 The Best of the Many Wafflers I've Used |
| Review Date: February 23, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Prime Chuck, Pleasanton, CA |
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. |
Waffles won't make it to the table
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| Review Date: February 3, 2006 |
| Reviewer: CTRaider, Backwoods, CT |
We have searched for almost 19 years of our marriage for a waffle maker like this!
We have purchased the cheap ones to the REALLY expensive ones and NONE has come close to getting the color of the exterior right along with being crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Most of the time if you try to get the outside crunchy the waffle maker just burns it and dries out the inside. This one does not but cooks them perfect.
Matter of fact the first time we used the waffle maker my wife and I hadn't planned on calling the kids to the table untill we were done making the waffles. Well we tasted the very first one. Wow it was good! By the time my wife and I finished sharing the first one standing there at the counter the next one was ready (they say this thing is fast at making waffles and they are not kiddin'). So since the next one was hot we shared that one. And so on and so on till we were full. We never made it to the table. We just buttered some pieces and dipped them in our homemade maple syrup. I think we ate half of them just plain. After we were full we called in the kids (15 and 19 yrs old) and they finally got to eat. They loved them just as much as we did.
As for changing the settings. It is very simple to get the results you want. We didn't have to fiddle hardly at all to get what I described above.
I couldn't reccommend this Chefs Choice waffle maker more. Just make sure it's the right model with the temp settings on the right and it makes 1 square waffle with 4 connected sections. |
Great waffle iron!
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| Review Date: November 11, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Ondina, Florida, USA |
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)
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Best on the market, best customer service on earth
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| Review Date: December 14, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Michael J. Kovach, Pensacola, FL |
| I purchased the 850 Waffle-Pro and had the bad luck of receiving a defective unit. Amazon was great about issuing a refund and even covering the return shipping. I called the corporate customer service number at Edgecraft, Inc. (Chef's Choice) to ask about this problem. The friendly person on the phone actually put me through to the president of the company! He called me back on a conference call with the chief engineer at the company to discuss my defective unit and make sure that there was no problem with my house wiring. The chief engineer at Chef's Choice pulled an 850 Waffle-Pro from production and completely tested it for me so I could buy it directly from them and know that it was in perfect shape. I have never experienced such outstanding service ever. Chef's Choice and Amazon are totally committed the their customers. Now that my unit has arrived, I have made three batches of waffles so far and each have turned out perfectly. Crispy on the outside and tender inside in only two minutes. This waffle maker is the best on the market and made in the USA to boot! I tried an All Clad waffler that I bought from William-Sonoma for $199 thinking I was getting the best on the market, but it performed no better than the average waffle maker. When I looked and saw the unit was made in China, I about choked. Give me a break. The Chef's Choice 850 performs better than the more expensive All Clad and is made in the USA. I couldn't give a higher recommendation to the 850's performance and Chef's Choice customer service. I also feel good knowing I am supporting american workers. |
Delicious Waffles!
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| Review Date: April 6, 2009 |
| Reviewer: H. Frick, Boulder, CO United States |
| Just got this waffle maker, bought through Amazon. First of all rapid shipment! We just made our first set of waffles today, using the settings for "crispy crust and chewy inside". The waffles were really good, exactly as the settings describe. On the first cleaning, nothing stuck to the surface. So far a very pleasant experience! |
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