and helps to keep the finished waffle drier or more on the crispy side.  I am not a fan of it in waffles but in some prepared commercial mixes you'll find it.  Gluten free waffles made with potato flour are quite good.  Wondra flour is deprotienized, cooked then dried so it thickens soups and gravies without the need to dissolve it first.  It is excellent in baking acting much like cake flour and has only a trace of gluten.  I enjoy adding grated parmesan or cheddar cheese, diced sausages with or without cheese, crumbled bacon etc can all be folded in and are especially good with yeasted waffle batter.  And yes, you can make  crispy french toast in a waffle baker.  Its not as fluffy but the taste profile is there and it creates all those storage bins that hold more syrup and butter.
 
First waffle attempt

Okay...here we go.

 

Well, I have some feedback for folks based on my first ever waffle experience...and that's cooking as well as eating them!

 

Firstly, Kelly the receipe above tastes fabulous.....light as a feather and, when cooled slightly they crisp up beautifully...when I use this specifically for a dessert, I think I'll put 1/2-1 teaspoon of vanilla in and a touch more sugar

 

Second, Cuisinart, you really need to sort out your non-stick coating!

 

- Yes, you do tell people to 'oil' it before using it - every time...but come on, this is 2011...NON-STICK should be NON-STICK and need no surface preparation....

 

The first one I tried to cook I did get the qualtity wrong AND it stuck like glue - both top and bottom......

 

The second one, I very lightly wiped the top and bottom plates with a little melted butter just before I put the mixture in....much better. It didn't exactly 'fall out', but it did come out very easily....unfortunately, the outer inch or so was pale in comparison to the middle....I think that's going to have to be a trial and error thing with settings, pre-heating etc....

 

Anyway, served with bacon and eggs (for this isn't a particularly 'sweet' mix) they were lovely.....as was the last portion equally FAB with some home made plum jam!

 

 
 
After all this waffle talk I decided to make a batch again.  I have a Cuisinart waffle maker that makes 6 waffles at a time (2 rows of 3).  I've only used it about 4 times but every time I end up having to clean up one awful mess because the waffle mixture oozes out all sides of the waffle maker.  The recipe that came with the waffle maker said to use 2 cups of mixture.  That was way too much.  I keep cutting it down so that I barely use 1 cup but yet the mixture still oozes out.  I pour the mixture in the middle, spread it with a spatula and still have the same problems.  I usually end up with 2 perfect sized waffles and the 4 corner waffles are only 1/2 waffles.  What am I doing wrong?  Cleaning the outside of the waffle maker is such a chore that I hate using it now.

 

Gary
 
battling the ooze

Gary,  one cup of batter or thereabouts works fine for me in either my round Belgian waffler or the old "4 square" Toastmaster.  I've never used a Cuisinart so I'm unfamiliar with it's capacity or heating characteristics.  I can think of a couple reasons that may be causing your batter to runneth over.  The batter may be too thin and/or the iron may not be hot enough to "set" the surface of the batter before it runs out.   Are you working from scratch or using a mix? 

 

Neil
 
I'm happy to know I'm not alone with waffle woes. 

 

It seems there is a knack to getting everything right with properly seasoned (or otherwise conditioned) irons, optimum temperature setting, and composing a batter that doesn't have a tendency to stick.

 

If it wasn't such a production to prepare and crank out a batch of waffles, I'd keep trying more often until I got it right.  Instead, I whip up a batch once in a while and hope for the best.  It's getting better each time. 

 

I much prefer waffles over pancakes, which to me are heavy as lead and not something I will usually consider for breakfast.
 
