I just purchased one of the new Waring Pro Belgian waffle irons and
used it for the first time tonight. It has been so long since I've had
a Belgian waffle, I'm not really certain what it should turn out like.
I used one of the recipes from the instruction manual and setting 4, as
recommended. They turned out quite dark (my husband thought they were
burnt). So I turned down the control to 3 1/2. The outsides looked
much better. But the insides were, in my estimation, underdone (even
at setting 4 they seemed underdone).

How exactly are the insides of Belgian waffles supposed to look?
Should they be a bit "undone" (in places they even seemed a bit gooey)?

I much prefer a crisp waffle and thought that's what I was going to
get. But if I turn the heat up, I think they will probably burn.

Are all Belgian waffles like this?

Should I have purchased a regular waffle iron instead if I am looking
for a crisp waffle?

Thanks.

> wrote in message
ups.com...
> I just purchased one of the new Waring Pro Belgian waffle irons and
...........

> I much prefer a crisp waffle and thought that's what I was going to
> get. But if I turn the heat up, I think they will probably burn.
>
> Are all Belgian waffles like this?
>
> Should I have purchased a regular waffle iron instead if I am looking
> for a crisp waffle?
>
> Thanks.
>

Hard to say without knowing your batter recipe. Spraying the waffle-iron
surface with "Vegelene" or "PAM" will not only help the waffles release, but
also help somewhat fry the surface.

Also, don't over load the iron. A small blob will expand to the edges. If
you have a lot of batter seeping from the edges within the first 5 seconds
of closing, you are probably using too much.

I use an old-fashioned cast-iron waffle-iron. The great thing about
cast-iron is that once it's hot it cooks pretty much the same using either
electric or gas heat sources.

> wrote in message
ups.com...
>
> I much prefer a crisp waffle and thought that's what I was going to
> get. But if I turn the heat up, I think they will probably burn.
>
> Are all Belgian waffles like this?

It's most likely the recipe. You have to experiment with your waffle iron
and find one that works. Joy of Cooking has a 'crisp' waffle batter recipe,
that uses LOTS of butter ;-) and its good. I noticed that most 'gaufre' that
are really crisp have seeds and other stuff in the batter. Might want to try
a yeast batter, and beat some egg whites to stiff peaks and fold into the
batter before cooking.

M

>
> It's most likely the recipe. .... Might want to try
> a yeast batter, and beat some egg whites to stiff peaks and fold into
the
> batter before cooking.
>
> M

Actually, the recipe I used from the instruction manual did use yeast
and beaten egg whites. I would think that a recipe recommended by the
manufacturer would produce results that the manufacturer deems to be
correct for the device. That's why I'm worried and unsure about what
I'm doing. I wasn't pleased with the results, and I just don't know if
the moist/somewhat uncooked middle is normal or not.

In article .com>,
"> wrote:

> >
> > It's most likely the recipe. .... Might want to try
> > a yeast batter, and beat some egg whites to stiff peaks and fold into
> the
> > batter before cooking.
> >
> > M
>
> Actually, the recipe I used from the instruction manual did use yeast
> and beaten egg whites. I would think that a recipe recommended by the
> manufacturer would produce results that the manufacturer deems to be
> correct for the device. That's why I'm worried and unsure about what
> I'm doing. I wasn't pleased with the results, and I just don't know if
> the moist/somewhat uncooked middle is normal or not.
>

Middle should be cooked. My ten-year-old Salton Belgian waffle cooker
is totally automatic, little light going off when the waffle's done.
I've used a pre-mix and an original yeast batter that rested over
night. The only variable is amount of batter. One half cup plus a
smidgen seems right for my small two-waffle machine. Takes 90 to 120
seconds to cook.

If you have a temp. adjustment, sounds like it's cooking too hot. Lower
and let it cook a little longer and judge by the second batch. My first
batch always look deformed. But even they are crisp on the outside and
cooked inside.

