Sunday, November 10, 2013

Waffles, Belgian Waffles in my Waring Pro Belgian Waffle maker... the experiment and the results

I sort of feel like I'm in theory debunk mode.  I've cooked things in my Nesco Pressure Cooker that you really shouldn't cook in there and now I'm onto Waffles.  I love waffles.  I prefer round ones.  OK, that being said, I do realize there's no difference in flavor between round waffles and square waffles, I just think that waffles should be round.  It's my thing, I apologize to the square waffle people but here, in my world and on my blog, waffles are round from this point forth. 

My favorite hotel moment on any vacation is the waffle maker.  I stand there and the smell is sweet and eggy and I wanted the same effect here. I received my first Christmas present yesterday, the Waring Pro Belgian Waffle Maker, thanks mom!  

OK, hotel waffles, here we come. 

Now I have some waffle recipes and I read some waffle recipes and I could not believe that the only way I was going to get a light, airy, fluffy and flavorful waffle was to enter "separate eggs" land.  If I want a waffle, I do not, not, not, want to spend time separating eggs and whipping white and, perish the thought, folding anything into anything in the morning.  I don't want to use machinery, effort, or in fact, use anything other than a bowl, a spoon and my new, fabulously beautiful, waffle maker. OH and when I want waffles, I don't want to have to think about them the night before, either. 

I unpacked the thing of beauty this morning.  Connor came downstairs and sat at the bar...watching me... 
"making waffles, mom?" (he's the 14 year old master of the obvious)
"Oh yeah, we're going to have hotel waffles"
"sweet, do you have a recipe?"
"no... I'm going to wing it, ready to test?"
"you know it!"

TRACY'S BELGIAN WAFFLES 

HEAT up your fancy Belgian Waffle Maker

In a 4 cup measuring bowl:
2 eggs
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
a glug or two of vanilla

WHISK like crazy to lighten the color and make fabulous whisk against a glass bowl kitchen noises

Add 
1/4 cup melted (and cooled) butter (c'mon, it's breakfast!)
1/2 cup milk

WHISK some more

Dump, all at one time
2 cups self raising flour

MIX with a spoon, slowly, adding milk (up to another 3/4 cup) as needed to make a thick batter.  Don't worry about small lumps. 

Drop it onto the hot waffle maker, set to 4,  close the lid and spin and immediately smell the sweet eggy goodness, just like the hotel!

DING DING!  (* ALREADY ??   wow that's fast!)  So, here we are; the moment of truth!  
BEHOLD!!  **delighted** 
I made the whole batch, it made 5 waffles.  I sprayed it before the first waffle and then redid the bottom grid after the third.  Connor and I split the first waffle, he ate the second and we have 3 left, cooling, that I'm going to toss in the freezer and he can toast them at will. 

Here's the pics! 

This is one of the easiest appliances I have EVER opened.  Out of the box, a quick wipe and plug in.  It also beeped exactly as the instructions indicated it would and I'm 3 minutes from waffles... this is all good.

Here it is, unpacked, what a beauty.  Oh cute bomb, Connor!  And yes, that's a vodka bottle,  My mother brings, me Canadian maple syrup, from Quebec, in vodka bottles when she comes to visit.  There's nothing finer than having a table full of teens for breakfast and plunking the vodka bottle in the middle of the table.  :)  My reputation is in tact!
  

The only batter shot, it's quick and easy and makes SUPER light and fluffy waffles without ANY culinary drama!  Oh and look, the maker came with it's own little server cup, sweet!
  

I sprayed the grills lightly with canola spray.  I poured the batter in the maker (I was a little skimpy the first one,..)  Close it, flip it, wait.....
   

DING DING DING! wow that's fast and look, we have WAFFLES!!  Blobs of butter and a drowning with "vodka bottle" syrup.  DELICIOUS! Perfectly cooked, crisp and tender.  There's nothing about this I don't love.
   

Ready for the next one... and the next and the next
  


The machine cleaned up easily with a wipe and it's cooling and I'll put it away.  Sure, it's big and might be a pain to store but I knew that when I bought it so no surprise there.  I'll find somewhere for it to live.  That place will be close though, I see me using this OFTEN! 


So, the VERDICT: 

BRILLIANT!  A solid thumbs up from me and from the teenage boy. 

It's SUPER easy to use, fast, easy to clean, easy to cook with.  The result, on level 4, was perfectly crisp, tender waffles.  Sure, all these accolades are only from the first use but there's no reason the outcome is going to change.  

I am already thinking of OTHER things I can cook in this...  bread dough? pizza dough? bread? stuffing? cake batter? cookies?  My alchemy committee is already very busy.  I'll link from here when I do what it is I'm about to do with my new toy... 

So, go make some waffles.  Easy, light, and no egg separating, no white whipping, folding or machinery use.  Just a bowl, a whisk and a spoon and you will be in waffle heaven in absolutely no time at all.

/enjoy

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE

The leftover, frozen, waffles toasted up a DREAM!  They came out of the toaster oven crispy on the outside and remained tender and fluffy on the inside.  Absolutely perfect leftover breakfasts!  The teenager has already asked me to cook up a double batch to keep in the freezer so he can nosh at will.  Oh yes we are happy happy happy with this machine.  

/enjoy again!

2 comments:

  1. I've got the same machine - used your recipe....wonderful - but when I try to use the extras the next day after freezing them, they just don't taste good. What are your "tricks" to freezing them, and how do you re-heat them? (Thaw first?, set toaster to "frozen" or "reheat" or "normal"? I always have one extra waffle, and want to freeze the extras until I have built-up a "breakfast worth". THANKS!

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  2. I freeze them flat on a sheet tray in the freezer then toss them in ziploc bags. I have a toaster oven and I reheat, from frozen, on the 'toast' setting. I have a oster toaster oven and it toasts very slowly. I think you can mimic it in the oven, around 350 till it's crisp on the outside and still soft within, on the rack, not a sheet pan.

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