Stove Top Waffle Iron: Nostalgic Times with a Stove Top Waffle Iron
Waffles, along with pancakes have always been favorite breakfast treats enjoyed by people of different generations and races. Nowadays, making waffles is a breeze, with an electric waffle maker, just pour in the waffle mixture and leave it to cook, that simple. However, before the electric waffle maker, we know and love came into existence, there had to be another way of making waffles easily and this is when the stove top waffle iron was widely used. By the way, these old-school waffle irons are still being used today although its popularity has declined due to the rise of the electric waffle makers.
A stove top waffle iron looks like two frying pans hinged together to cook waffles on both sides. The insides look exactly like the waffle makers we have now and some come in circular shapes and others come in rectangular or square shaped. The sizes of waffles that can be cooked with these waffle irons range from 6 to 8in so there are many choices to choose from depending on the number of people to serve. Since these waffle irons don’t have any electric heating elements to cook waffles on its own, it has to be cooked on a stove. It is usually made using cast-iron so that it can stand the extreme heat when it cooks. The pan handles are made of wood or heat-resistant plastic and are usually long in length to keep from burning the hand. There are locks included to hold both pans together when flipping. Flipping should be occasionally done to evenly cook both sides of a waffle. Cooking time is nearly the same as the electric waffle makers. Most of these waffle irons have nonstick coating so cleaning is easier and waffle will not stick onto the surface. The entire waffle iron can be soaked in water for easier cleaning although letting it cool off should be done first so that the pan will not get damaged over long-term use.
These old-school waffle irons are very easy to use although obviously, not as easy as what we have now. Looking at the glass half-full, not only is it a low-cost alternative to newer more expensive waffle makers but it can make delicious waffles and at the same time get some exercise for the arms.