I bought 2 of these. Based on the potential product quality, I would give it 5 stars. These can make great waffles (nonbelgian i.e. thin), crisp on the outside, tender in the center, and light and airy. It's a revelation in fact, if you are used to the typical doughy waffle. I like these much better the what the waring pro, nonstick, flip, automatic beep, etc. In addition, the cycle time can be quite fast, provided you preheat the irons sufficiently and keep a high enough temperature. I can average 1 waffle a minute.However, I took off a star because of the following caveats:
1) You must know how to season cast iron, otherwise the waffles will stick. It would be great if they could preseason this, like lodge logic. To season, first i put the irons in boiling water to take off the wax coating, then soaped and washed. I decided to season this on the stove top (make sure you have a good hood & vent). I preheated the irons, then brushed a raw chunk of pork fat on the surfaces several times and continued heating until the seasoning looked hard and black and no longer sticky.It took about 30 minutes (using 4 burners as I had 4 halves or two whole wafflers) and it will give off a lot of smoke. I decided to do this on the stove top because i have more control vs the oven.
2) The handles get hot. So, you need a mitt to handle it. I find a thin mitt easier to use than a thick one. It's easier to lift just the top half with a thin mitt. And you have to be somewhat careful as the halves can disengage while you are filling and removing the waffles. Having said that, I got the hang of it pretty quickly. I would not let my kids use it though. They also sell these with wooden handles. It would probably be easier.
3) You have to use enough heat. You have to preheat each side till it starts to smoke. I use medium to medium high heat on a gas burner. Do not use high heat to preheat as you can burn off the seasoning. By the way, i don't know if this will work on an electric burner. And you have to brush or spray some oil or butter. I brush lightly a mix of oil and butter. I find i only have to do this every other waffle, as the waffle mix does have some butter in it.
4) I don't wash the waffle surfaces, I just brush and wipe after cooking.
HOWEVER, in spite of all that, I really like these and the my kids rate the waffles a 10, especially the cheesy waffles.
I use a yeasted waffle batter that I make the night before. It includes, flour, buttermilk, eggs, and a bit of sugar and salt and some melted butter. I stir in a pinch of baking soda for extra lift prior to baking. You can put vanilla extract or grated cheese. I top with either real maple syrup, dulce sauce, or whipped cream and chopped fruits.
It can seem to need a lot of attention, but it's really worth it.
1) The most important thing to know is: Are you familiar with working with iron skillets? You'll need to know how to season the iron and keep it seasoned throughout its lifetime of use. This could be the waffle iron's down-fall if you don't know how to do this.
~~~To season this I first burned off the paraffin coating in my oven with double aluminum foil under it. Then I washed it in the dishwasher. Then I heated it on the stove-top with a heavy brushing of canola oil and then let it cool completely. I did this about 4 times. This takes a day or two because of cooling times. Then I washed it again.
2. Once seasoned, I use it on my gas stove top at a flame set just less than medium. I have a bowl with several Tbsp. of canola oil next to the stove and a basting brush. I lightly brush the skillet before each waffle. I sometimes use spray oil and that is easier, but doesn't really help season it in the beginning.
3. Pouring 1/3 to 1/2 a cup of batter on the iron, then I use a countdown timer (Timex Ironman watch: it counts down and repeats automatically) set for 2 minutes. At 2 minutes, using oven mitts, I turn it over for another 2 minutes.
4. After 4 minutes total, the waffle is done and ready for eating, or let cool and then freeze.
5. After use, I may give the iron a light coating of oil, or simply let cool and store. Every two or three uses I place it in the dishwasher without any ill affects to the seasoning.
This waffle iron makes the best waffles: light thin, and fluffy. No uncooked parts as with an electric iron. I like the beautiful simplicity of this iron, and I like that it also is a good source of dietary iron.
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I use this on a gas stove.This waffle maker makes perfect no-stick waffles every time.First I melted off the wax coating and seasoned the pan (see below for instructions). Get your wire cooling rack, a clean dishtowel and parchment paper and scissors. Cut about 12 squares of parchment paper to place one in between each cooked waffle (these can be reused for a couple batches and you can use them to place between your waffles for freezing in a container).The first time I cooked waffles on this iron, I didn't realize I wasn't supposed to spray the iron every time I put more batter in it. This worked out well for me because not one of my waffles stuck (although I did go through almost a whole can!).The second time I made waffles,I only sprayed the irons once at the beginning of the first waffle and they did not stick to the pan when not spraying each subsequent waffle.
