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.

Love this waffle iron. My new favorite and I have vowed to use this every weekend for family breakfasts. I have not tried another iron before so I cannot compare. But with all the good things about this iron, why get another? I did much research and this is probably the best stovetop iron out there right now. PROS: Easy to use Easy to clean Flat, takes up no space when stored, can be tucked away Makes 4 thick waffles with very deep wells for topping Sturdy construction, should last unless plastic handles break off Plastic handles stay cool Great control over cooking temp on stove top Waffle release beautifully, no sticking Heavy iron cooks and browns evenly Releases beautifully, no sticking CONS: This could be a lifetime tool if it didn't have the non-stick surface and also if the cast aluminum ran the length of the handles. So even if the plastic comes off, there would be aluminum underneath. I wowed my family at the first use. I just followed the Belgium Waffle recipe that came with the packaging. It was so easy and tasty. If you don't have a recipe in mind, try that one first. I recommend doubling the sugar as it only calls for 1 tablespoon. And then experiment with how much batter to add. If you watched the video on Amazon, they instruct that you add one cup of batter in the center of the pan. And the batter is suppose do spread when you put the top piece down. That is not what happened for me no matter how I tried. I warned the two sides of the iron on separate burners on med-low. I increased the batter to 1 1/3 or 1 1/2 cup starting out in the center and the going out into filling most of the for squares. I put the top piece on and immediately flip. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Then flip and cook for 1 minute (up to 2 minutes if it didn't brown the first time because the speed of how I scoop and drop the batter changes). This ensures an evenly toasted crunch on both sides. You can check the browning as frequently as you want by slightly opening the iron while cooking. Make sure to only do this after the initial 2 minutes when the batter is almost completely cooked. If your batter overflows, but is not dripping, just let it cook. You can easily peel it off when it's cooked. You try to wipe it, you will smear it and the residue will be harder to clean off. Should you insist on cleaning it, just pick up the iron and take it over to the kitchen sink and wipe with a damp cloth and try to get it all off before returning to stove. Now that I've got the technique down, I'm going to try other recipes. Especially recreating the liege waffles of Belgium!

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.

I have been looking for a waffle iron and I liked the idea of a stove top one both for a smaller footprint and for less to go wrong with it. I tried to find one in an actual store so I could see/touch it but they are very hard to find so I ordered this one based on it's size and mostly good reviews. I really like it. The non-stick element of it worked perfectly. I made the recipe on the packaging it came in which had quite a bit of butter in it so I actually didn't add any oil to the pan and they slid right out once they were cooked. It says not to use cooking spray so I think if I use oil next time it will be of a non-aerosol variety. Using the pan itself was really easy, which I was a little worried about, and the waffles turned out really nicely. I was hoping to make toaster waffles and keep them in the freezer and these do fit in my toaster so that is a plus. The only negative (and reason I held back on 5 stars) is that I noticed the first time I used one of the handles was a little loose and the pan could rotate a bit when I didn't want it to. I reinforced the connection with superglue and it seems to be in there tightly now, but I will wait to see how it holds up with heat and such.

Buy the NordicWare Cast Aluminum Stovetop Belgium Waffle Maker. Clean up is a dream! I have no sticking issues because I brush the machine with melted butter. I have been reading Cooks Illustrated Magazine kitchen product reviews since I was 19 and their product ratings have never disappointed me yet! I love my NordicWare 15040 Cast Aluminum Stovetop Belgium Waffle maker! I simply brush melted butter on both sides of the maker and I heat both sides for 2 minutes each over medium heat on my electric stove. Then I flip the side that was in contact with the burner over and pour in 1 cup of waffle batter. I cook it for 2 minutes on each side and I get nice crispy waffles. I used to own a Warning Pro Waffle Belgian Waffle Maker another highly recommended waffle maker from Cooks Illustrated test kitchen reviews. But my husband dropped it and broke it. I was upset because it was so very expensive. But that is life and it was time to buy another. I don't have a lot of cupboard space or counter top space in my house so I decided to try the Nordic Ware Cast Aluminum Stovetop Belgium Waffle maker. I am so glad I did. It is so affordable and I love that it performs just as well as my old model. I also love how sleek and easy to store the NordicWare is. It is such a space saver! And it is so easy to clean! This makes 4 large waffles. I eat one and my husband eats one. I don't need to fill the whole iron with batter. I leave 2 squares empty. This will be great for larger families or those who eat more waffles! I kept my waffles in the oven on warm until it was time for breakfast and they were still crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. I love this waffle maker and I will absolutely repurchase it in the future if I need to.

