On Tue 08 Feb 2005 04:20:59a, wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> I just bought an old waffle maker at a second hand store.

You didn't mention whether the grids on your waffle iron were coated with
Teflon or some other non-stick coating. I'll assume they are not. They
are probably cast aluminum.

Non-coated waffle irons need to be seasoned and, over time, become less
prone to sticking.

For the present, once the waffle iron is preheated, spray both the top and
bottom grids generously with a product such as Pam just before pouring in
the batter. You could use vegetable oil instead, but the spray will work
better. When the first waffle is cooked, toss it. It will have absorbed
most of the spray or oil.

You can tell when the waffle is done by watching the cooking progress and
observing when the steam stops coming out. Do not lift the lid before
this.

After the first waffle, you should not have to apply more cooking spray or
oil fo the rest of the batch.

Clean the waffle iron with a dry brush, and finish cleaning with a slightly
dampened cloth followed by a dry cloth. Do not wash it in soap or
detergent.

Follow this procedure each time you make waffles.

HTH
Wayne

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> You can tell when the waffle is done by watching the cooking progress and
> observing when the steam stops coming out. Do not lift the lid before
> this.

He may also find that the orange light that went out to tell him the iron
was ready to cook with will tell him that the waffle is ready the same way.

> I find its glued shut.

You don't say whether you greased the iron. Yes, you shudda.

Working from a mix, in any case, your expectations should be low. The true
waffle has whipped egg whites folded into it.

Neil

> wrote in message
...
> I just bought an old waffle maker at a second hand store. It heats up
> well and is in good shape. But making the waffles is another story.


If it is an old iron, the plates will improve with use like a cast iron
skillet. After giving it a good washing to remove any old waffle remnants,
I would coat it liberally with some solid shortening (i.e., Crisco), and let
it heat for about 45 minutes. Wipe off the excess oil, but don't wash it.
If the plates are removable, I would take them off, grease them, and put
them in a 350F oven for about an hour. You shouldn't wash the plates after
making waffles. A film of oil must remain on the plates during storage,
especially if it is an old uncoated iron.

Once the iron is seasoned, you need to oil it before you use it. I keep
some vegetable oil in a plain spray bottle. I spray the iron before I use
it. You don't need to spray it between waffles, only before each use. If
you don't have a spray bottle, then brush on a light coating. I would avoid
the vegetable oil sprays like Pam because they tend to turn sticky over time
and it is very difficult to clean them off once they go sticky.

The waffle is done when you see the steam that escapes from between the
plates diminish sharply. After a while, you will be able to judge this
better.

I agree that the best waffles have the egg white whipped and folded into the
batter. Even when the recipe doesn't specify this, I do it anyway. Here is
an example of a decent recipe, but there are many variation, some using
yeast as a leavening agent.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art7896.asp
http://www.geocities.com/webcipes2/break/b111.html

On Tue, 8 Feb 2005, WardNA wrote:

>> I find its glued shut.
>
> You don't say whether you greased the iron. Yes, you shudda.
>
> Working from a mix, in any case, your expectations should be low. The true
> waffle has whipped egg whites folded into it.

....anyone ever made waffles with yeast before?


Lena

"Lena B Katz" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> On Tue, 8 Feb 2005, WardNA wrote:
>
> >> I find its glued shut.
> >
> > You don't say whether you greased the iron. Yes, you shudda.
> >
> > Working from a mix, in any case, your expectations should be low. The
true
> > waffle has whipped egg whites folded into it.
>
> ...anyone ever made waffles with yeast before?

Yes. It is my favorite version.
http://christmas.allrecipes.com/az/Y...tmasWaffle.asp

<snip>

Now you know why you found it in a second hand store.

Buy new, safe appliances, with instructions. Warranty's can come in
handy too.

Pierre

"Pierre" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> <snip>
>
> Now you know why you found it in a second hand store.
>
> Buy new, safe appliances, with instructions. Warranty's can come in
> handy too.

New appliances aren't necessarily any better than older ones. In the case
of a waffle iron where there are no moving parts, this would be particularly
true. Most likely once the iron is seasoned it will be just fine. Things
show up in thrift stores for a variety of reasons. I just helped my mother
organize her basement. She had four irons, three were new in their original
boxes. She also had two perfectly good waffle irons, two automatic drip
coffee pots, and a lot of duplicate cookware that had accumulated over the
decades. While she still cooks for herself, she doesn't bother with things
like waffles. We sent lots of perfectly good, some unused, stuff to
Goodwill. I bet that most of us have a couple of small kitchen appliances
sitting on a shelf -- things we used a couple of times and then put away.
Bread makers, ice-cream makers, popcorn poppers, waffle irons, curly fry
cutters, and so one are often bought on impulse or received as gifts. Once
the novelty wears off, they are never used again.

