Oooo they look yummy! I got a waffle iron for Christmas and I have been using it once a week. I usually make a big batch and freeze whatever not eaten for the rest of the week. Little man loves to have a toasted waffle or two for breakfast.

I make sourdough waffles. What recipe do you use?

Al

good for you, L. You know, waffles freeze well, but I keep them in the refrigerator for a couple of days and reheat them in the microwave at work, they're much better than Eggos and way cheaper.

I think you'll recoup your investment in a few months if you eat waffles regularly.

Oh, they make pretty good peanut butter and jelly sandwiches too!

Annie

I tried out the whole grain recipe that came with the waffle iron. It was a little spongy for my taste, but maybe that was the new iron.

Nutty Whole Grain Waffles with Fresh Fruit and Honey (I used maple syrup) from Calphalon

Ingredients:
1/2 cup AP flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup quick cooking oats
1 TBLSP yellow corn meal (fine ground kind)
2 TBLSP brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup low fat milk
1/4 cup plain low fat yogurt
1 TBLSP vegetable oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten

In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. In a small mixing bowl, whip together wet ingredients. Add wet ing. to dry, mixing until just incorporated. Don't over mix! Make waffles according to instructions on waffle iron. This batter is thick!

Topping:
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 cup blueberries
1/4 cup toasted pecans (I never use pecans, too pricey. I use walnuts)
1/2 cup honey (I used about 1/4 cup maple syrup)

I didn't have enough blueberries or strawberries, only about 1/4 cup. So I combined that with the maple syrup and a big glop of home canned cranberry conserve, which had nuts in it. It made enough for just me.

Those waffles & sausage look soooo good! Waffles are one of my favorit-ist things.

Ditto what Annie does, storing the waffles in the refrigerator for a few days. I wrap the xtra ones in waxpaper, pop them into a Zip-Loc for my son to grab a couple before he goes to class. We've been using the toaster to heat them up. I haven't actually eaten any of the leftover ones but, if they weren't good, DS would tell me. He's a bit of a foodie himself.

Thanks, Lpink. Thanks a lot. Now I am dying for homemade waffles.

Nice new toy.... I mean, kitchen appliance. Have fun.

Oh my word those look delish! I'm with dedtired - now I have a waffle craving. Guess I know what to do with myself when I am up at 5 tomorrow... waffles for the family!

Have fun with it!

Alexa

You listened to Mr. Brown's waffle iron advice so you might also like to try a great waffle recipe from one of his early shows. Sweet Potato Waffles- I've been making these for several years now. It's a pain to make big batches but I typically spend a morning making a 3 or 4 times batch because they freeze so well.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups peeled and cubed sweet potatoes
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 egg whites, at room temperature
1 cup milk
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
Vegetable spray, for waffle iron

Special equipment: steamer basket and waffle iron

Directions
Put cubed sweet potatoes in a steamer basket.Place the basket in a large pot of simmering water that is no closer than 2 inches from the bottom of steamer. Allow potatoes to steam for 20 minutes of until fork tender. Mash cooked potatoes and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.

In another bowl combine the sweet potatoes, milk, brown sugar, butter, and grated orange rind. Stir the sweet potato mixture into the flour mixture and thoroughly combine. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold egg whites into batter 1/3 at a time. The batter will be thick. Using a No. 20 disher (scoop), place 2 scoops of batter onto a preheated, oiled waffle iron, and cook until lightly browned, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Use your judgement about the readiness of these. My waffle iron always requires a few minutes longer then it's built in "ready alarm".

michaelp

That does it. I have to dig out that waffle iron that's been in the cellar for 20 years. Those waffles look great, and the multi-grain recipe is one I have to try. Can you say more about what you mean by "spongy," Lpink? I think the recipe should work for a plain waffle as well as a Belgian, don't you?

Congrats on the new waffle iron :-) They look delicious!

.....sausages?

Pinky:
You finally did it. I'm proud of you !!!

I use mine for Panini too. Makes a neat Design.

