NordicWare 15040 Cast Aluminum Stovetop Belgium Waffle Iron

I've read over some of the negative reviews before making my final decisions on this item because I mostly saw a lot of potential and promise into what I could do with this product (saving money by whipping my own personal batter and possibly spiking the recipe with protein powder or some other supplements. This review will not cover this attempt as it's purpose was to simply make waffles without taking up too much space and to be incredibly easy to clean and maintain). What I didn't like about the electric waffle makers is the idea over how bulky and prone to being broken they are if they are either bumped or dropped from the counter. The folks that designed this product clearly had this in mind, they made their item from superior materials and it's what you're paying for here.It calls for vegetable oil to be painted as an optional choice; but I usually use whatever cooking oil that I have in the kitchen like canola oil that I would use for eggs or pancakes, and it turned out just fine for me (I initially thought my first batter was oily, and it didn't require the oil since the two pans are coated with a nonstick material and so easy to separate, and reassemble during cooking without oven mitts or gloves. I left a lot of room on the stovetop to work). With my first batter, I was able to whip up 16 waffles (some of them were not complete, while others overflowed when I put too much in; but these things come with practice); no problem and no fuss, and at a fraction of the price of buying commercial waffles buying the ingredients individually and mixing them into a thick batter. For a normal batter from the time that you start with the ingredients from scratch to the time you are done, you're looking at somewhere between 20 and 30 minutes (and if you're really efficient, you could also add the clean-up period to that timing also). Clean-up is virtually fuss free as the item is already coated with a non-stick material; but since it's aluminum, you wouldn't dare stick it in the dishwasher or the detergent will oxidize the Aluminum.The price seems a little high compared to the electric waffle makers; but you're paying for something that is very well made and efficient when it takes only 3-4 minutes per waffle, it's easy to stack your waffles on a nearby plate (does feel old fashioned), and repeat the process that is only limited by how much waffle batter you have. You can make some crazy good waffles with this item, and still be incredibly sanitary that nobody's going to get sick with the next batter when it's easy to disassemble (there's only two pieces) and thoroughly scrub & rinse out as necessary as you need too. This items is well worth the price compared to electric waffle makers. Now my folks want one after seeing this item in action and the results.

I purchased this iron to replace an old, sad, incompetent Hamilton Beech Belgian waffle iron which, thankfully, passed away last week. Lights, buttons, a too-short cord, impossible to clean, flaccid performance. There was nothing to like about that thing, except that fact that it made fart noises if you overfilled it and it oozed out the back. So when I plugged it in and it did nothing, I rejoiced.My first requirement for a new waffle iron was that I be able to clean it. Not wipe it off, not scrape it with a paper-towel wrapped knife, not dig in the grooves with a toothpick -- actually clean it with soap and water. After looking at my options - removable plate models - I was pretty disappointed. They either cost more than I wanted to spend for a few waffle breakfasts each month, or they didn't perform. Then I spotted this stovetop model. At first, I was like "NONSENSE!!!!". But then I remembered my grandfather using a cast-iron waffle pan when I was kid, and those were the waffles by which all other waffles shall be judged. So I looked, hoping for a Lodge one, but nothing - but this NordicWare came up in my search. I like NordicWare, and have had good luck with their products, so I pulled the trigger.I have just made my 3rd batch of waffles, by request, in the 9 days I've had this puppy. It is the EASIEST waffle iron ever, and turns out gorgeous, perfect, crispy super-model waffles every time - perfectly even color, crispy, deeeeeeeep pockets. I mean, it's as easy as making a grilled cheese sandwich. No sticking, no mess, easy to clean, and takes up very little space in the cabinet. I could not be happier with this product.Buy it. Now. Do it.

I can't say enough good things about this waffle maker. I have an olaf electric waffle maker that my parents got for my daughter as a present. I used it several times and will still have to keep using it since she loves the olaf shaped waffles it makes. It is however the biggest pain to clean it properly. The waffle shape has small holes and crevices that make cleaning out the thing properly extremely difficult since you cant submerge it in water. After I tasted how good home made waffles tasted, even though they were olaf shaped, I wanted to always make home made waffles and not buy frozen ones anymore. The recipes are so easy. I wanted a bigger waffle maker, or one that makes ones with less crevices at least. What lead me to buying this waffle iron instead of an electric is that you can fully submerge it in water to get it perfectly and quickly and easily cleaned. It is truly non stick too. I got this over the cast iron one for that reason. I didn't want to mess around with non stick for waffles. It could ruin and frustrate me quickly if I had an issue with this sticking while using it on a gas range with flames and I know myself and I would give up fast and get angry. So I got this one instead and the waffles come off ridiculously easily. I was nervous to use this on the gas range as I didn't know the right heat setting to use. I watched the video that is online for this and followed what she said for that and quickly realized that every stove is different and I had to adjust the flame to get the waffles to cook in the appropriate amount of time. So far I haven't had any batter spill out the sides which was another thing that I was worried about. Having said that, I also haven't made a perfectly square waffle yet since I haven't put enough in to reach all four corners yet. I'll get there. Ive made about 3 batches of waffles in it so far, different recipes each time as we are trying them out to find THE best waffle recipe. I am extremely happy with this purchase and I would recommend trying it out. I don't think I would have been as happy had I gotten another electric one, if even it was easier to use.