478452 Fri Jan 11 14:10:53 -0800 2008 38 31 Home Cooking 0 3286253 We make waffles frequently on the weekends and I just can't seem to get them to come out crispy from the waffle iron. I use a Vitantonio Premier waffle maker with the small holes (not a Belgian waffle maker). I spray the iron each time with cooking spray and I've tried lots of waffles made from scratch and the Bisquick ones. I cook them to a medium brown, but they just don't seem to crisp up like I'd like (and I don't want dry, just crispy on the outside). I've even gone so far as to take them out of the waffle iron and then sort of "pan fry" them in a little butter in my cast iron skillet. Works better but seems awfully labor intensive! Don't know if I need to change the iron temp (I cook on "medium") or if I need a new waffle iron (it's 10 years old) or what. It seems to work fine otherwise. Fri Jan 11 14:10:53 -0800 2008 141672 Scirocco 1 3286280 It sounds as if the iron isn't cooking at a high enough temperature. I'd try turning the iron to the highest setting, first (the thermostat may not be giving a correct reading, keeping the temp too low), before considering getting a new iron. The good news, though, is that a new waffle iron will only set you back about $20. My Blog: http://www.epicureforum.com Fri Jan 11 14:16:54 -0800 2008 3286253 144280 sirregular 1 3286291 Two things, in my experience, make for a crispy waffle: high waffle iron temp AND butter-laden recipe. You just need a LOT of butter in the batter for waffles to brown. More than in pancake batter Fri Jan 11 14:20:32 -0800 2008 3286253 121685 doc_k55 2 3286503 Thanks! Ya, I was wondering if I should crank the temp up some more to get that high heat "sear" in a sense. And I agree - more butter is always good! And would definitely help the crisp factor. I didn't think of that. Will experiment and let you know! :-) Fri Jan 11 15:10:16 -0800 2008 3286291 141672 Scirocco 3 3286516 yeah, "crispy" made me think of upping the fat factor -- and since it really can't be on the waffle iron (compared with a skillet with oil, e.g.) -- then it has to be in the batter. or can you generously brush the iron with veg oil? mmmmmm.....butter! Fri Jan 11 15:13:58 -0800 2008 3286503 105717 alkapal 4 3287699 My mother, who set the waffle standard for me, used 1 cube of butter, melted, in her 2 c flour, 2 c buttermilk, 2 egg batter recipe. Sat Jan 12 04:33:03 -0800 2008 3286516 13619 Sharuf 3 3286590 Yes, crank up the temp. I have the Cuisinart waffle iron and use Bittman's overnight waffles (which is full of butter). I have the iron to the hottest setting to produce medium-crispy waffles. Fri Jan 11 15:34:28 -0800 2008 3286503 10763 Miss Needle 2 3367180 I agree with the temp on the waffle iron, but disagree totally about the butter. I use somewhere between zero and 2 Tbs. butter in my waffles, and they are always crispy. In case you're interested, I think the secret to waffles that are light and fluffy on the inside and crispy outside is to separate the eggs and whip the whites separately, then fold in. Tue Feb 05 11:10:04 -0800 2008 3286291 10471 danna 1 3286573 I just tried out a Belgian waffle maker for the first time last night. (With mixed results. Not sure how I feel about it compared to my regular waffle maker which I love.) Anyway, the directions for the iron do say to turn to a higher heat setting for crispier waffles. So that seems to corroborate what everyone is saying. Fri Jan 11 15:30:15 -0800 2008 3286253 123744 karykat 1 3286920 While high heat is important, the best way to get crispy waffles is to use a yeasted batter. See this thread: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/357547 My earliest exposure to these was in the 60's, with Sourdough Jack's Yeasted Waffles, but here's a version with regular yeast. I actually don't think the SD adds much: 2 1/2 C flour, 2 C warm water, 1/2 packet of yeast (regular or rapid). Mix together and let stand. When it's frothy, about 2 hours, beat an egg with 2 T oil and 1/4 C instant dry milk, and fold into the batter. Then combine 1 t salt, 1 t baking soda, and 2T sugar, sprinkle evenly on the top of the batter and fold in. The soda will cause the batter to foam. Let it stand for a few minutes. Cook in a waffle iron at the highest heat, and let it re-heat between waffles. Don't overfill the iron. These freeze well, and then toast up nice and crisp. Fri Jan 11 17:33:47 -0800 2008 3286253 43747 Leucadian 2 3287059 thanks so much for the link - I should've done a search first! This weekend (tomorrow in fact) we plan to first play with the waffle iron temp. After that, will play with the recipes. I have a GREAT book for waffles, pancakes, muffins, yeast breads, quick breads, pizza dough, scones, etc. "Breads of New England" by Judy Gorman I doubt it's