The Best of the Many Wafflers I've Used

I've acquired quite a collection of new and used waffle makers in my quest to find a unit that meets my very demanding needs, and this is the first unit that has ever completely satisfied me. Modern machines offer the convenience of timed baking, superior non-stick grids (that don't rust lke old machines) and warning buzzers, but generally at the expense of lower wattage. At 1750 watts, this is the most powerful unit in my collection. It also has the best non-stick grids, which never require cooking oil, not even the first time. This unit even beat the KitchenAid KPWB100NP Pro Line Waffle Baker, which disappointed me. The Wafflepro M850 is the most versatile unit I've ever used.

The reason I say that my needs are demanding is that I try and produce healthy waffles, using whole grain batters, low fat or even fat-free batters, sugar-free batters, etc. Sugar aids in browning, and oil aids in crisping. Most wafflers have trouble browning and crisping batters that are lower in or lacking these types of ingredients. Heavy batters such as whole wheat often come out doughy as well, in lower wattage units. I've cooked whole wheat, oat bran, traditional buttermilk, fat free, sugar free, chocolate chip and other batters in this unit and am able to produce not only waffles with crisp exteriors and soft interiors (as advertised) but everything in between. You can produce waffles with textures ranging from damp sponges to bricks with a variety of batters in this waffler. At the uniform setting and mid-range temperature you can produce them with the texture of an ice cream cone, without being hard or burnt, which is kind of neat.

It's very fast, at the settings I normally use it takes 2 minutes to produce an 8 1/2 inch square waffle, and 90 second if I'm in the mood for a less crisp waffle. It actually ends up being faster than the comparably priced KitchenAid model that cooks two at once since that unit is slower to heat and cook. Unlike the KitchenAid, this one has both temperature and time adjustments, whereas the KitchenAid only has variable timing. The KitchenAid will produce a taller waffle however (at 1 1/4 inch) due to it's flip nature, whereas this one produces waffles that are 7/8 inches tall, which is taller than standard waffles but not as tall as most flip-style belgian units. I use "tall" instead of thick and thin, as I reserve those terms for the thickness of the waffle walls. This unit produces thinner waffle walls due to its slightly more squared grid pattern, which allows for more texture versatility. I like the shape of the grid pattern very much, but others may prefer the thicker waffle walls of most other belgian waffle makers. And if you want waffles that are taller than 7/8 inches thick you'll need a flip-style unit.

I also have a Chef's Choice WafflePro M840 machine, the Five of Hearts style, for use when I want something with a smaller grid pattern. It's a nice unit, and powerful in its class at 1100 watts, although I find the extra wattage of the M850 helpful for my needs. The M840 series also lacks the LED timer of this unit, but that's more of a handy convenience than a necessity. The M840 series is a great unit for the casual waffler (the M840B is the belgian style unit which I haven't tried but appears comparable to the M840 heart style unit) and produces nicely textured waffles for most traditional batters. But if you're a hardcore waffle lover that's counting calories to boot, the M850 is worth the (much) higher price to get the added texture capability.

For me at least, the search for the perfect waffle iron/baker/maker has ended.

[Saturday, February 23, 2008]

Great waffle iron!

This is the best waffle iron out there! We did our research which included reading all sorts of opinions (Amazon, Cooks Illustrated, epinions, consumersearch...) and manufacturer's specifications. We tried several based on the positive evaluations including `high end' brands, but returned them because we found them all to be poorly made and/or to make terrible waffles. Most brands are clearly trying to hit a price point which forces them to skimp on quality (poor non-stick surfaces, bad construction or heat unevenly).

Although we only wanted a waffle iron for our family to be used once every couple weeks, we wanted a quality appliance which would give us evenly cooked waffles and last a good many years.

We finally settled on the Chef's Choice M850 model from Edgecraft and are very happy with it. While the price is toward the top end of the range for waffle irons, based on our experience you get what you pay for - in this case, a very well made waffle iron and great waffles.

We had the best results with the brownness control set at 2 ½.

Positive points:

- Excellent solid construction
- Excellent non-stick surface
- Very easy to clean
- Flexible controls: time, crispness and brownness
- Digital count-down timer starts automatically
- Fast heat-up and fast cooking
- Even cooking and browning across the whole surface
- Constructed for relatively thin waffles (perfect in my opinion since we are talking about waffles here and not thick pancakes)
- MADE IN USA!

Constructive Criticism:

- There is a shrill beep tone which tells you when it gets plugged in, when it's ready to bake and when your waffles are done. I am annoyed by all the beeping in the kitchen these days. To be fair, most waffle irons have beep tones now. (I found a way to eliminate it)

[Sunday, November 11, 2007]

works as intended

Produces perfect waffles every time. Because it makes very thin waffles, you get evenly cooked ready-to-eat treats very quickly, surprisingly quickly compared to other irons which make traditional thickness waffles. Our family enjoys both and likes this waffle iron. Would buy again.

FYI, first one came dead-on-arrival. Amazon exchanged without issue.

[Tuesday, October 09, 2007]

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