Keep good in the freezer. If I overbake them a little, I dampen them, before toasting.

- - - - - - - - -

I have a good Waffle recipe. I'll only put it in here if you ask.
Don't want to upset anyone.
LOU

What's the matter EJ, you don't think a jewish vegetarian should be eating sausages? ;)
These ones are fake.

As for "spongy," it could be that I undercooked the first batch. I think they were about the way Belgian waffles are supposed to be, but I like thin waffles better. I'll have to get used to them. I didn't try the second batch yet.

The waffles don't fit into my old toaster, too thick! :(
I sort of suspected that would be the case when I ordered the waffle maker, but this one has a nice heavy duty non-stick coating which I like. I'm going to have to try warming them in the oven and see how long that takes. Bagels don't fit in my old toaster either.

C'mon Lou, give me a break. Post your recipe if you want. Jeesh.

Duane

That picture of the waffles pushed me over the edge, too. After seeing it, I dragged my waffle iron out & made a batch. We love the 'Waffles of Insane Greatness' recipe that is on the January New Recipe thread. They have a nice crisp crust and no sticking, even in my cantankerous old waffle iron.

Pink, I wonder if you could use the waffle iron to warm up the waffles since your toaster slots are too narrow. Just heat it up & plunk them in there for a couple of minutes? Probably be easier to just buy a new toaster--LOL!

Thanks for the recipe Michaelp! I love sweet potato biscuits so I just might give the sweet potato waffles a try next time I fire up the iron! Although I can tell you right now that lazy cook me is going to use canned pumpkin . . .
And it will give me an excuse to try this syrup recipe that came with the waffle iron, seems like it would go well with the waffles.
Orange Maple Syrup

Ingredients
1 cup real maple syrup (not maple flavored, that would be weird with orange)
3 TBLSP butter
Zest of 1 large navel orange
Juce of 1/2 large navel orange

And I would probalby chop up the fruit part of the rest of the navel orange and put it in there!

Go ahead and post your recipe Lou, I know you're dying to! :) I already have it but maybe some do not. I know there have been a lot of waffle threads here lately, but I think I pretty much warned everyone with the topic that this would be another one! I don't like to post recipes because I hate typing them out if no one is going to use them. I even hate cutting and pasting them. I don't mind if someone wants it though, not at all. Like I said, I'm just lazy. Well, actually more like impatient.

Oooh, those look great! I have to confess that when you originally posted about thinking about getting a waffle iron, I decided I had to get one too - I actually went on ebay and bought a vintage Sunbeam that makes the classic style (I already had a Belgian waffle maker). This baby is heavy duty and makes GREAT waffles! I too, used to eat the frozen eggos, but they aren't that great. I bought the Fiber One Pancake and waffle mix, and they come out great, and I freeze some for the week. It's just perfect! there is just nothing like making your own fresh waffles!

OK : Since you asked, I'll post the Recipe, Thanks !!!

LOUÂS
Pancakes and Waffles Recipe

2 ½ cups milk ( IÂve been using powdered milk)
2 eggs ( separated ) .
1/3 cup of Veg. Oil
2 tablespoon of Vanilla
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup Sugar
1 cup of Wheat Flour
4 teaspoons Baking Powder
All Purpose flour ?
---------------------------------------------------------------------
I beat the egg whites first , so I donÂt have to clean the beaters.
Beat the egg whites with a teaspoon of sugar, until peaked.
Put aside until the batter is mixed
.
Batter for Pancakes
Put the first 6 ingredients ( except egg whites ) in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth.
Put in the Wheat flour, Baking Powder. and some All Purpose flour.
Beat until smooth. Add enough AP flour to thicken slightly, ( about 2 cups )
(were it leaves ripples while mixing ) not thin and loose.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Add 1/2 the egg whites, at a time , to the batter and fold in easy.
For Waffles:
Thicken more, to where you have to move it around with a spoon,
when it is put on the Waffle Baker.
Then do the egg white thing as in the pancake batter.
When baked I cool them fast on a rack and put them in a plastic bag,, separated
and right in the freezer.
If you overcook a little, dampen slightly with water,
before you put them in the toaster oven.
I have a very old round Waffle Baker with adjustable heat Range.
It makes a Waffle about 1/2 inch + thickness. For me this is just right,
for the amount of butter and syrup that you can put on top.
I found a Cuisinart mod.WMR-CA to match my old one.
Now I can make Waffles in Stereo .

