I like waffles but love nice fluffy pancakes. So many waffles to me are too crispy. I wouldn't turn one down but prefer buttermilk pancakes with blueberries in them. Hmm, I should have put my order in to the maid for breakfast! LoL

I like traditional American style waffles. I still use my Toastmaster waffle maker from the 70's. My favorite is a waffle made with sliced bacon cooked into it.

I find so called Belgian waffles to be lacking. Most don't have that yeasty/malty flavor I expect them to have. I do like authentic Liege Belgian waffles that are made with a yeast dough.

My favorite all time breakfast bread is simply a regular yeast dough rolled out, cut into random pieces and pan fried. You can top it with traditional pancake /waffle toppings or get creative.

I do like Eggo waffles for a quick snack or in place of a slice of toast with and egg breakfast. I toast them crisp and like them spread with lemon curd.

I have one of those little single waffle makers which is perfect for me. I usually use Bisquick with sour cream added instead of milk. I only make them 2 or 3 times a year though - I like them but don't seem to crave them much.

I have to try the recipe that Joann posted in the beginning post! I have to prove those one star reviews WRONG...HAHAHA! Did anyone read the reviews/comments on that recipe site? How can so many have perfect results and a few say that they were horrible?

I use a whole wheat recipe that I kind of just made up from other recipes, it does not have yeast. I didn't even know a waffle was supposed to have yeast?

No way...Eggo waffles are nasty! HAHA! I'd rather just not have a waffle if I had to have an Eggo! I thought that I would buy these about a year ago because I remembered liking them many years ago...not to my liking anymore!

I've had this one for years and years. Someone said the Belgian waffles she has don't taste yeasty. The recipe I posted has yeast. They smell devine while in the waffle maker and taste better. I usually top my waffles with butter and Rogers Golden Syrup. But quite often I'll top them with mixed fruit and fresh whipped cream.

I didn't read the link, but as soon as someone mentioned the Insane Waffle recipe, I made that recipe as well, when it was posted here a decade ago and it was delicious! I don't have a waffle maker, but do love a good waffle. Now you're all making me want to scour the thrift stores for one!!!

I like pancakes and French toast better. :)

Sue

Watchmelol, I made Liege waffles recently. The dough is basically brioche. The only problem with making them at home is the pearl sugar sticks to the waffle iron is is the devil to remove.

I'm going to have to try the Marion Cunningham yeast waffles - I've not made them with yeast before, but I have plenty of yeast in my freezer.

I've noticed that substituting half and half for milk improves the waffles, or you can just substitute cream for part of the milk or buttermilk.

I don't make waffles as often as I used to because they do not have enough protein to fit into my current diet, but I have adjusted that by adding whey protein to them.

I also use a higher proportion of eggs to flour and reduce the amount of milk to compensate for the extra liquid. One egg is generally about 1/4 cup, or slightly less.

If you ask folks from here ( central PA) what their favorite food is you will quite likely hear....chicken and waffles! Cook the chicken, make the gravy ( I usually then add the chicken to the gravy) grab a pile of freshly mashed potatoes and taste your first bite of heaven!

Now that I am approaching 70 it is not something that I make more than once a year. I would have to eat broccoli and water for the next week.

I bought one! Canadian Tire has a Cuisinart vertical one for $65, reg. $105. Then I went to WM and they have a Hamilton-Beach rotating one for $40, reg. $50. I came home and read the reviews to see which would best suit me.

The Cuisinart has a pouring spout so that the batter runs evenly, but if you make a home-made mix, or the batter is too thick it will clog the spout. That did it for me, so I bought the H-B one. I think it's waffles and sausages for dinner!

I bought one as well. Went looking around Amazon and saw a pink one that makes four heart shaped waffles. Thought of Amylou and her fun pink bakeware stuff and decided that heart shaped waffles would brighten my day.

I have no suggestions but in response to some of the recipes, I'll observe that I've never had a "Belgian" (Liegeois, Bruxellois, or otherwise) waffle in North America that came anywhere close to resembling waffles in Belgium. Same name, I assume the ingredients can be mostly followed and similar but the resemblance stops there. I've never tried to do it myself.

Waffles of any kind with chicken doesn't sound like something I would like.

For most of my life I've used my mom's recipe, which separates the eggs and gains extra fluffiness from whipping the egg whites. I always made a big batch to freeze and pop in the toaster. Then I tried gardengal's recipe to use up some of my sourdough starter ... and wow, now they are my favorite.

So in my (limited) experience, "chicken and waffles" seems to be a piece of fried chicken sitting on top of standard waffle. Syrup on the side. I've not been impressed. Maybe it's be better with chicken gravy? Am I missing some other factor that makes c&w fabulous?

Elmer, you should befriend a member of the Belgian Club of SV. They used to have a gaufres and frites fundraiser for a hospital every year. Heaven. They may resume the fundraiser this spring ;-)

"Then I tried gardengal's recipe to use up some of my sourdough starter ... and wow, now they are my favorite."