I purchased this about 2 months ago. The first 4 batches were perfect, and I was planning on writing a 5-star review. Then, for the next several, something happened. I think I went through the same issue that other reviewers went through; something seems to change with the coating. I would use the same recipe, but the waffles didn't turn out well, and there was an awful mess I would have to clean out of the waffler for like half an hour each time. I was about to trash this item, but I made another batch just now and I think I have a figured out what the issue(s) were. Here is my advice = 1. Reduce the amount of milk in your batter. My recipe called for 1 and a half cups of flour with 1 and a half cups of milk. I found that if you keep the flour the same, but reduce your milk to 1 and a third cup, the waffler seems to churn out better waffles. 2. SLATHER the waffler in something to avoid sticking. I didn't do this as fervently the first 4 batches and it worked fine, but after that it stopped working as well. I used to use butter, and wasn't diligent on how much i used. This last one (which worked perfectly) I used Crisco EVOO no-stick spray. 3. Do not use almond flour. Not sure if this is really an issue, but when I stuck with all-purpose flour or a combination of all-purpose and whole wheat flour, the consistency worked better. 4. Let your batter sit for a bit. This last batch, I let the batter sit in the fridge overnight then used it. 5. Be very meticulous to avoid over-cooking. I used medium-high heat, and you need to listen. As the waffle is forming, you will hear some very subtle noises, not sure how to describe them, but this represents the batter solidifying into the waffle. Make sure you hear the noise, then flip the waffler. I would say about 1 minute on each side after you start to hear the noise [So, hear the noise, flip, hear the noises, then flip before 60 seconds, then take it off heat before 60 seconds]. In the batches that failed, I think I let it sit there too long, and the waffle was fried. This induces it to stick to the waffler, and can lead to a sticky mess. It's definitely a learning curve, but once you get it right you will love this item. Good luck!!!

This pan works well on my ceramic glass stove top. I heat the two sides on two different burners at almost medium heat. I brush each pan side with butter. To one pan, I scoop 1/3 cup batter (1-1/3 cup batter in total) onto each waffle section (you may have to play around with the batter proportions - this 1/3 per section was for the sour cream waffles that came with the pan - and it is quite thick). I cover the batter with the other half of the pan and put the timer on for 1 minute. I turn the pan over and heat the other side for another minute. This gives me evenly cooked golden waffles on both sides. I love that I can clean the waffle pan better and more safely than my other electric waffler that died. There were parts of the old electric waffler that had a permanent crust because I couldn't reach it easily to clean. I have no cleaning issues with the Nordic ware pan. It's so much easier to clean properly and with no frustration! I also love that I can just tuck it away on the side of my cupboard. It's storage footprint is so small! The key to the waffler is the heat. I was originally cooking the waffles on medium low heat and the waffles would not cook properly no matter how long I tried to cook them. On medium heat the pan works beautifully and the waffles come out how I like them - golden brown. I almost regretted buying the pan, but now that I figured out the correct batter proportions, the correct heating temperature and the correct timing, I give the pan my 5 star rating like many others before me.

Very disappointed with this purchase. I was specifically looking for a real cast iron waffle maker because I make waffles for my children almost every day and intentionally avoid nonstick coatings and unnecessary chemicals. In reality, this turned out to be cast aluminum with a coating and plastic handles. The box also includes phenol/formaldehyde warnings. It is styled to look like cast iron, but it is not cast iron. If you are looking for natural materials and long-lasting cookware without coatings, be very careful and double-check the specifications before buying.

Amazing Quality and excellent size

We recently swapped out an AGA for a dual fuel range cooker and I was looking around for a waffle iron to use with it. I considered the standard waffle making machines but was quite taken with the idea of this as is seemed a bit more fun to use - also it is called a waffler which I found quite pleasing. Having looked at multiple products I settled on this one after reading the reviews on Amazon.com (after all who better to review a waffle iron that our cousins across the pond eh?). I have to say that I am thoroughly impressed with the product. It is easy to use - simply baste the interior with oil or butter, place on a gas burner and wait until the top surface is too hot to touch, add waffle mix and then flip it over and cook for 3 minutes. So far perfect waffles every time (I would definitely recommend, irrespective of the recipe in use, whisking the egg whites and folding them into the waffle batter as it makes the waffles really fluffy and light) with a lovely crispy surface. Once done and cooled it is easy to clean as it comes apart and, because it is aluminium, it is easy to handle (i.e. not too heavy). Remember this is aluminium and not cast iron so won't work with induction hobs. I would definitely recommend this product.

Franchement très décevant. Après la 2eme utilisation un des manches s’est totalement désolidarisé de l’ensemble. Après l’avoir remis en place « à froid » même problème. Dosage de la chaleur difficile à maîtriser… pour le prix on est à la limite de l’escroquerie…

Nice to have

This is exactly what I wanted and expected. The handles are plastic but I haven't had any issues with that. I use this on a glass stove-top and it works well. I'm still not sure what the materials are but as other reviewers have suggested, I believe it's a non-stick coating. I spray oil on before each use and it works well. I don't use metal utensils and haven't noticed any wear or scratching over about a year of light use. It's relatively easy to clean. I don't trust the recipe's in the little booklet it came with as they were overly complicated. Recipe's from the internet or cookbooks work perfectly (almost) every time!