It's a thing of beauty. I was tempted to upgrade my waffle iron after following your discussion but this morning I made the Waffles of Insane Greatness with my old Salton. OMG are these some great waffles!! I guess I'll save the money keep the Salton. It's a Belgium waffle maker but these are so light that I don't think a regular maker would be as good with this recipe.

Also, I took a tip from Beth's grandpa's pancake recipe and whipped the eggs for 2 minutes before folding into the other ingredients.

LOL! Someone else smitten by the Waffles of Insane Greatness. That waffle recipe really does live up to its billing. But the really bad thing is that, after you've eaten them once, the next time you make them, that part of the recipe--letting the batter sit for 30 minutes--those 30 minutes are pure agony.

Anyways, I'm making them in an old Sunbeam waffle iron. It's from the pre-Teflon era & makes just the standard thickness waffle. They are fantastic but I'm betting that they would be even better in a Belgium iron.

Ci lantro:
I use the old pre Teflon era Waffle baker too. Think it bakes them better than my new one.
I make a double Decker for Belgium Waffles, with all the fruit and goodies in between.
Lou

I hear waffle irons are good for hash browns. Anyone ever try that?

Sue

Lou, I bet the none Teflon ones do bake a better waffle. I know that I can't get a decent sear on meat in a Teflon skillet. Don't have much Teflon around here anymore anyway because we have a couple of pet birds now.

Never had a Teflon waffle iron though. I've had this Sunbeam for years and it was old when I got it. Picked it up at a garage sale many moons ago. Have been hankering for a Belgium waffle maker but don't know if I can find one w/o the nonstick, though.

lpink - thanks to you, I bought a waffle iron! I got the old-fashioned Black & Decker one, which is a bit difficult to find. The waffles came out a little flat, so I guess I need to use more batter.

Made the Waffles of Insane Greatness that folks were raving about, and they were sooooooo good. Thanks Joan! Here's the recipe in case anyone wants it without having to search:

* Posted by joanm (My Page) on
Sun, Jan 24, 10 at 11:45

I have a new favorite waffle recipe. It came from one of those Rachael Ray travel shows. These are the lightest waffles I have ever had. They sort of melt on your tongue.

Waffles of Insane Greatness
Recipe courtesy Aretha Frankensteins

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk or buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Butter and syrup, for serving

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; mix well. Add the milk, vegetable oil, egg, sugar and vanilla and mix well. Let the batter sit for 30 minutes.

Preheat a waffle iron. Do not use non-stick spray on the waffle iron; the oil in the batter will allow the waffle to release easily. Follow the directions on your waffle iron to cook the waffles. Serve immediately with butter and syrup.

This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

I made this with buttermilk. One batch makes two grids of 4 waffles.

Congrats, Lpink! I know you'd been considering one for a while, so I'm glad you finally got one. I noticed your waffles weren't perfectly square, that's probably a good idea... not over filling the waffle iron so the batter doesn't run everywhere. I love the lights around the knob! So nice to have a control dial too... mine is just plugged in and on or unplugged and off, you have a lot more flexibility. Can you remove the plates for easy cleaning?

Congrats! Those waffles look fantastic!