As for warrantees - who bothers saving the receipt for a $39 appliance so
you can mail it, at your cost, to a repair center if it breaks within 90
days or a year?

> wrote in message
...
>I just bought an old waffle maker at a second hand store. It heats up
> well and is in good shape. But making the waffles is another story.
> I took some packaged pancake batter and mixed as it said on the box
> for waffles. (same as pancakes but more oil). I plugged in the waffle
> maker and let it heat until the orange light went off. I assume that
> means that it is hot. I set it to the medium setting (it has a knob
> that turns and says DARK - MED - LIGHT. I used the MED setting.
<snip>

Under normal circumstances the sequence is as follows:

1. Preheat the iron until the light goes out.
2. do something to the cooking surface (More later)
3. Add the batter and close the lid - the light should then come back on.
4. When the light goes out again the waffles should be done.
5. Gently open the iron and if the batter has overflowed cut that portion
away first.

Since there are a wide variety of cooking surfaces used in waffle irons of
old and not so old I would suggest a shot of Pam or some such. Once
properly seasoned you should be OK.

IIRC the first waffle was always a bust!

Dimitri

wrote:

> When I was a kid, my mother made waffles, in fact her waffle maker
> looked identical to this one. She did not have such a mess.
>
> I just looked on the web and can not find anyrhing except recipes to
> make the batter, and stories about making waffles, and of course the
> dreaded links to other search engines that somehow figure I was really
> looking for "waffle porn". (Typical uselessness of the web these
> days).
>
> Can anyone tell me how to make waffles and be able to get them out of
> the maker in one piece. And, how does one know when they are done?

First of all, I would skip the mix. Paying a lot extra for a mix that
contains only the cheap ingredients that are kitchen staples in IMO, a
waste, especially when you have to add the more expensive ingredients,
eggs, milk and oil or melted butter. Waffle recipes are basically the
same as pancake recipes, the major difference being that to get nice
fluffy waffles you need to separate the eggs, beat the whites and then
fold them into the batter.

The light on the waffle iron is most likely just an indication that the
elements are on so the temperature is low, and it should go off when the
iron is up to the proper heat. Waffles are usually fully cooked when they
stop steaming.

It is quite typical for the first waffle in a batch too stick, especially
with the old irons without non stick surfaces. The best thing to to is to
season it by wiping it with oil and heating it up. Be careful not to scour
off that baked on oil surface. Make the first one a small one by
spreading the batter around in a thin layer. You also have to be fairly
quick, removing the first waffle and adding the next batch of batter
before the iron cools off too much.


> PS. I am a bachelor and have been judged as being the worlds worst
> cook by the "Worst Home and Gardens" magazine.

I am sorry, but I think that the mother of a friend of mine has that honor
locked up :-)

Vox Humana wrote:
<snip>.
>
> New appliances aren't necessarily any better than older ones.<snip>>
As for warrantees - who bothers saving the receipt for a $39 appliance
so
> you can mail it, at your cost, to a repair center if it breaks within
90
> days or a year?


Fact of the matter is that he got a piece of junk that doesn't work,
came with no instructions, and now has no recourse. If he and you
don't save receipts on new products, I hope you either better become a
more educated consumer(which you seem to be), or just get used to
throwing your money away.

Pierre

"Pierre" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> Vox Humana wrote:
> <snip>.
> >
> > New appliances aren't necessarily any better than older ones.<snip>>
> As for warrantees - who bothers saving the receipt for a $39 appliance
> so
> > you can mail it, at your cost, to a repair center if it breaks within
> 90
> > days or a year?
>
>
> Fact of the matter is that he got a piece of junk that doesn't work,
> came with no instructions, and now has no recourse. If he and you
> don't save receipts on new products, I hope you either better become a
> more educated consumer(which you seem to be), or just get used to
> throwing your money away.
>
OK hun. Some of us can cook without an instruction manual or know enough to
ask questions on Usenet or do a Google search. I know for a fact that if
gave the most expensive waffle iron complete with instruction manual and
receipt to my sister, she wouldn't make a decent waffle. On the other hand,
I think being a good consumer might be spending $3 on a used waffle iron and
learning to use it while keeping it out of a landfill rather than spending
fifteen or twenty times that amount on an appliance that you MIGHT use three
times a year. Buying new appliances and keeping the receipt doesn't make
you an educated consumer. We really don't know if the waffle iron is a
piece of junk or if it just needs a little seasoning. Let's face it, it
isn't rocket science. A waffle iron made today isn't materially different
than one made in 1947. If it heats and the thermostat works, then it is
fine. The OP did the right thing by recognizing the problem and asking for
advice. That's being an educated consumer in my opinion.