Here's my technique for cooking...heat each irons at same time on gas burners heated at medium heat.Using a potholder or folded dishtowel to hold the irons (because they get very hot) Spray the bottom iron's cooking surface (away from flame, of course) (with the bar), place it back on the burner and using a #20 scooper, almost fill it with batter (I use Alton Brown's recipe).Using the back of the scoop smooth it out until the batter is about an inch from the edges of the iron.Turn off the burner under the other iron--this is the one with the hook end (and spray that one with butter spray).Carefully place the hook into the bar and place iron on top of the iron filled with batter and align properly.After one minute has passed, use your towel and flip the irons over (still on medium heat). Cook another minute and check each side using a wooden skewer.You may need to flip it again to brown a little more.I like my waffles a light golden brown.Release the waffle from the iron using a wooden skewer and unhinge the top.Put waffle onto dish towel and start your next waffle, heating both irons again on medium heat.When the second waffle is cooked, place a square of parchment paper on the first waffle and stack it on top.Continue this process.If you like your waffles crispy, pop them into the toaster oven.My daughters now prefer the home-made waffles over storebought!
The first thing I did was boil a kettle of water to pour over the waffle iron to melt off the wax coating placed on the iron to protect it in shipping.Be careful...use pot holders to lift it and turn it over --it will get very hot.Now it's time to season the waffle iron.Preheat oven to 350F.Separate both pieces of the waffle iron and coat each of the 4 sides with lard or Crisco shortening using a paper towel or pastry brush to get into all the little squares. Crisco is the preferred choice because it is very highly refined, although I have used lard.It will start to melt immediately because the waffle iron will still be hot/warm from melting off the wax coating.Use paper towels to smear the fat all over the pan, handle and everything. Keeping the two piece apart still, place the two pieces onto a cookie sheet lined with foil, square sides facing down.Using proper ventilation (because this can get a bit smokey), place the cookie sheet and waffle irons in the 350-degree oven for an hour. Do not open the oven during cooking or you will get a huge cloud of smoke in your kitchen.Turn the oven off, leave oven door closed still; let the pan cool down (I let mine cool down overnight), wipe off the excess oil, and put it away.
The whole process of cooking waffles on cast iron can be quite therapeutic if you're not doing it in the morning rush to get breakfast on the table.I always do it in the afternoon or on the weekends when I have time.I hope you love making homemade waffles on your teflon-free waffle iron as much as I do!
I think I'm going to order the one with the long handles for camping!It wasn't available when I ordered this one.
Bon appetit!
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We received the Rome waffle iron this past week and I couldn't wait for the weekend to be able to try it out.Seasoning was a bit of a hassle.We used the oven to do so and it definitely smoked up the kitchen.I'd recommend seasoning outside on a grill if that's an option.
We then tried the recipe that came with the waffle iron.Our preference is for thinner / crispier waffles.When following the Rome recipe, the waffles were a bit too rich/buttery for our taste.We didn't have any problems with the waffles sticking to the waffle iron, though.
We then switched to a bisquick recipe and liked the result much better we were able to make very light and flaky waffles.Next step for us is to experiment with adding other ingredients.
The Rome waffle iron is definitely a bit of work but once you get it down, I think the result is very good and I can see us using this for years to come.Nothing beats cast iron for even heat distribution.
Two comments for Rome:first I agree that they should offer pre-seasoned waffle irons to eliminate the hassle of having to go thru that process and second it would be good if the handles on the waffle were longer and there was a way to make them from / coat them with a material that doesn't retain heat so well.
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I've spent considerable time searching for a solution to satisfy waffle cravings.For occasional use, purchasing an electric waffle maker isn't feasible, because unless it is used on a regular basis, the grids can smell rancid after periods of none-use (regardless of how clean they are).Also most electric waffle makers fail to heat sufficiently to produce a crispy texture, plus most brands have Teflon coated grids, which can be detrimental to health.Frozen waffles are convenient, but contain too many additives, plus some produce a peculiar after-taste.When I first saw the Rome cast iron waffle maker, I was somewhat sceptical, visualizing the waffle sticking like crazy or the batter oozing out.But the numerous on-line reviews convinced me that for $18 it was worth a try. Although the waffle iron looks small, it's actually a good size.The waffles produced are about 6-3/4 to 7 inches in diameter by 1/2-inch thick they're larger than the store-bought frozen variety and leftovers can easily be frozen and re-heated either using a toaster or a toaster oven.