Alexa

Note, that was three weeks ago. They look much better than they taste. Since that time I have gotten disgusted with my waffle iron. First of all, I don't like Belgian waffles, I don't like those deep holes. I even tried a recipe made with yeast, the traditional way, let it sit out overnight, etc. Neither recipe (the one I posted or the yeast one) has held up well for freezing. The waffles don't fit in my toaster, so I've been re-heating them in the oven. I have to spritz them with water because they are all dried out and hard. Also, the waffle maker is supposed to make a beeping sound when the waffles are done, which promptly broke upon second use. I overcooked a bunch of waffles trying to figure out what was wrong. I called Calphalon and they will replace it, but I don't think I want to replace it with a belgian style waffle maker. I bought this one due to the rectangle shape, which is the shape I like, and the fact that it was HEAVY DUTY. It has lived up to the heavy duty promise and the waffles don't stick. But the timer/bell indicator is kaput. There really aren't any heavy duty SMALL SQUARE waffle irons, and about the only regular waffle iron that is heavy duty and not Belgian and comes in a small size is the Cuisinart round one. I dunno what I am going to do, mess with this one some more, or sell it and buy a new one. I should have listened to Lou! I looked at a new Black and Decker, which got OK reviews but many complained that the non stick coating wore off quickly, and that the plate clips wore out quickly so that the thing basically fell apart after a year or so. Yes, I could shop for vintage, but that's not something I have time to get into with my lifestyle. Frankly I don't care about the beeper, and I would love this iron, it is very well designed, IF ONLY it wasn't Belgian style. I just don't care for them. I'm probably going to mess with a few more recipes and if I don't find a miracle one I like, sell this one and either just do without again or get the Cuisinart one.

Lpink - the Black & Decker I bought is the one that was recommended by Cooks Illustrated. It's certainly not heavy duty, compared to the one you have, but I can't imagine it wearing out in a year if well-cared for. It's got an awfully high percentage of great reviews on several sites. I couldn't find any other "regular" waffle maker and liked this one because you can reverse the grids and use it as a grill for sandwiches. Of course, I can't speak to it's longevity, but I can give you my thoughts as I use it more. The outside of it gets hot, so if you have kids around, might not be a good choice.

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: B&D Waffle Iron

Sorry your new iron has disappointed you, Lpink. I know how frustrating it can be to find what you think is a great product and have it let you down.

I'd recommend the one I have (T-fal Avante waffe iron and sandwich maker), but it's not heavy duty and doesn't have a temperature control or done light or beep. Lots of guess work and it takes about 5 minutes for 2 waffles. Your story is why I always try to buy at bricks and mortar and not online... if the product really doesn't live up to my expectations or its claims, it's easier to take back. Of course I always procrastinate until 2 days before the receipt expires and then can't find the receipt, which is why I now have a 75 dollar Rowenta iron sitting here that leaks all over my clothes and I have to throw it away instead of return it.

Anyway, I do hope you find one that works for you, please let us know!

Calphalon will replace it due to the bell not working, but actually I can live without the bell, it's just that I'm discovering I do not like Belgian waffles, which I never would have figured. It's not the taste, it's something about the texture I don't like. It's really a wonderful waffle maker if you like Belgian waffles. I dunno, maybe I can find a recipe I like . . .
Those combo waffle iron panini grills are a great idea. I'll be interested in hearing how you and goldgirl do with yours over time.
The great thing about the Calphalon is the non-stick coating is very durable. I sure wish they would make a regular waffle iron!

Pinky:
I gave you the make of a Waffle Baker ( Cusineart )that is like the old round Waffle Bakers.
Bought mine in Macys , on sale.

I also gave you a great Waffle Recipe. It is very simple.

My DD uses it for Belgium Waffles.

I gave her my Wafflebaker, because I like the thinner waffles.
I'll go on enjoying my Waffles.
Lou

Maybe you would like to make some falafel waffles?

Here is a link that might be useful: Falafel waffles

Fawaffles. I wuv it!

Fawaffles. I wuv it!

Hehe.

Another big thumbs up to the Waffles of Insane Greatness. Made them for dinner one night recently and we loved them!

It's funny lpink, because as much as I like my "regular" waffle iron, I've been thinking maybe I should have gone Belgian ;) I LOVE the Belgian waffles I eat in restaurants.

Maybe we should trade waffle-irons and see if life is greener on the other side!!

Sue