Glad you like them, nickel!! There is nothing better than a sourdough waffle.....certainly no Belgian waffle (way too sweet) and nothing you can find at any restaurant. Don't need to bother with yeast or separating eggs or buttermilk or any elaborate recipe - just some good sourdough starter. If they aren't sourdough, I can't be bothered with 'em!!

And you can leave off the chicken for me as well. Crisp bacon or a good breakfast sausage.

Hmm, interesting. I hadn't heard of that group. I explored its website, it seems to be rather SF/Berkeley centric, a bit of a hike for a regular thing to do - I used to have to go to the City fairly regularly for work and enjoy in retirement staying down here. But I see they mentioned a get together at a Belgian pub in North Beach I didn't know of. I might try that sometime. Thanks

gardengal48, can you post the recipe, please :)

Sourdough Waffles:

Blend together 2 1/2 cups AP flour and 2 cups lukewarm water until creamy and smooth. Add your sourdough starter, mix well and leave someplace warm 4-6 hours or overnight.

When you are read to make the waffles, remove 1 cup of the activated starter and replace in your starter crock for future use.

To the remaining activated starter add:

3 Tbsp granulated sugar

4 Tbsp salad oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 large egg

1/4 cup milk

Blend well but do not beat. For a four square waffle iron, pour a cup of the batter into the center of the iron and cook according to the iron instructions ( usually do a small test run first :-))

I need to cook them longer. I had them and sausages for dinner, they were golden but weren't crispy at all. I sprayed the grills, maybe that had something to do with it, too.

Many " outsiders" scoff at the idea of chicken with waffles but they are quickly converted! This is NOT a breakfast entree, nor is it sweet. The chicken is not fried and no syrup is served with it. Blech! It is the ultimate in comfort food.

Best chicken and waffles I had was in Savannah, Ga. Chicken served with maple syrup and pecans with waffles on the side.

"Outsiders"? Outside of what? Must everyone find what you like to eat to also be of interest to them?

I had Chicken and Waffles in Vegas - and it was divine!

I had chicken and waffles for the first time this past summer while we were vacationing on the northern California coast. The chicken was deep fried breaded chicken strips and the waffle was a waffle. Maple syrup was served on the side. I ordered it for brunch which is probably a good time to serve it since it has a breakfast component in the waffle and a lunch component in the chicken.

The chicken was perfectly cooked, the waffle was fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside especially around the edges. I ate most of it without the syrup, but dipped waffle/chicken in the syrup every few bites. I think the dish would have been good with gravy as well.

While it wasn't something I'd make at home due to the calories and the deep frying, I didn't feel at all bad or guilty for indulging while on vacation.

It was yummy.

I love chicken and waffles. A lot of places are using chicken strips these days in California but we still have a few soul food places to get the real deal. Real bone in fried chicken and American style waffles. You can even get sides like grits and collard greens. There are options of gizzards or fried chicken livers too. Syrups are always served on the side.

I have never seen chicken in gravy and waffles here. It sounds like it is a regional dish. I looked it up and it seems to have Amish roots.

lucille, is this the one you bought??

pink heart waffle maker

thanks gardengal!!!!! now i need a starter!!

lucille, is this the one you bought??

Yes, it should be here by tomorrow, can't wait to try it out!

Yes, how does one go about getting a starter? I tried a powdered mix once, but it didn't work. And, how do is it kept alive? Besides waffles or pancakes, I'd like to try my hand at making sour dough bread.

Dawn, the easiest way to get a starter is to beg some off a friend or family member that has an active one going! Since the starter needs to be fed routinely, unless you are using some of the starter on a daily basis, there is always surplus that typically will get discarded....or given away :-) That's where my first SD starter came from, as a Christmas gift with the waffle iron and a recipe card!! I had that starter for the better part of 20 years before it went off. And since my starter is a family thing, I just asked for some more when that happened.

You can also find various recipes online for creating your own starter. It is a bit of a time consuming process initially but should provide good results. I have never tried the packaged starters but Gold Rush gets good reviews and is recommended by Bob's Red Mill.

Read up on sourdough starter to get the details but you will need to "feed" the starter regularly (adding equal portions of flour and lukewarm water and allowing it to ferment 8-12 hours or overnight). And you need to be careful with temperatures......keeping this right around 80F while the feeding or fermenting is in process is ideal. Fed starter can be safely refrigerated until use or time to feed again. Also, avoid contact with metal - use a glass or ceramic bowl to mix and to store and never use metal utensils. The starter is acidic and acids react badly with metals especially aluminum and copper. Once you've used the starter as part of a recipe, metal baking pans or utensils, etc. pose no threat.

Thank you, gardengal! That is really useful information. I'm thinking it might be better to wait for summer considering the 80 degree temperature requirement that's needed in the beginning. Our house is never 80 during the day and it gets down to around 60 - 65 during the night so that wouldn't be good. I'll give some thought as to what I might do about that. My studio has it's own heater; I could set that for 80, close the door and leave it in there overnight. Don't mind me, just thinking out loud here!

