Belgian waffles for breakfast. Yum! Waring WMK300 Professional Belgian Waffle Maker
Written: May 16 '08
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Pros: very easy to use, beeps to let you know waffle is cooked
Cons: expensive, plates aren't removable
The Bottom Line: This machine is very easy to use and makes delicious Belgian waffles. If you can get past the price, it is definitely worth checking out.
njchicaa's Full Review: Waring WMK300 Professional Belgian Waffle Maker
I've owned a few waffle makers in my life and somehow managed to lose every single one during the many moves I made in my twenties. I had been thinking about buying myself a new waffle maker but kept putting off the purchase during the past year. When it came time to put together a registry for my bridal shower, it was the first thing that I added. I selected the Waring WMK300 Professional Belgian Waffle Maker because I had used it (or something very similar) over the summer at a hotel in Maryland. I've been using it for the past few weekends and am very happy with this waffle machine!
About The Waring Professional Belgian Waffle Maker
Out of the box, this product is very easy to set up. You have the actual machine, a removable metal tray that sits on the base under the waffle plates, and a measuring cup. There are only two controls on the base: one for browning level and an off/on switch. This waffle maker cooks one Belgian waffle at a time and will beep to let you know that the waffle is fully cooked.
The machine is large and takes up an impolite amount of counter or cabinet real estate. Because my kitchen is small and I don't have a pantry, I store it down in the basement on a shelving unit. I only have time to sit and make a real breakfast on the weekends or during the summer, so running down the steps once or twice a week isn't a big deal. If I planned to cook waffles more than that, I'd definitely be throwing something away to make room for this product in the kitchen cabinet. I don't see that being an issue, though, because seriously how many times can one eat Belgian waffles in one week?
The instruction manual states that you should season the waffle plates by brushing oil onto them the first time you use this machine. That is the only real nugget of information that I got out of the booklet; everything else about this product is pretty obvious. I suppose I should mention that the instruction manual also contains a few recipes for waffles, none of which I have tried thus far. I've stuck to using Bisquick for my Waring Professional Belgian Waffle Maker adventures.
Making Waffles With This Machine
It is extremely easy to make Belgian waffles with this product. I simply plug it in, turn it on, and allow it to heat up. In the meantime I mix up the Bisquick batter and fill up the measuring cup so I can pour it in when the machine is ready. As I mentioned earlier, you are supposed to season the plates with oil before the first use. The instruction manual didn't say anything further on the subject, so I brush some oil on them every few uses just to be safe.
When the machine beeps to indicate that it is ready, I pour the it across the plates as evenly as I can. After making several batches of Belgian waffles, I learned that filling the measuring cup up to the "fill" line and using all of it for one waffle was just asking for a mess. You can use between half and three-quarters of that amount and still get a complete waffle without all of the spillage and dripping.
When you are finished adding batter to the machine, you twist the handle to rotate the plates 180 degrees. This rotation starts the internal timer which is set according to the browning level that you select. The levels run from 1 to 6 with 4 being the one that Waring recommends for "crisp, brown waffles." Again, after trial and error, I have determined that browning level 6 is actually the best for me as I like them to be completely browned outside but not burned or dried out.
The Waring Professional Belgian Waffle Maker will beep to let you know that your waffle is ready. You rotate the handle in the opposite direction, open it up, and remove your waffle. At that point you can add more batter for another one or just turn it off and save the batter for the next morning. I usually make four waffles with all of the batter and freeze the other three for quick weekday breakfasts.
When you are finished making waffles, you just unplug the machine, remove and wash the drip tray (I put mine in the dishwasher), and wipe any spills that ran down the side. The waffle plates aren't removable which will annoy germ-phobics, but I'm okay with it. I just wipe them down with a damp cloth which seems to be more than enough since nothing seems to stick to them.
Cost and Availability
I received the Waring WMK300 Professional Belgian Waffle Maker as a gift so I don't know exactly how much my mother-in-law paid for it. I've seen it online for anywhere between $50 and $80. She chose to buy it somewhere online rather than directly from my registry, so I think she probably got a good deal that was closer to the $50 end of the spectrum. This product is available in many home stores and on several web sites. If you have your heart set on one, it isn't difficult to obtain.
Overall Opinion
I am very happy with my Waring Professional Belgian Waffle Maker. It creates the crisp, brown waffles that I want without much prep, cooking, or cleanup effort on my part. $80 might sound steep for a waffle maker, but after using this machine, I'd happily pay that amount for it if I had to buy another one.
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