Kitchen Aid Mixer Trip: Easy waffles

	Waring Pro WMK300A Professional Stainless-Steel Belgian Waffle Maker by Waring (53% Off)

Kitchen Aid Mixer Trip: Easy waffles

The Waring Pro Belgian Waffle Maker will look familiar to most people who have stayed at a hotel that offers a complimentary continental breakfast.
The waffle maker is usually located next to the toaster, with cups of batter nearby. Those continental breakfasts are a huge reason why I now own this waffle maker: my husband fell in love with the idea of owning one ourselves.
Note that this waffle maker is essentially the same as Waring Pro WMK300 Belgian Waffle Maker, Brushed Stainless. The only difference is a handle that folds down for easier storage — and even that may have changed since I bought my first 300 model.
Everything else is the same. Although the product description calls this “stainless steel,” only the exterior of the waffle iron itself is stainless steel; the base is a gray plastic.
The operation is simple. Plug it in and wait for the iron to preheat. Brush or spray a little oil on the surface. Pour batter on the nonstick grid, close the top, rotate the handle, and wait for the machine to beep when the waffle is done.
Rotate the iron back to the original position, lift the lid, and remove the waffle. The whole cooking process takes about five minutes.
The only real trick to operating this waffle maker is finding a good recipe. I didn’t bother trying Waring’s selections and instead found my favorite recipe online.
If you use a cooking spray instead of brushing on oil, make sure that you use the kind for grilling and high heat cooking.
The original Pam leaves a sticky residue since it is not meant for such temperatures. A good, flavorless oil works best.
The whole thing cleans up in minutes, if not seconds. The nonstick grids release the waffles so cleanly that I never have to clean it.
Too much batter poured onto the surface might require some exterior clean-up, but the removable metal pan underneath the waffle iron can be easily hand-washed.
A temperature control allows you to control the darkness/crispness of your waffles. The manufacturer suggests a setting of 4; I found that I had to set it to 5 before I got an adequately crisp result.
For recipes, I suggest that cooks use those that require stiff egg white folded into the batter for the classic Belgian waffle. These recipes usually only take ten minutes or so to whip up, and are not as time-consuming as those that require yeast.
All in all, I like this waffle maker. Now, if only my husband would make waffles at home as he does in hotels, instead of waiting for me to do it.