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141 of 145 found the following review helpful:
 I love it Aug 27, 2005
By Gardenia
"Holly"
After going through several cheap waffle makers in just as many years, I decided to buy a decent one that will hopefully hold up for decades. (I'm optimistic)
I bought this model after reading all the reviews on the Villaware 3200. This model is newer, having shown up here on Amazon 2-2005. The styling is much more attractive than the older model and while a bit more expensive, it's worth it if it's a keeper.
I was impressed with how fast the waffles came out, having made them for the first time this morning. Much faster than the ones I have had before. The waffles were cooked through, reasonably crisp, (the recipe is important and mine might not be the best for crispiness) and released every time.
I brushed the grids with real butter before heating it up and did not regrease.
For cleaning, all I did was wipe it carefully with a paper towel. The clean up is the easiest I have ever had in a waffle maker and the design aids cleanup.
I made the first waffle on the #5 setting. It was cooked through but not brown enough. Subsequent waffles were made at the highest setting. It's important, as the booklet states, to flip the waffle over as you remove it for serving. Has to do with the gravity and settling of the finished product.
The beep is annoying on a quiet morning although useful.
This waffle maker is very solid feeling. The bottom is plastic which is a drawback but the unit as a whole is hefty and has a nice cord storage area that actually works easily.
This is the recipe I've used for years. I had such fun making these waffles this morning, I made a second batch for the freezer.
1 cup white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup 9 grain cereal (optional but it is good-adds some crunch)
1/4 cup sugar -or less to taste
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt if desired- I don't use it but I use salted butter
1 stick melted butter
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk or whole milk. If using buttermilk, cut baking powder to 2 tea. and add 1/2 tea. baking soda
Possible 1/4 cup extra milk. Batter should be fairly thin.
While assembling ingredients, melt butter. Place all dry stuff in large bowl, whisk to mix.
Make a well, and add eggs and milk. Whisk everything together until just mixed. Fold in melted butter with spatula.
199 of 210 found the following review helpful:
Very Good Belgian Round Waffler Dec 24, 2005
By Vyshtia
Why would you want a waffler?
I wanted to start making my own waffles after hearing about how subpar frozen waffles are in comparison to waffles made from scratch. Waffles made from scratch has a lot more versatility, quality, taste, and you can freeze them as well. Make a batch, freeze the extras, and just make more when you run out. I have to agree that these waffles are a lot better than frozen waffles and quality is of importance to me, so I'm sticking to this routine.
What kind of waffler to get?
There are many different kinds and here are some factors to consider:
1. Belgian vs Regular - basically the same batter, yet will taste different when made in these two different styles. The Belgian is bigger and the batter rises more when cooked, resulting in a very light and fluffy waffle. The regular waffle is more dense. Which is better? That's personal preference, but I do like the Belgian more.
2. Shape
There are a lot of different shapes: Round, Square, Rectangular sticks, Mickey Mouse, Hearts, etc.... For regular waffles, Round is best because the heat coil in the waffler is able to spread the heat more evenly so all the edges gets cooked more evenly than with other shapes. This is not that big a deal, but it is of importance to consider.
3. One vs Multiple waffles.
For a waffler to make multiple waffles at once, it would take a lot of electricity and time. Considering those two factors, it's better to have a couple of single waffle makers rather than one waffer that makes several waffles. My sister has one that makes 2 square waffles and she loves that one, but beware of those that make more than 2 waffles at a time. I like a single waffler because this is a uni-tasker and so I don't want something so big and hard to store. I'll accept that I need it and want it, but there's no reason for it to take up more precious storage space than necessary.
After doing a lot of research, I bought the Cuisinart WMR-CA Round Classic Waffle Maker. A waffler is a very basic and simple item, I trusted the Cuisinart brand, and the price was right. I was disappointed by the performance though and replaced that one with this Villaware Waffler. I bought this brand off of my sister's recommendation. Williams Sonoma carries this brand as well. I liked this model over the Cuisinart because:
1. I discovered that I liked the Belgian style better over the regular waffle.
2. A LOT less spillage - out of 9 waffles, only one had batter spilling over, and that's from me testing out what the proper amount of batter should be. I have full confidence that I can make waffles consistently now with minimal to no spill-over.
3. Heavier duty and seems of better quality. It's heavier, the lid is heavier as well - this is a good thing in a waffler because as the batter cooks and expands, it's going to push the top open - having a heavier lid prevents this from happening as much. Some other models/brands have a locking lid. The only bad thing from the lid opening up is that your waffer will not be cooked as evenly on top than the bottom. The Cuisinart's lid was also "wiggly" - meaning, when you open it, you could wiggle the lid from side to side. The Villaware one was a lot more stable in this respect, therefore, feeling of higher quality.
