NordicWare 15040 Cast Aluminum Stovetop Belgium Waffle Iron

Love this waffle iron. My new favorite and I have vowed to use this every weekend for family breakfasts. I have not tried another iron before so I cannot compare. But with all the good things about this iron, why get another? I did much research and this is probably the best stovetop iron out there right now. PROS: Easy to use Easy to clean Flat, takes up no space when stored, can be tucked away Makes 4 thick waffles with very deep wells for topping Sturdy construction, should last unless plastic handles break off Plastic handles stay cool Great control over cooking temp on stove top Waffle release beautifully, no sticking Heavy iron cooks and browns evenly Releases beautifully, no sticking CONS: This could be a lifetime tool if it didn't have the non-stick surface and also if the cast aluminum ran the length of the handles. So even if the plastic comes off, there would be aluminum underneath. I wowed my family at the first use. I just followed the Belgium Waffle recipe that came with the packaging. It was so easy and tasty. If you don't have a recipe in mind, try that one first. I recommend doubling the sugar as it only calls for 1 tablespoon. And then experiment with how much batter to add. If you watched the video on Amazon, they instruct that you add one cup of batter in the center of the pan. And the batter is suppose do spread when you put the top piece down. That is not what happened for me no matter how I tried. I warned the two sides of the iron on separate burners on med-low. I increased the batter to 1 1/3 or 1 1/2 cup starting out in the center and the going out into filling most of the for squares. I put the top piece on and immediately flip. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Then flip and cook for 1 minute (up to 2 minutes if it didn't brown the first time because the speed of how I scoop and drop the batter changes). This ensures an evenly toasted crunch on both sides. You can check the browning as frequently as you want by slightly opening the iron while cooking. Make sure to only do this after the initial 2 minutes when the batter is almost completely cooked. If your batter overflows, but is not dripping, just let it cook. You can easily peel it off when it's cooked. You try to wipe it, you will smear it and the residue will be harder to clean off. Should you insist on cleaning it, just pick up the iron and take it over to the kitchen sink and wipe with a damp cloth and try to get it all off before returning to stove. Now that I've got the technique down, I'm going to try other recipes. Especially recreating the liege waffles of Belgium!

I've read over some of the negative reviews before making my final decisions on this item because I mostly saw a lot of potential and promise into what I could do with this product (saving money by whipping my own personal batter and possibly spiking the recipe with protein powder or some other supplements. This review will not cover this attempt as it's purpose was to simply make waffles without taking up too much space and to be incredibly easy to clean and maintain). What I didn't like about the electric waffle makers is the idea over how bulky and prone to being broken they are if they are either bumped or dropped from the counter. The folks that designed this product clearly had this in mind, they made their item from superior materials and it's what you're paying for here. It calls for vegetable oil to be painted as an optional choice; but I usually use whatever cooking oil that I have in the kitchen like canola oil that I would use for eggs or pancakes, and it turned out just fine for me (I initially thought my first batter was oily, and it didn't require the oil since the two pans are coated with a nonstick material and so easy to separate, and reassemble during cooking without oven mitts or gloves. I left a lot of room on the stovetop to work). With my first batter, I was able to whip up 16 waffles (some of them were not complete, while others overflowed when I put too much in; but these things come with practice); no problem and no fuss, and at a fraction of the price of buying commercial waffles buying the ingredients individually and mixing them into a thick batter. For a normal batter from the time that you start with the ingredients from scratch to the time you are done, you're looking at somewhere between 20 and 30 minutes (and if you're really efficient, you could also add the clean-up period to that timing also). Clean-up is virtually fuss free as the item is already coated with a non-stick material; but since it's aluminum, you wouldn't dare stick it in the dishwasher or the detergent will oxidize the Aluminum. The price seems a little high compared to the electric waffle makers; but you're paying for something that is very well made and efficient when it takes only 3-4 minutes per waffle, it's easy to stack your waffles on a nearby plate (does feel old fashioned), and repeat the process that is only limited by how much waffle batter you have. You can make some crazy good waffles with this item, and still be incredibly sanitary that nobody's going to get sick with the next batter when it's easy to disassemble (there's only two pieces) and thoroughly scrub & rinse out as necessary as you need too. This items is well worth the price compared to electric waffle makers. Now my folks want one after seeing this item in action and the results.

Love this! I wanted to be able to make waffles but storage space is an issue. This is perfect. Easy clean, easy to use.

This waffle maker works quite well, but there are several issues to point out: 1. The cast aluminum loses heat VERY quickly. My IR thermometer has shown the temp of whichever side is not against the heating element to drop as much as 250 degrees in just a minute or two, the effect of this is once you flip the waffler on the burner that side will stop cooking earlier than you might expect. 2. We have a gas stove, so the heat is all in one spot and the waffler will cook very unevenly if you just leave it in one spot. I've remedied this moving it around the burner, giving each square 30-45 seconds. I would imagine this may not be as much of a problem on an electric stove where the size of the heating element is larger. 3. It makes BIG waffles! Your batter recipe that claims to make 8 waffles may only yield 4-5 in this thing! Obviously not a big deal but good to know going in. Personally I think the advantages of this waffle maker outweigh the drawbacks (hotter temperature, compact, easy to clean etc) but it is touchier and more difficult to use than an electric waffle maker. You can't pour in some batter and walk away until it beeps, but if you tinker with it and get used to its quirks you can turn out some great waffles. Enjoy.