in print any more, but could probably find it second hand if anyone's interested. Will check for some yeast waffle recipes. I know there is at least one yeast recipe in there. Also, I get Cook's Illustrated, so am a big fan and will try their recipe as well. I love sourdough, so am intrigued by that recipe as well! thanks everyone! Fri Jan 11 18:25:34 -0800 2008 3286920 141672 Scirocco 3 3287198 When you're looking for yeasted batter recipes, look for one by Mollie Katzen called something like Amazing Overnight Waffles. They are amazing. The overnight rest helps the flavor develop. And makes it easier to pull together in the morning. Fri Jan 11 19:30:19 -0800 2008 3287059 123744 karykat 4 3287201 And on that topic - Cook's Illustrated has a decent yeasted waffle recipe as well. Fri Jan 11 19:31:30 -0800 2008 3287198 121685 doc_k55 4 3287278 here is mollie katzen's recipe: http://www.culinate.com/books/collections/All+Books/The+150+Best+American+Recipes/Amazing+Overnight+Waffles Fri Jan 11 20:09:56 -0800 2008 3287198 105717 alkapal 5 3360989 Thanks! I finally got around to trying Mollie's recipe today. It is so simple to put together the night before! We liked them and they were crispy (I think upping the waffle iron temp was the key there). I think next time I would try it with buttermilk instead of regular milk for added flavor and tang. I also may play around with some other yeasted recipes and find the combination I like best. Thanks for the tip - they were yummy!! :-) Sun Feb 03 09:39:29 -0800 2008 3287278 141672 Scirocco 6 3367188 While I love the flavor of buttermilk in baked goods, it makes waffles tough. Save it for pancakes, IMO. Tue Feb 05 11:11:40 -0800 2008 3360989 10471 danna 7 3367659 good to know! thanks for the tip. It would be a crime to waste an otherwise good batch of waffles! Tue Feb 05 13:21:09 -0800 2008 3367188 141672 Scirocco 7 3368047 how does buttermilk make the waffles tough? I thought that would purely be a mechanism of overmixing and developing the glutin in the batter. i use buttermilk in my (silverton's) waffles and they're awesome.... Tue Feb 05 15:06:34 -0800 2008 3367188 12724 eLizard 8 3369360 are the silverton's waffles yeasted? that might make the difference. mine is a simple baking powder waffle. I've tried it a couple of times...buttermilk = tough for me. Wed Feb 06 05:34:34 -0800 2008 3368047 10471 danna 9 3369450 They're sourdough. But I've used buttermilk in chemically leavened waffles, and I've not encountered your problem.... Sourdough are sublime, though. Wed Feb 06 06:21:47 -0800 2008 3369360 12724 eLizard 7 3368237 The no buttermilk rule isn't true - toughness would come from too much flour, or overmixing. Whipping egg whites is one way to make fluffy waffles, but they can be prone to collapsing once they're out of the iron, and it's kind of labor intensive. Butter does help crisp and brown the waffles, and it makes them more tender - plus it has better flavor than oil. Tue Feb 05 16:09:54 -0800 2008 3367188 11803 Alice Q 8 3368340 Ok, well, in the interest of research (eh hem) I'll just have to try them to be sure. ;-) will report back after this weekend....... Tue Feb 05 16:34:39 -0800 2008 3368237 141672 Scirocco 8 3368352 the souffle'ed waffles i've made from cook's illustrated weren't fabulous. They weren't terrible, but not any great shakes.... i may be persuaded by another recipe if anyone has any..... Tue Feb 05 16:38:44 -0800 2008 3368237 12724 eLizard 9 3369146 Try yeasted waffles, above. They don't have to be sourdough, but they are better if the batter rests overnight (before adding the baking soda, of course). Tue Feb 05 22:44:17 -0800 2008 3368352 43747 Leucadian 2 3365278 I just made Nancy Silverton's sourdough waffles from her La Brea cookbook. They were amazing. crisp on the outside, and light on the inside. plus i only use high heat on the iron. Mon Feb 04 18:01:42 -0800 2008 3286920 12724 eLizard 3 3365387 Just looked them up online and they sound really good! sounds like they'd have a good tang. I just ordered a sourdough starter from King Arthur, so I could use some of that. Mmmm! And yes, the high heat on the iron made all the difference! Mon Feb 04 18:42:26 -0800 2008 3365278 141672 Scirocco 4 3366369 these waffles are amazing. i have a square iron (the one cooks illustrated recommends) that makes 4 "eggo" sized at a whack. this makes four of those. next time, i'd make a double batch and freeze the rest for homemade toaster waffles. i use my own starter. incredibly easy to make. mine is 2 years old with a lot of neglect! Tue Feb 05 08:00:44 -0800 2008 3365387 12724 eLizard 1 3287305 I would cook them as high as possible w/o burning them, but I prefer a yeast raised batter for maximum flavor and crispness. I started with this recipe and made a few changes, but it is very good as it. They are best when allowed to ferment overnight, but 4-6 hours is enough time for flavor to develop. