Best Waffle Makers

We're all familiar with waffles in one form or another. The idea of preparing a cake by cooking batter between two heated metal plates apparently originated in ancient Greece! Over the centuries, different European countries made their own varieties of waffles, differing in their ingredients, flavorings, or toppings. In the United States, the first patented stove-top waffle maker was made by Cornelius Swartwout in 1869, with safety features that made waffle making more fool-proof. Later on, General Electric marketed the first electric waffle maker in 1918. And the renowned “Belgian waffles”, with their distinctive deep pockets to hold syrup or cream, were introduced into the US by Walter Cleyman in 1962.

So, with such a long history, there must be a lot of varieties of waffle makers from which to choose when selecting the best waffle maker for your needs! They’ll differ in the number of waffles that they can prepare at a time--whether you’ll want four or six at once, or will just settle for two. Depending on which waffle maker you purchase, you can prepare either round or square waffles, of all different widths and thicknesses. Waffle makers also differ in how you insert the batter, as well as in their temperature controls, depending on how light or dark you want your waffles.

We’ve composed this buyer’s guide to help you make the right decision when selecting a waffle maker. It'll help you:

• Choose the right type of waffle maker,

• See useful tips about that particular type of waffle maker,

• Read reviews of different waffle makers, and what customers are saying,

• Select the right brand of the best waffle makers, and

• Compare prices and find the best deals.

If we were to distinguish between waffle makers based on the type of waffle they prepare, we could find over 14 different varieties just in Belgium alone! But waffle makers can primarily be divided into two types:

• Belgian waffle makers: Belgian waffles are significantly thicker, with deep pockets. They can be anywhere from 1 to 1-½ inches thick. Also, the pockets are wider than in the American version. The Cuisinart WAF-150 4-Slice Belgian Waffle Maker prepares 4 1” deep Belgian waffles.

Cuisinart WAF-150 4-Slice Belgian Waffle Maker

• American waffle makers: These will also be called “classic waffle makers”. They produce waffles that are thinner and more flat, with smaller and shallower pockets. These are preferred for certain recipes, such as when making a sandwich using waffles instead of slices of bread. The waffles are around ½-inch thick. An example is the Cuisinart WMR-CA Round Classic Waffle Maker.

Cuisinart WMR-CA Round Classic Waffle Maker

• Volcano Waffle Maker: Some low-end waffle makers produce odd-shaped waffles, that don’t look anything like what you see in the supermarket under frozen waffles. The Chefman Belgian Perfect Pour Volcano Belgian Waffle Maker uses gravity to distribute the batter evenly between the two plates, to achieve more even results. Instead of being a pair of flat plates, the plates are raised in the middle, so that the batter runs down towards the edges evenly.

Chefman Belgian Perfect Pour Volcano Belgian Waffle Maker

• Cooks evenly: Customers complain about waffle irons that don’t cook evenly. Some of the models we looked at would burn the back waffles, while the front waffles weren’t even ready yet! Check that your model will achieve uniform results.

• Drip tray: If you apply too much batter, you’ll see that the batter will flow out of the sides of the waffle maker. Some waffle makers have a drip tray to collect any runoff. That makes cleanup easier.

• Cool-touch handles: One of the innovations of the original waffle maker was the long handles which helped keep a person from getting burned. Nowadays, you’ll see waffle makers will handles that remain cool to the touch. That’s a big plus.

• Digital or analog temperature controls: It’s recommended that waffles be brown and crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside. But that’s a matter of personal taste. You’ll find waffle makers that have an analog temperature dial, where you select how brown you’d like your waffles and dial it in. That’s how the Toastmaker Waffle Maker works. But you can find digital models, where you type in the selected temperature exactly. That removes some of the guesswork. The Gourmia Stainless Steel Digital Belgian Waffle Maker has an LCD display to let you program the cooking time.

Analog temperature control on the Toastmaster Waffle Maker

Digital controls on the Gourmia Belgian Waffle Maker

• Timer: If the waffle maker has a timer, green indicator light, and automatic shutoff, that will be even more foolproof. But don’t open the waffle maker up before the time--that will tend to drive the air out of the waffle batter, making it less airy and fluffy.

• The time it takes to make waffles: You obviously would prefer a waffle maker that gets the waffles ready fast. The Brentwood TS243 Waffle Maker uses 750 Watts of power and can prepare two waffles in 6-10 minutes (depending on how you prefer your waffles). You should also preheat the waffle maker for 10-15 minutes before adding the batter. The Brentwood Waffle Maker has a green indicator light to tell you when the waffle maker is hot enough to add the batter. The indicator light will then go on again when the waffles are ready.

• Non-stick surfaces: Most waffle makers will have a non-stick surface. The Starfrit waffle maker uses a copper and ceramic coating, while the Brentwood waffle maker uses a Teflon coating. It’s recommended to use a nonstick spray as well, to ensure that the waffles will come out in one piece. When removing the waffles, be sure not to use any implements that may damage a non-stick surface.

• Flipping the waffles: If you notice that one side is browner than the other, it’s recommended that you flip the waffle over and let the waffle maker brown the other side as well. Some waffle makers can be rotated, which essentially does the flipping for you.

• Other uses as well: A waffle maker can be used for many other culinary purposes as well. First off, you can make waffles using oatmeal, or with a batter containing chocolate chips, buttermilk, or bananas. And, if you want something else other than waffles, you can use it for making brownies, cinnamon rolls, hash browns, tortillas, omelets, and biscuits, sandwiches, and more!

Chefman is located in Mahwah, New Jersey, and is a noteworthy manufacturer of kitchen utensils and food preparation appliances: multicookers, toasters, sandwich makers, skillets, fryers, blenders and mixers, and more. They make 4 slice waffle makers, volcano waffle makers, and rotating waffle makers, just to name a few.

Cuisinart was founded in 1971 by Carl Sontheimer as the first to bring the food processor to the USA. It is presently part of the Conair Corporation, with its headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. They make high-quality waffle makers, in both round and square forms, as well as pizzelle presses and pancake makers.

Starfrit is a brand of Atlantic Promotions Inc., founded in 1965 as an innovator in unique kitchen and cookware products. They make small electric appliances for food preparation, frying pans, ovenware and cookware, serveware and food storage solutions, and much more.