Waffle Iron Review

Waffle iron testing and reviews

We found several excellent professional roundups of waffle irons. The problem? All of them are outdated. The best waffle iron review we read is a 2007 test in Cuisine at Home magazine. Although editors don't describe their testing methodology or say how many models were tested, they do list five waffle irons that have the features they consider essential: easy-to-follow instructions, heating elements that come up to temperature quickly and nonstick grids. Cook's Illustrated's test is much more thorough and comprehensive, pitting six American-style (non-Belgian) waffle makers against one another, but this test was conducted in 2004. The only other professional review we found was an undated report from Good Housekeeping, but three of the four waffle irons have been discontinued.

Facing a lack of expert data, we turned to the thousands of consumer reviews for waffle irons at Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Cooking.com and other websites. At Amazon.com, several waffle makers receive hundreds of reviews, but at Epinions.com, most waffle irons receive a dozen ratings or fewer. Unlike expert reviews, consumers can comment on performance over time, noting whether indicator alerts are pleasant or shrill and whether nonstick coatings stay put or flake off into food.

Most waffle irons, especially pro-style rotating units, receive consistent praise from users posting reviews to retailer websites. A few, however, don't fare so well. The Sensio Bella Cucina Rotating Waffle Maker (*Est. $40) is panned at Target.com and Amazon.com, where users report multiple problems, including poor cooking performance, broken handles and failed heating elements. Another low-priced Belgian waffle maker, the Black & Decker WBM500 (*Est. $30), is the subject of numerous complaints at Amazon.com, where users say that the hinge breaks during use and crevices in the unit are impossible to clean. Other Black & Decker waffle makers, like the Black & Decker G48TD Grill and Waffle Baker (*Est. $50), receive mostly positive reviews.