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Yeast-Waffles/Detail.aspx Fri Jan 11 20:22:50 -0800 2008 3286253 22220 Kelli2006 2 3288004 Success! I cranked up the iron and watched them and they came out nice and crispy (but still soft inside)! I'm embarrassed it was so simple! I guess I was worried that the high heat would burn them with raw insides. Next - will experiment with the yeast recipes. Those sound great.! I wasn't organized enough to try them for today. :-) Thanks everyone!! Sat Jan 12 08:22:07 -0800 2008 3287305 141672 Scirocco 3 3288045 You might want to ditch the no stick spray and use real butter on your waffle iron too. I can't use the sprays due to food allergies, so I use a small silicone brush & just a little soft butter to grease my waffle iron every few waffles and it works great. No more sticky residue from the no stick spray and the added taste of a little more butter- a win-win situation. I make sourdough waffles, using an ancient regular waffle iron I've had for almost 20 years <gulp>...broken handle & all. My sourdough starter is strong & happy, I end up with Belgian-type waffles because they push the top up as they raise while cooking. I don't follow a recipe per se, but rather go by feel, through a mix of different flours together, including oat & garbanzo bean, as well as adding ripe bananas and whatever spices I feel like, along with a good amount of fresh ground, whole wheat. I don't add a lot of fat to my waffles, again I'm eyeballing it, but I add a small amount of oil. I ran low on eggs recently, so I used ground flax seeds as an egg substitute, which also worked well. I need to find a larger waffle iron, as mine only makes one 8" diameter circle waffle. I mistakenly bought a Belgian waffle iron several years ago that didn't have a heat adjustment, which was useless. Anyone have any good suggestions for waffle irons that turn out a larger quantity at a time? Sat Jan 12 08:38:40 -0800 2008 3288004 117958 anniemax 1 3288027 Temperature will help and yeast raised waffles are good, but the batter's fat content is the real key. Check out the Joy of cooking. The author lists three recipes ranging from lean to decadent. The third, which I think calls for 16 tbsp. of butter, will probably make the waffles of your dreams. Sat Jan 12 08:32:21 -0800 2008 3286253 60902 CathleenH 1 3288140 Cooks Illustrated has a secret ingredient for crispy waffles - Rice Krispies! Try throwing in a handful next time. Sat Jan 12 09:19:51 -0800 2008 3286253 10840 MarkC 2 3362129 Brilliant idea. Can't wait to try it! I am guessing it will go over BIG TIME with the little ones in my house. Sun Feb 03 18:00:50 -0800 2008 3288140 48292 powella 2 3366455 Yeah, King Arthur has a recipe for some with rice krispies too- I think it sounds really good! Tue Feb 05 08:23:17 -0800 2008 3288140 12813 Katie Nell 1 3362544 And, if you have waffles come out non-crispy (like mine did this morning...blecch)-just pop 'em in the toaster for a bit. Crisps them right up, as long as they aren't nearing overcooked already. I also think that's the best way to make sure late breakfast eaters or people wanting seconds get crisp waffles, without having to stand by the iron and make fresh ones constantly. Also the way we cook our leftover waffles, just pop them in the toaster frozen. Sun Feb 03 22:39:32 -0800 2008 3286253 89015 girlwonder88 2 3363160 that's what we do too. since it's only two of us, we make up the whole batch and then have the rest of them sometime during the week (with a little added time on the treadmill - ha!!). the rice krispie thing is interesting too......... speaking of waffles, one thing I haven't had in AGES is chocolate waffles for dessert (with ice cream on them while still warm). Mmmmmm!!!! My mom would make those as a special treat once in a blue moon. How about Chocolate waffles with cocoa krispies..... hmmmm.... Mon Feb 04 08:23:03 -0800 2008 3362544 141672 Scirocco 1 3365604 Try subbing an = amount of melted butter for the oil called for in the recipe, and make sure it has some sugar in it. If not, add a tablespoon or so. Both of those things will help them crisp. You can also preheat the oven to 300 degrees and put them directly on a rack to keep crisp while you cook the rest - that's my biggest problem, they go soggy on the bottom as soon as you put them on the plate! Mon Feb 04 20:39:06 -0800 2008 3286253 11803 Alice Q 2 3366493 Great, now I am dying for crispy waffles. :) Tue Feb 05 08:32:34 -0800 2008 3365604 19518 rockandroller1 1 3370064 When I want my waffles extra toasty, I just drop them in the toaster for a minute. Wed Feb 06 09:34:01 -0800 2008 3286253 26213 Pegmeister