On Tue 08 Feb 2005 01:05:48p, Pierre wrote in rec.food.cooking:

>
> Vox Humana wrote:
> <snip>.
>>
>> New appliances aren't necessarily any better than older ones.<snip>>
> As for warrantees - who bothers saving the receipt for a $39 appliance
> so
>> you can mail it, at your cost, to a repair center if it breaks within
>> 90 days or a year?
>
>
> Fact of the matter is that he got a piece of junk that doesn't work,
> came with no instructions, and now has no recourse. If he and you
> don't save receipts on new products, I hope you either better become a
> more educated consumer(which you seem to be), or just get used to
> throwing your money away.
>
> Pierre

My mother's waffle iron from 1938 makes better waffles than those made
today. A few years ago I found a duplicate of it in a thrift shop. Bought
it, and it performs just as well.

Seems to me that you're full of yourself.

Wayne

Wayne Boatwright wrote:

> My mother's waffle iron from 1938 makes better waffles than those made
> today. A few years ago I found a duplicate of it in a thrift shop. Bought
> it, and it performs just as well.
>
> Seems to me that you're full of yourself.

A friend gave us an waffle iron because, like most people, she never used
hers. I had to mend the wiring a few times and noticed that the inside of it
was getting caked up with old oil that had solidified inside, close to the
heating element. I considered it to be a fire hazard and replaced it with a
new one. I looked high and low for one with the smaller grid but settles on a
Belgium waffle maker. It works great.

There is a short article on CookingVillage.com that gives some
hints for using a waffle iron:

http://www.cookingvillage.com/cv/kw/...%3D541,FF.html

Same long URL converted to TinyUrl:

http://tinyurl.com/4df67

__
Rusty
Sacramento, California

Vox Humana wrote:
> "Pierre" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
> >
> > Vox Humana wrote:
> > <snip>.
> > >
> > > New appliances aren't necessarily any better than older
ones.<snip>>
> > As for warrantees - who bothers saving the receipt for a $39
appliance
> > so
> > > you can mail it, at your cost, to a repair center if it breaks
within
> > 90
> > > days or a year?
> >
> >
> > Fact of the matter is that he got a piece of junk that doesn't
work,
> > came with no instructions, and now has no recourse. If he and you
> > don't save receipts on new products, I hope you either better
become a
> > more educated consumer(which you seem to be), or just get used to
> > throwing your money away.
> >
> OK hun. Some of us can cook without an instruction manual or know
enough to
> ask questions on Usenet or do a Google search. I know for a fact
that if
> gave the most expensive waffle iron complete with instruction manual
and
> receipt to my sister, she wouldn't make a decent waffle. On the
other hand,
> I think being a good consumer might be spending $3 on a used waffle
iron and
> learning to use it while keeping it out of a landfill rather than
spending
> fifteen or twenty times that amount on an appliance that you MIGHT
use three
> times a year. Buying new appliances and keeping the receipt doesn't
make
> you an educated consumer. We really don't know if the waffle iron is
a
> piece of junk or if it just needs a little seasoning. Let's face it,
it
> isn't rocket science. A waffle iron made today isn't materially
different
> than one made in 1947. If it heats and the thermostat works, then it
is
> fine. The OP did the right thing by recognizing the problem and
asking for
> advice. That's being an educated consumer in my opinion.

You get what you pay for.

Pierre

Pierre wrote:
> You get what you pay for.

Only insofar as they won't give it to you if you haven't paid for it.

"pennyaline" <nsmitchell@spamspamspamspamspamspamspameggandspam .com> wrote
in message ...
> Pierre wrote:
> > You get what you pay for.
>
> Only insofar as they won't give it to you if you haven't paid for it.

On the other hand, sometimes you get more than you pay for!

Vox Humana wrote:

> "pennyaline" <nsmitchell@spamspamspamspamspamspamspameggandspam .com> wrote
> in message ...
>
>>Pierre wrote:
>>
>>>You get what you pay for.
>>
>>Only insofar as they won't give it to you if you haven't paid for it.
>
> On the other hand, sometimes you get more than you pay for!

Sure. But then you have to pay to get rid of it.

Pastorio

"Bob (this one)" > wrote in message
...
> Vox Humana wrote:
>
> > "pennyaline" <nsmitchell@spamspamspamspamspamspamspameggandspam .com>
wrote
> > in message ...
> >
> >>Pierre wrote:
> >>
> >>>You get what you pay for.
> >>
> >>Only insofar as they won't give it to you if you haven't paid for it.
> >
> > On the other hand, sometimes you get more than you pay for!
>
> Sure. But then you have to pay to get rid of it.