4. Alton Brown's "Good Eats" show featured this waffler as the waffler of choice.
Overall, I really like this waffler. It works very well. There is no on/off switch, so once you plug it in, it starts preheating. When it's ready for batter, it will beep. Every time it's ready for batter, it will beep. This beep is the biggest drawback on this unity, it sounds like a dying bird. It's very loud, there's no way to shut it up, and it has a off-flat note to it that is grating and annoying. I put up with it because the beep is on an otherwise GREAT unit...and because it is helpful. I tend to do other things in the kitchen while waiting for the waffle to cook, so I can forget about the waffle. This beep reminds me with authority to get the cooked waffle out and put in new batter - for this, I'm very grateful...I just wish they made a nicer note that wasn't so grating. The inside is non-stick, this is very nice. You can spray on some oil to help further prevent sticking. I don't think it's necessary to add any additional butter/oil, if you carefully pry an edge up, you can slide a spatula underneath and lift the whole waffle out pretty easily. The entire waffler is easy to clean. I just wipe out the whole thing with a paper towel. It's one solid unit, so you can't submerge it or put it in the dishwasher - just a good wipedown is sufficient.
I would recommend this item.
50 of 50 found the following review helpful:
 Great Waffle Iron Apr 30, 2007
By B. Cohn
"booklust"
We received this waffle iron as a wedding gift four years ago and have been using it frequently ever since. We wanted a heavy duty waffle iron like the food service department had at our colleges, only not as expensive and one that does not require as much counter space, so we got this one.
What is great about this waffle iron:
1. After four years of frequent use the cooking surface is in great condition. Granted, you MUST spray the surface with cooking spray to avoid sticking, but for those of us who forget to do that every once in a while the clean up is easy. I only spray the iron twice while cooking a batch of four to five waffles.
2. Easy storage! We live in a small house and do not have a lot of counter space. It is so helpful that the cord wraps around the base and the iron is light enough to be stored high up in a cupboard so I only need to use one hand to reach it.
3. CLEAN! This is the cleanest waffle iron I have ever had the pleasure of using. Things tend to get messy in this household and I have always been impressed with how easy it is to clean this waffle iron. All I ever use is a clean cloth to wipe down the inside. Occasionally I'll have to scrub the outside if we overfill it and leave it sit too long.
4. It rarely overflows. It seems that whenever we attempt to overfill it the waffle puffs up rather than spill over the sides. This is a great feature, even if it is accidental.
5. I have tried at least 10 different waffle recipes in this iron and they all turned out great. My favorite recipe is the one that is included with the waffle iron when you buy it, but I have temporarily lost the book.
6. I have never had a burnt waffle. It is probably due to the combination of the beeper and the temperature settings, but I am satisfied.
CONS:
1. The hinge seems to have gotten a little loose with age, although it has not affected the quality of the waffles.
2. I like my waffles crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and have found that I need to set the iron at 7 (the max) before they come out the way I like. It would be nice if the iron had a little more range than 7 but I suppose they are trying to avoid a "burnt" setting.
3. The beeper is effective in that I must attend to the waffle iron or else I'll go nuts from the chirping. Although, it is a nice way to let the family know that breakfast is ready and the chirping does not appear to bother anyone else but me.
4. This has nothing to do with the iron itself, but I wish they posted their waffle recipes on their website.
This is the best waffle iron we have used that is not industrial grade. I highly recommend this to anyone who does an average amount of waffle making.
28 of 28 found the following review helpful:
So good you'll be inviting more people to brunch Oct 29, 2005
By SarahV
I love my new waffler! My brother has the square version of this guy, and his edges always come out underdone. I guess the heating coil is round because mine are perfect every time! This is so easy to use and waffles always come out perfect, I find myself hosting and inviting more people over to brunch. Definitely worth the money! (My favorite waffle recipe is from Joy of Cooking--use both sticks of butter, the buttery, cripys flavour is divine!)
23 of 23 found the following review helpful:
Nice Waffle makes Feb 24, 2006
By J. Paris
This one works great. I had a square krupps waffle maker before and this one is ten times better....cooks better, heats faster, looks better, and the audible ready alert is great. I saw this one on Good Eats on Food Network, and I am thrilled that I have this one....exactly what I wanted!
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