What $8.99 got me at a thrift store...

[hooverwheelaway]

Yay! I've been on the hunt for one of these!!

It was only $8.99... and I don't think it was used more than 5 or 6 times. The cord is still wrapped from the factory! And the spades on the plug look like they've not seen many outlets!

Some before shots:

Ugh! Look at that cord!

Some schmutz on the plug...

A light patina.

It's been used, but not that much!

Found these at thrift store #2--some Oster jars, and an extra set of plates!

*****

Now some after shots...

Shiny and new!

Some light scratches--but that just means I don't have to feel guilty about using it!

The BEST part - It LiGhTs Up!

I remember reading on here at one point that "Easy-Off" oven cleaner works on cleaning these things... and boy, did it ever!

Yay! I'm gonna have to make waffles one of these nights for dinner!

~Fred

 

[buffster]

Fred...

You lucky dog, you... what a great find!

 

[polkanut]

Good Score Fred,

Nothing beats homemade waffles w/ real maple syrup, YUMMY!

 

[spankomatic]

Cool find! We had one of those when I was a kid. My Mom used to make waffles all the time.

Jim

 

[gansky1]

Great find, Fred. Now you can "season" the plates and they'll look like they did before you cleaned them ;-) (but it will be "your" seasoning and not somebody's you don't know!)

These are wonderful waffle makers - I have one like this and one from just after WWII. Congrats on the find!

 

[Unimatic1140]

Very nice Fred, I absolutely love mine, I use it quite often as well. As requested, here is the owners manual

(Be sure to follow the instructions on page 5 about "Reconditioning Waffle Grids"...

 

[scott55405]

What a wonderful find, Fred! Enjoy. I love having breakfast food (actually anytime) but for dinner sometimes!

Robert, thanks for posting that instruction manual. I have the same waffle iron but didn't have the instructions. I notice it says copyright 1954, and I wonder if they used the same manual as for the more squareish waffle iron and just changed the pictures. I thought this one was from the 60s, but I could be wrong. I notice the model 11 mixer is in the picture, so maybe the square ones are older than I realized they were, and these did come out in the 50s.

 

[mickeyd]

The plates look so invitingly golden and the pic of you and

Very cool, Fred. I love homemade waffles so much, even more than vacuum cleaners. ;'D

 

[bongobro]

I have the same owners manual but...

Scott, they apparently used the same inner manual for several models...I have the owners' manual for a later model, which is identical to the one Unimatic1140 posted (right down to the 1954 copyright date), but the back cover shows grids of various Sunbeam products clustered by categories (food preparation, shavers and hair dryers, clocks, and lawn and garden items) with the slogan "One Sunbeam appliance recommends another" at the bottom of the page, which leads me to think my manual is from the late 1950s, but not before the mid-60s...

The other Sunbeam slogan, "Built with integrity...backed by service," dates from sometime around 1963 or 1964.

 

[petek]

I have probably the next version of that waffle iron. This is the smaller two waffle version, it also came in the bigger 4 version like the one above.

 

[mattl]

Does anyone know how to adjust the thermostat on these waffle irons? My Sunbeam won't even turn on until the knob is turned to "3". when I was a kid and we used it I used to set it on "3" to make the best waffles, now I have to turn it past the stop to get it hot enough.

Did you note in the instruction manual under the 3 1/2 setting it mentions "brownies" How would you do brownies in a waffle maker?

 

[spaniel50]

What I got for $8.99

Fred,
Just like mine! It really works great. You do need to "season" the grids and let it have some to time to really get hot before using. Next time you are in Indy we will have a waffle contest!
Rob

 

[drewz]

Braided Cloth Cord

I have mother & father's that was their wedding gift from 1955, still in the box, it is the exact same model but with braided black cloth cord with design on it.

 

[little-edie]

what about the waffles?

okay, so you've got the iron, but what about the batter? i've been searching for a fabulous waffle recipe for years! many years ago, a friend & i made it our goal to find a great waffle & we scoured boston area brunches. we did find a fabulous waffle in pembroke(i think?). it had a distinctive "malted" flavor and was crisp. so far, the best one i have found is from a gourmet magazine(february 2003) recipe. you prepare the batter the night before using yeast. these are okay.....but i know there must be a better recipe. anybody know one?

 

[polkanut]

Try some the recipes that are in the instruction pamphlet that Robert posted yesterday. I would have to say that these could be considered "tried & true", being from 1954.

 

[petek]

When I make waffle batter it's not much different than pancake batter except for the addition of a little salt and a smidge of baking powder. No particular recipe I just toss it all in the bowl and mix it.

 

[mattl]

Yup, I use pancake mix too, but I add more oil. I like it a little on the thin side so it flows.

 

[mattl]

No one has any suggestions on fixing the thermostat? I tried bending the bi metal strips a bit but to no avail. It seems like there should be a set screw or something to adjust.

 

[northwesty]

Actually I just picked one of these up too. They do work great. This one is made by Hoover of all things and you can just see the little round logo on the front. Here it is grilling burgers, that little dish catches the run-off. Like the original George Foreman -- cooks both sides at the same time. What a deal.

 

[petek]

Nice Hoover. Hoover sourced most if not all their small appliances from other manufacturers, Rival etc. That one looks a lot like the Sunbeam but it also looks very much like my General Mills waffle maker because of that little window on the lid to see the coils glowing inside.

Matt. can't help you. You might have to find another one and steal the thermostat out of it. I've had to do that on some toasters.

 

[wiskybill]

My favorite waffles....

and you will need your vintage Mixmaster to properly prepare,

Sour Cream Waffles

3 eggs, separated
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup sour cream
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Beat egg yolks, add milk, melted butter, vanilla and sour cream. Combine dry ingredients and stir into egg mixture. Beat egg whites stiff and FOLD into mixture.

Bake in your favorite waffle iron.

Bill

 

[little-edie]

okay bill, i'll try this next time....thanks!

matthew

 

[volvoguy87]

Hey Pete,

Could you post some more pics of that wide, but shallow, waffle iron? My mother had that one up until about 1987. I loved it, but have never seen another. I remember liking the foods that came out of it. If anyone knows the model or era of production, I would be thankful.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane,
Dave

 

[petek]

Certainly. The pic makes it look ratty but that's just dust reflecting on it..

 

[petek]

Open it looks like this.. I turned one of the waffle plates over to the grill side.

 

[petek]

Not to be outdone... GE had their own very very similar model

 

[petek]

And open...
I've got other wafflers as well.. Westinghouses, General Mills, and ? but they're all boxed away at the mo.

 

[hooverwheelaway]

Ok... Waffle Time!

After seasoning the plates... with "my grease."

 

[hooverwheelaway]

Mixing the batter.

Boy, it sure was beautiful batter!

 

[hooverwheelaway]

Getting my bake-on...

Baking away! *steams*