Received this today and had gluten free lemon vanilla fluffy crusty Belgian waffles for dinner with ice cream and fresh mashed raspberries from the backyard. Could not be much happier. Not a single waffle stuck at all and I did not oil or spray the iron even once. Used the iron on my "quick boil" big gas burner and it was extremely easy to get the right golden crust and soft moist interior. I adjusted the heat for a 4 minute cook time (high heat would have been about 3 minutes but the center would be too soft for me). As good as any wheat flour waffle I've ever had. Here's the recipe I used adapted from The Splendid Table...not exactly healthy but pretty amazing: Ingredients: 3.5 cups Artisan Gluten-Free Flour Blend (Recommend Pam's) 2 tbsp Gluten-Free baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 5 eggs, separated 4 cups milk 3 tsp Gluten-Free vanilla extract 0.5 tsp real almond extract (secret ingredient, do NOT add more than this) Zest from one full lemon peel (this gives it a great citrus sour kick to compliment your fruit or syrup) 8 tbsp salted butter, melted Instructions: 1. Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. 2. Add the egg yolks, milk, almost extract, lemon zest, vanilla and mix. Add the melted butter and mix just until combined. Let sit 5 minutes to thicken. 3. Whip the egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form. Tenderly fold the egg whites into the batter. (use two rubber spatulas and knead) 4. Cook a waffle according to your waffle maker's instructions, but do not open the waffle iron until the waffle is fully cooked. (opening after 2 minutes to check darkness is fine). Suggest high heat on a normal gas stove or med-high on a big-burner gas stove. I target 4 minutes per waffle using this recipe. 5. Remove the waffle and repeat step 4 to make 5 waffles. Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes Total time: 35 minutes Yield: Makes 7x4 waffles ENJOY!

I purchased this about 2 months ago. The first 4 batches were perfect, and I was planning on writing a 5-star review. Then, for the next several, something happened. I think I went through the same issue that other reviewers went through; something seems to change with the coating. I would use the same recipe, but the waffles didn't turn out well, and there was an awful mess I would have to clean out of the waffler for like half an hour each time. I was about to trash this item, but I made another batch just now and I think I have a figured out what the issue(s) were. Here is my advice = 1. Reduce the amount of milk in your batter. My recipe called for 1 and a half cups of flour with 1 and a half cups of milk. I found that if you keep the flour the same, but reduce your milk to 1 and a third cup, the waffler seems to churn out better waffles. 2. SLATHER the waffler in something to avoid sticking. I didn't do this as fervently the first 4 batches and it worked fine, but after that it stopped working as well. I used to use butter, and wasn't diligent on how much i used. This last one (which worked perfectly) I used Crisco EVOO no-stick spray. 3. Do not use almond flour. Not sure if this is really an issue, but when I stuck with all-purpose flour or a combination of all-purpose and whole wheat flour, the consistency worked better. 4. Let your batter sit for a bit. This last batch, I let the batter sit in the fridge overnight then used it. 5. Be very meticulous to avoid over-cooking. I used medium-high heat, and you need to listen. As the waffle is forming, you will hear some very subtle noises, not sure how to describe them, but this represents the batter solidifying into the waffle. Make sure you hear the noise, then flip the waffler. I would say about 1 minute on each side after you start to hear the noise [So, hear the noise, flip, hear the noises, then flip before 60 seconds, then take it off heat before 60 seconds]. In the batches that failed, I think I let it sit there too long, and the waffle was fried. This induces it to stick to the waffler, and can lead to a sticky mess. It's definitely a learning curve, but once you get it right you will love this item. Good luck!!!

Easy to use and easy to clean. Makes great waffles! Well worth the money! Perfect size. Waffles made quickly and easily!

Very disappointed with this purchase. I was specifically looking for a real cast iron waffle maker because I make waffles for my children almost every day and intentionally avoid nonstick coatings and unnecessary chemicals. In reality, this turned out to be cast aluminum with a coating and plastic handles. The box also includes phenol/formaldehyde warnings. It is styled to look like cast iron, but it is not cast iron. If you are looking for natural materials and long-lasting cookware without coatings, be very careful and double-check the specifications before buying.

Amazing Quality and excellent size

We recently swapped out an AGA for a dual fuel range cooker and I was looking around for a waffle iron to use with it. I considered the standard waffle making machines but was quite taken with the idea of this as is seemed a bit more fun to use - also it is called a waffler which I found quite pleasing. Having looked at multiple products I settled on this one after reading the reviews on Amazon.com (after all who better to review a waffle iron that our cousins across the pond eh?). I have to say that I am thoroughly impressed with the product. It is easy to use - simply baste the interior with oil or butter, place on a gas burner and wait until the top surface is too hot to touch, add waffle mix and then flip it over and cook for 3 minutes. So far perfect waffles every time (I would definitely recommend, irrespective of the recipe in use, whisking the egg whites and folding them into the waffle batter as it makes the waffles really fluffy and light) with a lovely crispy surface. Once done and cooled it is easy to clean as it comes apart and, because it is aluminium, it is easy to handle (i.e. not too heavy). Remember this is aluminium and not cast iron so won't work with induction hobs. I would definitely recommend this product.

Franchement très décevant. Après la 2eme utilisation un des manches s’est totalement désolidarisé de l’ensemble. Après l’avoir remis en place « à froid » même problème. Dosage de la chaleur difficile à maîtriser… pour le prix on est à la limite de l’escroquerie…

Yes, it's excellent. The waffles look thick, which is important to me. I recommend it.

Nice to have