We have two (long story, both gifts!): the All-Clad Round Classic Waffle Maker and the Cuisinart Belgian Waffle Maker. They are both okay, but neither is stellar. (In fairness, we are also people who do waffles every weekend and are somewhat picky about them!) The Cuisinart is good for belgian waffle recipes but is a total failure with classic yeasted waffles (literally cannot cook them, which is how we wound up getting the All-Clad). The All-Clad does nicely with yeasted (it's a thin pocket vs. thick pocket griddle which apparently makes a difference) and is better at crisping waffles since it has a hotter setting, but is extremely expensive for what it is, in my opinion. Neither handles overflow very well, so you have to be careful not to put in too much batter. Both are nonstick, and while that's convenient, I would still prefer cast iron that I could spray---but no one seems to make that these days. Honestly, if I were getting one today I would just buy one of the refurbished Sunbeam waffle irons. Both my husband and I grew up with those and the modern ones pale in comparison.

Here's another vote for yeast raised waffles - my recipe is a little different. * Exported from MasterCook * Raised Waffles Recipe By : Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1/2 cup warm water (105 to 110 degrees) 1 package dry yeast 1 teaspoon sugar 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups milk -- warmed (105 to 110 degrees) 1/2 cup unsalted butter -- (1 stick) melted 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 2 eggs Use a large mixing bowl.Batter will rise to double its original volume.Put water in mixing bowl & sprinkle in the yeast.Let stand to dissolve for 5 mins. Add the milk, butter,salt,sugar & flour to the yeast mixture & beat beat until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand overnight at room temperature. Just before cooking the waffles, beat in the eggs, add the baking soda and stir until well mixed. The batter should be very thin. Pour about 1/2 c. to 3/4 c batter into a very hot, oiled waffle iron. Bake until they are golden and crisp. Source: ""The Breakfast Book" Marion Cunningham" Yield: "10 waffles" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

That was a lot of fun Bobby, thanks for finding it! Chocolate waffles with ice cream--yum! Alton was down on the square waffle irons, due to the heat distribution or something, but I like them for toasting. Yes, I know I can break up the other kind. I am very limited with my toaster. It is only big enough for toast made from a small piece of bread. Also the waffle irons I like, that seem to be the most heavy duty for the square waffles, are for the Belgian kind, which I think might not fit in my toaster. Here are the ones I'm thinking about getting: Cuisinart Belgian Waffle Iron Calaphon Belgian Waffle Maker Krups Waffle Chef Belgian Waffle Maker Cucina Pro 1452 Belgian 4 square waffle iron Those were the only ones I could find that seemed to have sufficient electric juice and heavy duty cast aluminum "irons" and also a non-stick finish that didn't wear off. Most of the cheap nonstick stuff I get wears off and I really don't like that, not to mention that the "non-stick" part pretty much becomes non existent at that point. I think they're all going to make too big of waffles though, but I can reheat them in the oven I guess. I'm not really ready to buy a new toaster, and I don't really have much room for one. I really love my retro one, but it is really not good for much else but toast. They do sell a non electric real iron one, but I dunno, sounds like a recipe for me to burn myself or melt something in the kitchen. Maybe someday when I get my dream woodburning stove and I can just shove it around any old where.

I also made these last week-end and was disappointed with the flavor. The recipe that I made up myself tastes much better to me and also has a texture that I prefer. However, I might try this recipe again with some changes, as I found the waffles to be very bland and airy, whether I made them crisp or not. Not only that, several of them stuck to my waffle maker, and I had never had that happen before. Maybe the recipe needs even more butter (At first I thought it had a lot!), but after the waffles started sticking, I started buttering the inside of the waffle maker, and the extra butter helped the flavor. Changes I would make: double the eggs (I like my waffles to taste more like crepes), omit the water and proof the yeast in the milk, and substitute cream for half of the milk. Also, instead of the 1/4 tsp of soda, I would add 1 tsp of vodka at the final mixing. For me, this helps the texture a lot. In addition, I think I would like to use whole wheat flour for half of the flour. I will also need to use a slightly larger bowl, as the one I used filled up completely, but the plastic wrap on top prevented any spilling. I do like the yeast better than the baking powder, as I think that baking powder gives a somewhat metallic taste to the waffles, and I do not mind a slight yeast flavor. I also like being able to make the batter the night before so that I can cook them as soon as I get up - that gave me time to do some gardening in the morning before it got too sunny. Kevin continued to garden until noon. I am glad I tried this recipe, as I had been reluctant to make yeast waffles before, partly because I was so happy with my old recipe. While I still prefer my old recipe to this one, I think I can combine the two to make something more to my taste. I personally think that the 1/2 cup water in the original recipe was a mistake, since it does not appear in the ingredients list, and that's why Ann needed to add the 3/4 cup of additional flour. The dry to wet ingredients proportion seems to be better in FOAS's recipe. I'm not sure how I would feel about the vanilla in the recipe, but it might have enough alcohol to have a similar effect to the vodka. I might decide to try Canadian Whisky in place of vodka. Lars