Waffles. The crisp, lovable breakfast food that all of us can remember eating as children.
The sweet, cascading syrup that drips down and into the pockets, the salty butter clogging up each individual square of the waffle, and the beautiful dusting of powdered sugar. Warm, welcoming and delicious–all are ways to describe a waffle.
But, if your waffle iron is unable to do its job and burns or undercooks your waffles no matter what you do to try and help it, it may be time for an upgrade.
Surprisingly, there are a lot of different types of waffle irons on the market. With different sizes, shapes, thicknesses, and other special features, there’s a lot more that goes into buying a waffle iron than you may think.
Finding the best waffle makers may seem like a daunting feat, but it doesn’t have to be. Keep on reading for a breakdown of what makes the perfect waffle iron.
Style of Waffle
For starters, you should probably figure out which style of waffle you’d like to make.
There are two types of waffles:
The traditional, more thin style of waffles. If you like the thickness of an Eggo or other store-bought waffle, this may be the way to go.
And Belgian waffles. Belgian waffles are much more thick, which allows for a crisp outside and a light, fluffy inside.
Shape of the Waffle
Once again, depending on your personal preference, the shape of a waffle can make or break your breakfast.
While circle and square waffle irons are typically the most popular waffle irons and most people would have one of these two shapes, waffle irons can also come in heart shapes, stars, animals and practically any other shape you can think of!
Waffle irons even come in a honeycomb shape!
Don’t worry, your preference for a style of waffle, either traditional or Belgian, should not affect your choice of shape.
Most waffle iron shapes come in both styles of waffle.
Size of Waffle
Much like the shape, the waffle iron you choose will also change the size of the waffle you are able to make!
Many circular waffle irons will make four small, triangular waffle pieces. While, on the other hand, some square waffle irons will produce four larger squares.
Depending on how much you typically eat or what size of waffle you prefer, you may need to choose a different shape of your waffle iron to better suit your needs.
Nonstick?
Thankfully, most waffle irons on the market come with nonstick coating so your waffles can easily pop right off while you’re cooking.
However, it’s always best to check before purchasing just to make sure.
Because of all of the crevices and crannies of a waffle iron, cleaning one can be a nightmare.
There’s nothing worse than going to use a waffle iron, only to find last week’s batter lining the inside.
So, the best way to avoid this is to purchase a nonstick waffle iron.
Adjustable Heat
One extremely helpful feature that most waffle irons nowadays come stocked with is the ability to adjust the heat of the waffle iron to choose a how brown and crispy you want your waffle to be.
Whether the waffle iron you are looking at has a slider, knob, button, or possibly even touch screen to adjust the heat of your waffle iron, it’s a win in the book of waffles!
This way, you can discover exactly how you like your waffles.
Also, there are plenty of food hack recipes online that use your waffle irons to create full meals. An adjustable heating knob can help to increase the spectrum of what you can cook in your waffle iron.
The Number of Waffles
Say you live in a larger family and you need a waffle iron that is able to pump out breakfast while you cook eggs, bacon, hash browns, and whip up a fruit salad on the side.
Or maybe you live by yourself and don’t think there’s any need to make more than one waffle at a time.
Depending on the waffle iron you choose, you can dictate how many waffles you are making at a time.
Several square Belgian waffle iron models can create up to 4 large waffles at a time, others will make one or two, and some circular waffle irons can only make one waffle at a time.
However, most of the waffle irons that are able to make more waffles at a time are extremely bulky and hard to clean.
Make sure you take all of these factors into consideration when buying a waffle iron.
Specialty Features
There is a wide variety of specialty features that waffle irons may come preset with.
For instance, some waffle irons– mostly circular ones– come with a function where you flip/rotate the waffle iron to make sure the batter is evenly spread.
With this feature, you will ensure the perfect waffle everytime. It will help to evenly brown the waffle and make the shape as close to perfect as possible.
Or perhaps you don’t want to have to deal with the waffle batter that will often overflow out of the sides of a waffle iron.
Some models even come with a tray that will catch the dripping waffle batter before it dirties up your countertops.
Finally, some waffle irons will tell you when the waffle is ready. This function makes it easy to cook the perfect waffle every time.
There’s a lot to consider when purchasing a waffle iron.
Before you go to the store or order online, it’s a good idea to know how much space you have and what you’re looking for.
Try to make a list of the features that you want, need, and don’t care for. With this list, you can rule out some waffle irons that don’t have enough features or just aren’t what you’re looking for.
Once you find your waffle iron, get to waffling! Let your creativity run wild with your new kitchen appliance and try outside of the box(mix) ideas.