Toast Sticks

If you have the long rectangular Cuisinart Belgian waffle stick maker, lob it off a cliff somewhere.  Mine lasted 2 tries.  No matter what I did it always ran over somewhere and left empty holes elsewhere.  My Cuisinart 4 square maker and the Calaphalon both have locks which holds the grids together to force the batter into voids as it rises.  Its never odd for the first waffle to stick.  I NEVER grab the handle of the waffle iron and yank it open but rather delicately lift and fork around the edge to be sure it comes free.  As you found out, greasing the grids prevents the waffle from making a clean contact with the heated surface leaving pale or pinto waffles.  As always a sacrificial waffle puck without leavening helps to put a waffle iron back into production after a sabbatical.  To really cheat, making smaller waffles, like round in a rectangle makes them 900 times easier to remove.  Like all things in life after you done a cazillion times its second nature.
 
New and Improved

That is not like the one I had which from the earlier run shaped more Sunbeamish with black trim.  I wish I had a good answer but have you tried loading it from the back since the batter almost always moves forward when it bubbles over.  When the waffle iron is cool its perfectly fine to set it in an empty sink and wash down the sides as the water won't hurt a thing as long as the waffle maker is cool and you aren't plugging it in when it is still wet.  I don't dunk it or get carried away as I  wash the sides and bottom and then spray over the top to rinse while it is closed.
 
The recipe I use is virtually the same as mixfinder's at the top of this thread.   The consistency of the batter I end up with hangs together more than it pours.  It's light and somewhat foamy, kind of like very softly whipped cream.  When I put it in the waffle iron it doesn't spread much at all by itself.  The weight of the lid is what spreads the batter.  Very quickly after closing the lid the batter swells and rises, lifting the lid a bit,  because of all the air incorporated into the egg whites and the action of the baking powder.

 

Make sure the baking powder is fresh.  If it's even remotely close to the expiration date, or it's been open more than a couple months throw it out and buy some new.   If the BP is fresh you'll notice immediately after blending the liquids into the dry ingredients the batter will start to expand, almost like a yeast dough.  I always use Rumford baking powder.  It has a lot more "kick" and doesn't contain aluminum.

 

Another caveat......never wash the grids.  After they cool I might wipe them with a dry paper towel, but I don't want to remove the seasoning, and the same holds true for Teflon grids.

 

BTW, the same batter makes excellent pancakes too.  They're light as a feather.

 

Hmmm, maybe I should make waffles tomorrow morning, photographing the steps and post them here.  Come to think of it, I have some rhubarb outside that needs cutting.....waffles with rhubarb sauce, YUM.

 

 
 
What Henry Said

Henry and I are singing from the same page.  When I referred to washing the iron I only wash the exterior, with the lid closed in the sink if there is a run over and the sides are a mess.  I have never had a blow out with the Sunbeam because it has a nice 3/8 inch trough around the grid to grab the escapees.  The Cuisinart French Stick maker was a terrible pain but the larger Belgians have been reliable and easy to use without sticking or over flowing.
 
waffles with rhubarb sauce

I'd be inviting myself over for that if I lived near you!

 

If you post the process, I'd love the rhubarb sauce recipe.  I am trying to locate a rhubarb plant to put in my yard.  It's way overpriced in the grocery stores -- if you can even find it.

 
 
Rhubarb

Ralph
You can order the plants in late fall through spring to plant. The placer to look on ther internet are Henry Fields, Gurney's Burpee. You need a clean weed free area that has full sun to p[lant the roots. Ther frist year it grows but should not be harvested as the plant nee the leaves to store up the roots. The next yer you can light harvest the stalks (they will be fairly thin), By the second year you can harvet for up to 6 or more weeks then let the plant go so it can store more food to the root. The 2nd to 3rd year the voot system will be around 4 feet. So when planting put in a fairly large spot.
 
I pour the batter in the center portion and it oozes out front and back and sometimes the sides.  I don't have a problem with the waffles sticking though which is one good thing.  Maybe the batter is too thin - it does pour pretty easily.  I'll have to try another recipe. 

 

Gary
 
Thanks for the rhubarb info.  I'm going to have to figure out where I can put a plant.  I don't have many options for full sun in my back yard.
 

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