Stark > wrote in :

> In article .com>,
> "> wrote:
>
>> >
>> > It's most likely the recipe. .... Might want to try a yeast batter,
>> > and beat some egg whites to stiff peaks and fold into the batter
>> > before cooking.
>> >
>> > M
>>
>> Actually, the recipe I used from the instruction manual did use yeast
>> and beaten egg whites. I would think that a recipe recommended by the
>> manufacturer would produce results that the manufacturer deems to be
>> correct for the device. That's why I'm worried and unsure about what
>> I'm doing. I wasn't pleased with the results, and I just don't know if
>> the moist/somewhat uncooked middle is normal or not.
>>
>
> Middle should be cooked. My ten-year-old Salton Belgian waffle cooker
> is totally automatic, little light going off when the waffle's done.
> I've used a pre-mix and an original yeast batter that rested over
> night. The only variable is amount of batter. One half cup plus a
> smidgen seems right for my small two-waffle machine. Takes 90 to 120
> seconds to cook.
>
> If you have a temp. adjustment, sounds like it's cooking too hot. Lower
> and let it cook a little longer and judge by the second batch. My first
> batch always look deformed. But even they are crisp on the outside and
> cooked inside.
>

And remember, waffles are like soufflés in that they don't wait for you.
You must be ready to eat them immediately if you want them to be crisp on
the outside.

--
Wayne in Phoenix

*If there's a nit to pick, some nitwit will pick it.
*A mind is a terrible thing to lose.

Coincidentally I used my waffle iron for the first time in, probably, a
decade last night. I used Krusteaz Belgian Waffle Mix from my grocery
store. I prepared the batter according to directions, but substituting 3
Tbsp melter butter for 3 Tbsp vegatable oil, because I was out of
regular oil and didn't think EVOO would be an improvement. A good shot
of non-stick cooking spray and 3 minutes in a well-heated waffle iron
produced excellent results, but don't forget the spray as I did for the
first waffle. It took me a couple of minutes of scraping and a good wash
before I could do the second (but the scraped-off pieces were still
delicious).

James

jem wrote:

> Coincidentally I used my waffle iron for the first time in, probably, a
> decade last night. I used Krusteaz Belgian Waffle Mix from my grocery
> store. I prepared the batter according to directions, but substituting 3
> Tbsp melter butter for 3 Tbsp vegatable oil, because I was out of
> regular oil and didn't think EVOO would be an improvement. A good shot
> of non-stick cooking spray and 3 minutes in a well-heated waffle iron
> produced excellent results, but don't forget the spray as I did for the
> first waffle. It took me a couple of minutes of scraping and a good wash
> before I could do the second (but the scraped-off pieces were still
> delicious).
>

It's quite common for the first waffle to stick, but after that there isn't
usually a problem. A good dose of oil at the beginning usually helps. We use
our waffle iron fairly often. My wife likes to make them. We both like to
eat them.

" wrote:
>
> >
> > It's most likely the recipe. .... Might want to try
> > a yeast batter, and beat some egg whites to stiff peaks and fold into
> the
> > batter before cooking.
> >
> > M
>
> Actually, the recipe I used from the instruction manual did use yeast
> and beaten egg whites. I would think that a recipe recommended by the
> manufacturer would produce results that the manufacturer deems to be
> correct for the device. That's why I'm worried and unsure about what
> I'm doing. I wasn't pleased with the results, and I just don't know if
> the moist/somewhat uncooked middle is normal or not.

Leave it cooking in the waffle maker a bit longer. There shouldn't be
any gooiness in the centre of the waffles. The recipe from the
manufacturer hasn't been tested on *your* waffle iron using *your*
ingredients; you'll need to experiment to find the right time and temp
to get a good result. What happens in any test kitchen is often quite
remote from the end user's experience.

On Wed, 29 Dec 2004 16:27:24 -0700, in rec.food.cooking, Arri London
wrote:

>
>Leave it cooking in the waffle maker a bit longer. There shouldn't be
>any gooiness in the centre of the waffles.

It takes 8-9 minutes to cook waffles in my waffle iron, which has no
temperature adjustment. For a while I was undercooking them until I got
the timing right.

Doug
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