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Simply delicious: Fresh Belgian waffles with vanilla ice cream and pickled cherries
Photo: Jens Radü / DER SPIEGEL
The following recipe was in the instructions for use of the Rowenta waffle machine, which my mother always took out of the Formica cupboard when visitors came with children:
Simple waffles with baking soda
125 grams of butter (soft)
3 eggs
150 grams of sugar
stir until frothy
250 grams of flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of vanilla sugar
1 grated lemon peel
add and work into a smooth batter for about three minutes
This recipe has accompanied me through my childhood.
When I was eight I was allowed to work alone for the first time, and since then I've been the waffle officer in the family.
Later I took the Rowenta iron with me to the student flat.
Whenever there was urgent chores to research, study for exams, or cleaning the hallway, I let them steam.
Then we invited a few friends over on Sundays and drank red wine with a waffle with powdered sugar.
How did I love this thing!
But at some point the old waffle machine could no longer be cleaned properly, and leftovers of dough always got stuck somewhere.
And so the question finally arose: what would be a worthy replacement?
That's exactly what I tried to find out with this test.
I have tested these devices
Cloer Brussels waffle machine
Emerio rotating waffle iron
Krups double waffle iron
Domo design waffle iron
Aicook waffle iron, rotatable
This is how I proceed with the test
Belgian confectioners use yeast and granulated sugar for their waffles.
But I am an incorrigible fan of the Rowenta recipe and today, for once, I am mixing twice that amount.
Every device is inspected, cleaned and tested with at least three waffles (the first one is never anything).
My very personal test categories are the processing, the quality of the wafers and how easy it is to clean.
Because dough always overflows with me, even 30 years of experience with the iron won't help.
Cloer 1445 Brussels waffle machine
To start with, I unpack the iron from Cloer, one of the classic wafer maker manufacturers.
Founder Caspar Cloer shaped the heart shape in the 19th century.
So a lot of history, but the iron is not really convincing when it comes to processing: The plastic regulator, which is continuously adjustable from 1 to 5, is a bit wobbly, making the adjustment less precise.
However, this does not bother you when baking, the waffles can be easily removed from the heating plate.
Even after several attempts I don't get a uniform tan.
Maybe it's the dough, maybe it's the iron.
However, the Cloer waffles pass the taste test: light and tasty, if a little dry.
The biggest minus is cleaning.
Of course, I spilled too much dough on the plate during the first run, and it promptly oozed out of all the cracks.
The controller and the guide rail are glued, as are the sides.
I wipe as much as I can, which doesn't save me from scratching and scrubbing.
I would have expected more dough bowl pragmatism in product design with the company history of Cloer.
👍🏻
Delicious waffles (if a little dry)
👎
Shaky processing, difficult to clean
Emerio WM-110984 rotating waffle iron
The rotary waffle iron from Emerio.
If you are now wondering why a waffle iron should be turned 180 degrees at all: The dough spreads out better, the waffle becomes fluffier and not as firm, as the rotation aficionados promise.
I am excited and open the heating plates - a small piece of plastic breaks off on the closure.
Not reducing the function, but of course it doesn't make a particularly good impression when it comes to workmanship.
At least the rest is okay: the dial clicks clicks when you turn it, a feeling like cracking a safe.
The 180-degree rotation literally runs in no time at all, which increases baking fun even before the finished waffle.
I have to wait a long time for this, at least longer than with the predecessor, but it's worth it: The waffles are browned quite evenly and are even looser than with the conventional folding device.
There is a drip tray for overflowing dough, but the side edges and heating plates will still be greasy.
Scouring, scratching, you know it.
👍🏻 Very loose waffles, good handling of temperature
setting
and rotation
👎
Unsatisfactory processing, difficult to clean
Krups waffle iron FDK251
Krups, a top dog among household appliances, founded in Solingen in 1846, is now a brand of the French Groupe SEB.
The waffle iron comes in a very reduced design, there is no temperature controller, just an on / off switch and two lights in green and red.
Sure, you can control the baking time, but is that enough?
Yes, I notice after the first waffle that comes out of the iron perfectly browned: slightly crispy on the outside, light and tender on the inside.
You don't really need a topping anymore - although powdered sugar, cherries and vanilla ice cream are of course never wrong.
Well thought out: A small protective wall arches towards the function switches in front of the heating plates, which prevents overflowing dough from dripping onto the control elements.
The Krups device is correspondingly easy to clean.
👍🏻
Very good waffles, reduced and practical design, very easy to clean
👎
No temperature
controller
DOMO DO9047W
"Design waffle iron", Domo advertises for the following device.
Well, it's angular and gray, the handle looks like it has been planted, it doesn't really suit my taste.
But when it comes to a waffle iron, what matters most is a different concept of taste.
After all, the Domo model is small and space-saving, especially in contrast to its rotary competitors.
The lid hangs a bit wobbly in the hinge and right after unpacking I discover small paint damage.
To do this, the adjusting wheel for the degree of browning makes a nice click-click again.
But how good are the waffles?
A more piebald variant this time, but that doesn't harm the taste.
Solid, if not exceptionally airy, rather a bit firm.
The cleaning turns out to be smeary - despite or perhaps because of the advertised "trendy & compact" design and takes longer than the three waffle baking cycles.
👍🏻
Good waffles
👎
No flawless processing, cleaning inconvenient
Aicook
waffle iron Belgian rotatable
This rotary waffle iron comes from the Chinese company Aicook.
The umbrella brand specializes in tablets and smartphones, but kitchen machines, from coffee makers to juicers, have also been on offer since 2014.
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Belgian Rotating Waffle Maker Aicook ™ |
1000W |
Stainless steel waffle maker with temperature control |
180 ° rotatable |
Non-stick plates |
Signal lights |
Anti-leakage |
Double-sided heating |
Drip tray
From € 64.55
Time of price inquiry
December 2nd, 2021 9:16 am
No guarantee
Order from Amazon
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More information here
The workmanship is okay, at least nothing has broken off.
The heating plates are covered with stainless steel, only the handle has a little too much play for my taste.
Can it withstand 1000 rotations?
In my test, however, I have nothing to complain about.
The waffles are good and again significantly more airy than in a folding device, so the rotation actually brings something.
However, the excess dough runs out here too.
The drip tray catches most of it, but even this waffle run ends with scrubbing and scraping.
👍🏻
Airy waffles, processing
ok 👎
Comparatively expensive
My conclusion:
Sure, the five devices had a hard time compared to my historic Rowenta: Nothing tastes as good as memories.
But after 40 waffles I have a clear favorite, the Krups waffle machine.
He delivered almost perfect waffles, has a pleasantly reduced design and the workmanship gives the impression that I could give the device to my eldest in the student flat.
Maybe then he'll invite me over for a waffle on Sunday afternoon.
With red wine.