Frozen Waffles. They are so convenient. I mean, think about it for a second. You go to the freezer, pull out a couple of frozen waffles and plop them in the toaster. In a minute or so, you have hot waffles! I mean, waffles make the list of “smash-and-grab” breakfast items in the mornings!
Well, for years, we have talked about saving money and buying a waffle maker. The only thing is that I had a specific idea of what I wanted – Cast Iron. I was thinking about the flexibility of being able to use it outside over fire in addition to using it on the stove top (ie, in the event the power went out). And, since I had been on a cast iron kick, I wanted a cast iron waffle maker too, but there are some caveats with that.
Our Waffle Dilemma
Currently, we have a smooth glass top electric stove and some are not recommended for use on smooth top stoves. For those that would work, great, but then we thought about the kids. We wanted something that the kids could handle and cast iron gets pretty heavy, especially when loaded with waffle batter. Yes, we could make them tough, but I am thinking more about the effects of cast iron being dropped on that glass top stove! I can handle them dropping it on the floor or possibly on their toes, but shattering that stove top would be a problem! Well, I guess it would depend on which toe they dropped it on, but hey I digress. I have not given up on the cast iron dream though, but for now I will have to put it on the back burner.
The Solution
So, after a few more months of analysis paralysis (and our kids asking for a waffle maker), I finally broke down and purchased one. I didn’t go for anything fancy and didn’t even get removable plates. We ended up going with a simple ceramic coated one from Wally World (Walmart) because it was a spur-of-the-moment purchase. Ours is called the Oster Titanium-Infused DuraCeramic Flip Waffle Maker.
The Verdict by the Natives (the kids)
Despite not being exactly what I wanted, it has already seen it’s fair share of use. Deidra found an easy homemade waffle recipe mix where the kids just have to add eggs and milk. Our son, who refers to Belgium Waffles as “The Hotel Waffles”, had been begging for a waffle maker for a while. So, once this one came into the house he was on a waffle making tear every morning. He made plain waffles. There were apple waffles. He made waffles with chocolate chips. Then there were banana ones. Oh, and I cannot forget about the Granola Waffles. The kid was going nuts and while I love his creativity, I had to put a one day moratorium on the waffle maker! Our daughter uses it too, but not as much as our son. She likes to add a little bit of variety to her diet.
Final Thoughts
I say that it’s a hit in the Hall household. It flips like the ones in the hotels (which makes our son happy) and it has a setting to make your waffles lighter or darker. It’s not too difficult to clean. Even though the surface is ceramic instead non-stick Teflon, the waffles come out without a problem. To me, the waffles turn out a little “tender” if you remove them when the finish light turns on. For the record, our kids have no issue with this at all. But if you do, you can cook them longer to solve that problem. I like a little crunch on mine, so I turn the broiler on and place it in the oven to add some crisp to the edges. Overall, for about $30-$40 it has been a pretty good investment and if you are in market for an inexpensive one, I would check out this Oster Waffle Maker.