Now that I've solved that problem, I may give that a try in the next week or two.

Once it's established, how long can it go between feedings? I'm thinking about when we go out of town for several weeks at a time. I'll get online and do some reading later.

Dawn, I use my microwave to store it while it is being fed. I preheat the micro first by nuking a pan of water until almost boiling, then remove the pan of water and replace with the bowl of starter. Close the door and keep it closed and it should maintain enough warmth overnight to keep the starter happy. It doesn't need to stay at 80F the entire time - it will take lower temps but not much higher. Wherever you may proof a typical yeast dough would also work for the starter.

And it can go quite a long time between feedings - I've left it for as long as a month, maybe more, but more frequent feeding makes for a better and longer lasting starter.

Ahhhh, got it. I took that 80 degree thing too literally. Thanks for clarifying that part, gardengal. This sounds like something that would be a fun winter project when it's too cold to be outside.

I'm not happy with the sour dough I've been buying or have been served when eating out. None of them are sour enough. I know we used to get sourdough all the time, but it's like it's been dumbed down or something and there is barely a hint of sourness. We had some really good sour, sourdough at a restaurant last month and it made me realize what's been missing from our bread lately.

I like my sourdough to be really sour as well :-) If the starter gets really foamy or bubbly and has a strong earthy, yeasty, almost fruity smell, then chances are you will have a good batch of really tangy sourdough going on!

Some include rye flour in their starter (some even do 100% rye), claiming that it works faster (rye tends to have more natural yeast) and produces a tangy-er result. I have not tried this myself but may be worth looking into.

If you make your own waffles try shorting the sugar then use the waffles as a base for savory things. The batter still needs a hint of sweetness but there was a restaurant when I was a child that served Chicken a la King on top of waffles. The sauce was slightly salty which was offset by the slight sweetness in the waffle.

Thanks, gardengal! I'm not sure when I will get to it, but I am looking forward to having some real sourdough bread in the near future!

watchmelol said, "I find so called Belgian waffles to be lacking. Most don't have that yeasty/malty flavor I expect them to have."

Have you tried Carbon's Golden Malted? Many restaurants use it. We've bought it and it makes really good waffles. You can buy it online direct from the company, and Amazon has it as well as World Market, Walmart, and Williams-Sonoma.

Thanks Lindsey. I will try it. Should be good even for regular waffles and pancakes.

I had a chicken waffle slider at White Castle. Yes, White Castle. Guess what? It was delicious and I didn't have to travel to Belgium.

"The Belgian waffles used for our sliders are authentic and imported from a partner in Brussels, Belgium, that began making waffles in 1932, just 11 years after White Castle opened its first restaurant," said Jamie Richardson, vice president of White Castle. "And nothing says comfort food like a true Belgian waffle. From sweet treats to savory eats, White Castle's Belgian waffle sliders offer something you will love for breakfast, lunch or dinner!"

I love waffles, but the carbohydrate to protein ratio is bad for my health. I have to limit the amount I eat (and its not nearly enough to satisfy).

"Guess what? It was delicious and I didn't have to travel to Belgium."

I've had cellophane wrapped "waffles" made in Belgium. They've had a consistency not unlike a homemade or restaurant waffle. The only resemblance it bore to the fresh waffles I've had in Belgium was the shape. Taste and consistency wise - not close.

Made my heart shaped waffles and they were cute and yummy but did not get as crisp as I wanted. I suspect that it is because of the 800 something watts, I noticed that some of the larger waffle makers are 1200. I have bought another waffle iron this time in cast iron.

A few years back I purchased a Bella waffle Maker. They turn out perfect every time. 2.5 minutes & they're crispy or 2 minutes and they're limp. There's a green light on top that accurately predicts it's doneness. It had an X-mas rebate @ Kohls, I paid $3. Waffles are a Winter "thing" for us. :0) Seasonal. The real maple syrup & real butter gives them the "great" flavor.

Occasional waffles are fine but I don't get excited about them. I have never cared for what's called Belgian waffles around here. A standard waffle maker and a good batter, usually pop some crumbled bacon into it and a good fruit syrup on them are a tasty treat occasionally.

The first time I ever heard of chicken and waffles was on Duckman decades ago and made me roar in laughter. Thought, they couldn't be serious. But I guess. I've had chicken and waffles during the same meal before but never eaten together. For me, they don't go together. Call me "un-nice" if you wish but that's my opinion and I'll stick with it.

I'm not a big waffle fan, never have been. But I was watching Giada this morning and she made sausage and parmesan waffles that looked really great. What do you think?

No. I'll stick with the sweet ones.

I would do the sausage but without the parmesan. I find I don't care for parmesan on anything other than as a light sprinkle on red sauced pasta. I would use maple syrup on them but I like sweet and savory together. I am someone who likes pineapple with pepperoni or linguica on my pizza.