SEASONING ON AN ELECTRIC STOVE Some reviews say it's impossible to use this waffle maker on an electric stove, but I've encountered no problems.Naturally, it's better if you can season the waffle iron outdoors on a gas barbecue, but if not, the process can still be accomplished indoors without too much difficulty.
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Remove wax coating separate the grids of the new waffle iron and thoroughly wash in hot soapy water, scrub with a nylon brush, rinse well and dry with paper towel.
3. Brush both sides of the grids with canola oil (or any vegetable oil that takes high heat it doesn't have to be lard).
4. Place the grids on a foil lined baking sheet and bake at 350 °F for one hour. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
5. Re-coat both sides of the grids with additional canola oil.
6. Turn the small electric stove elements to medium-high and heat both sides of each grid until the smoke dissipates.Be sure to have good ventilation (stove fan on and windows open) when doing this so it doesn't set off the smoke alarm.
7. Cool the grids, re-coat with oil and repeat the heating process they should turn colour from grey to black.
MAKING WAFFLES So, with a bit of trepidation, I recently made waffles for the first time in over 30-yrs using the Rome waffle iron and was pleasantly surprised by the outcome.The first waffle stuck in one tiny spot, but otherwise came out without a hitch.I cleaned off the stuck bits and brushed some more canola oil on the grids, closed and heated it for a few minutes before adding batter.The rest of the waffles came out easily without sticking.Their texture was crispy on the outside, but tender on the inside yum!Note: To avoid sticking, it is essential to season the new waffle iron properly and to preheat the grids until they smoke before pouring in the waffle batter.
1. Prepare a favourite waffle batter (I use one with folded-in egg whites for a fluffier texture from the Joyof Cooking cookbook).
2. On first try, the waffle iron is a bit finicky to handle, but after a few tries it becomes much easier. When opening the iron to oil, pour in batter or remove waffle, be sure the bar on the hinge faces up this eliminates inconvenient separation of the iron.
3. Turn the small electric element to medium heat to preheat waffle iron.
4. Open the waffle iron and brush some canola oil on the grids, then close it.
5. Heat the waffle iron for 10-minutes (5-minutes each side) or until it smokes when opened.
6. Ladle in about 1/2-cup of batter (the batter should sizzle; otherwise it's not hot enough), close the iron and set a timer for 1-1/2 to 2-minutes.
7. When the timer beeps, flip the iron over and leave for 1-1/2 to 2-minutes longer. Timing will vary according to your stove's element and depending how brown you like the waffle.If the waffle becomes too dark, too fast, then turn the stove element a bit lower.
8. Remove cooked waffle.
9. Brush the grids again with canola oil and reheat for a few minutes (till it smokes) before ladling in more batter. (Note: Because this is a new waffle iron, I brushed oil on the grids between making each waffle, but it's probably not necessary once the iron builds up it's own seasoned coating).
CLEANING A BREEZE:
1. Allow the waffle iron to cool.
2. Rinse under hot water, scrub lightly using a nylon brush (NEVER use soap to clean).
3. Heat both sides of each grid on the stove element, at low to medium setting, until dry and then wipe with paper towel and allow to cool.
MINOR ISSUES:
1. A pre-seasoned waffle iron would certainly eliminate the hassle of seasoning.
2. The handles are a bit short should be longer.
3. The handles get piping hot, but an Ove-glove is the perfect solution (I use only one glove on the left hand to open or close the grids, while leaving the right hand free for pouring batter or removing waffles).
4. A bit of oil drips from the hinge onto the stove top, (probably from brushing on too much oil while preheating the grids) but is easily cleaned.
PARTING COMMENT:
If you prefer the thinner, crispier texture of a waffle, then this waffle iron is definitely a winner and worth every penny. It's perfect for 1 or 2 people, but a larger family would definitely benefit from using two of them in order to speed up the preparation process.
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