Speaking of accumulated trash, have you seen the shows like "Clean Sweep"
that help people clear the clutter and spruce-up their homes? I am totally
amazed that people live in such squalor. I'm also irritated that they keep
saying that the mess bothers them but a it doesn't occur to them that they
could start on one room at a time and eventually clean up the place, and b)
that when it come time to sell or dispose of the stuff, they want to keep
it. I'm certain that most of them relapse almost immediately.

Vox Humana wrote:

> Speaking of accumulated trash, have you seen the shows like "Clean Sweep"
> that help people clear the clutter and spruce-up their homes? I am totally
> amazed that people live in such squalor. I'm also irritated that they keep
> saying that the mess bothers them but a it doesn't occur to them that they
> could start on one room at a time and eventually clean up the place, and b)
> that when it come time to sell or dispose of the stuff, they want to keep
> it. I'm certain that most of them relapse almost immediately.

It's amazing how much crap some people accumulate. My wife used to go to visit
an old lady and was stunned by the amount of stuff lying around, books,
magazines, old newspapers, worn out appliances, and knickknacks. She then got
to know the daughter, and when the mother died the daughter moved into her
house. That was three years ago. The daughter recently rented a storage locker
for some of the crap, and there was so much that she had to get a second storage
unit. It would have been easier to just take the stuff to the dump.

The house is a sight to behold. I suppose the lack of lawn maintenance can be
attributed to the problem in mowing and trimming around three old cars, a boat
and trailer and two camper trailers, neither of which has moved a wheel in at
least 5 years, old lawnmowers, piles of brush, rolls of fencing, piles of scrap
lumber. It is an eyesore for the neighbours.

Last summer we were invited up to her cottage. We were told that we would
recognize the place by the old boats and cars in front. It's a shame because
it's a nice looking building from the outside, once you see past the junk BBQs,
paint cans, old tools and furniture. The inside is much like the house.
Luckily, there is a sister in law who is a little neater than the rest of the
family and she tries hard to get rid of the junk, but it is still cluttered and
stinks of old damp papers and cats.

"Dave Smith" > wrote in message
...
> Vox Humana wrote:
>
> > Speaking of accumulated trash, have you seen the shows like "Clean
Sweep"
> > that help people clear the clutter and spruce-up their homes? I am
totally
> > amazed that people live in such squalor. I'm also irritated that they
keep
> > saying that the mess bothers them but a it doesn't occur to them that
they
> > could start on one room at a time and eventually clean up the place, and
b)
> > that when it come time to sell or dispose of the stuff, they want to
keep
> > it. I'm certain that most of them relapse almost immediately.
>
> It's amazing how much crap some people accumulate. My wife used to go to
visit
> an old lady and was stunned by the amount of stuff lying around, books,
> magazines, old newspapers, worn out appliances, and knickknacks. She then
got
> to know the daughter, and when the mother died the daughter moved into her
> house. That was three years ago. The daughter recently rented a storage
locker
> for some of the crap, and there was so much that she had to get a second
storage
> unit. It would have been easier to just take the stuff to the dump.
>
> The house is a sight to behold. I suppose the lack of lawn maintenance can
be
> attributed to the problem in mowing and trimming around three old cars, a
boat
> and trailer and two camper trailers, neither of which has moved a wheel in
at
> least 5 years, old lawnmowers, piles of brush, rolls of fencing, piles of
scrap
> lumber. It is an eyesore for the neighbours.
>
> Last summer we were invited up to her cottage. We were told that we would
> recognize the place by the old boats and cars in front. It's a shame
because
> it's a nice looking building from the outside, once you see past the junk
BBQs,
> paint cans, old tools and furniture. The inside is much like the house.
> Luckily, there is a sister in law who is a little neater than the rest of
the
> family and she tries hard to get rid of the junk, but it is still
cluttered and
> stinks of old damp papers and cats.

I try to get rid of things that I haven't used for a couple of years. I
can't remember ever discarding something and later regretting it. My mother
is about as meticulous a housekeeper as you could find. Never the less, she
doesn't like to throw thing away. Her basement was full of neatly stored
stuff that she hadn't seen for years. A pipe broke recently and a lot of it
got wet and most of the stuff had to come out of storage because everything
had to be moved. I spent three days going though all of it, begging her to
part with most of it. There were Easter baskets from decades ago, vases
from every florist bouquet she ever received, old jelly jars, parts from
appliances that were long gone, stacks of magazines that someone gave her
that she never read. She kept saying that someone might be able to use it.
I pointed out that no one could use it if it was packed away in her
basement. About twenty boxes of stuff went to the dump and the rest went to
Goodwill. I'm sure that she will never miss any of it.