Waffling

I am pleased as Punch with my new purchase, which is fairly the height of extravagance..a single-use electric kitchen appliance. Not only is it uni-purpose, but it is so adorable that I feel compelled to find some way to leave it out, permanently displayed, though of course, there is absolutely no room to do so. Frivolity is my middle name these days. I happened upon this little darling while browsing among the delightful restored vintage toasters at Toaster Central.

I often visit these excellent toasters, and have felt for some time that I should really buy one. After all, I am so fond of toast that I named my blog in its honor. I have tried to choose a toaster from the many, as a sort of mascot ...I thought a picture of my chosen toaster would be nice as a permanent fixture here... maybe in the upper left hand corner of the front page? My problem with this is two-fold (it's really unifold, I guess, as on second thought the 2 problems are the pretty much same)- namely, 1) I can't decide, because there are so many great toasters and 2) the ones I want the most are really too expensive for me.

Recently, while checking out the toasters, after a bit of inconclusive internet waffle iron shopping, I found I had an easier time settling on a reasonably affordable vintage waffle iron of great beauty, in mint condition. (Julie praised the vintage waffle-makers in a comment on the Wednesday Chef- it hadn't occurred to me to check them out before.) Is it not the cutest thing? It is a Dominion brand iron from the fifties or early sixties, with a deco-y look and a perfect mirror chrome finish. The latter, sadly, is probably destined to be ruined in use. The shape of the bakelite handles (note the tilt) earned this model the nickname of "the penguin".

This purchase does not solve my toaster problem, but makes me very happy-except for the time I continue to spend sighing over the restored toasters, of course. (If only everyone had only problems of this sort.) The waffle iron came with instructions for curing the plates before using, and a myriad of recipes- many of the sort that the original manufacturers furnished with a purchase. After reading of Luisa's problems
with the acclaimed Marion Cunningham recipe, I am conflicted about which to try first.

Russ Parsons, of the LA Times, par-bakes his waffles and finishes them off in the oven, for crispness. His article has the Cunningham yeast-raised waffle recipe, and one for cake-like waffles, made with sour cream.

From Toaster Central comes this recipe, from a Toastmaster manual of the 50s--cut by one egg:

1 3/4 Cups flour 2 egg yolks, beaten
2 tsp. baking powder 1/3 Cup oil
3 tsp. sugar 1 1/2 Cups milk
1/2 tsp. salt 2 egg whites, stiffened
Combine the dry ingredients. Stir in the milk, egg yolks, and oil. Gently fold in the stiffened whites. Pour approx. 2/3 cup batter onto the oiled and pre-heated grid. Close and bake.

I am tempted to try it, possibly adding the third egg back in, as it is of the approximate vintage of my waffle-iron. Dunno. As you can see, digression is really still my middle name. I guess I have two middle names. And one day, there will be a toaster.

The black and white photo is taken from the Toaster Central website. I took some on my own, but had trouble managing the reflections off the polished chrome, and the details didn't show up properly. So.

Comments

[Tanna]

Oh, Lindy it is so very sweet! You just have to love it. I do love old things but this & the toaster are not what I think of wanting when I want old things . . . don't know why. I loved the toaster site and I can see why you'd really like one. The designs just sweep you away. I saw one my mother had and one my grandmother had! Fantastic!
I really enjoy my waffle makers. I often make waffles to take the place of bread/toast!
Yes, you have at least two middle names but probably like me there are more!
I'm rooting for you to get the toaster!

[the chocolate lady (eve)]

Ah, raisons d'avoir! It will be much harder to maintain my toaster-free lifestyle now that I've seen Toaster Central--and those toast racks! I just can't go on!

What I mean is congratulations and enjoy many waffles and your gorgeous machine in good health.

[candy]

i've been wanting a waffle iron only because i want my mom's chocolate waffles. even tho alton brown made them on his waffle episode, i swear my mom invented them (around 1974). she wanted cake but didn't want to turn the oven on on a really hot day. she uses a "midnight cake" recipe because it's thick. they are best warm & i like to put butter or cream cheese on them. man, i want some NOW!

[J]

One day my granddaughters used the waffle iron to make paninni-type sandwiches, which they christened waffalinnis - dents rather than grill marks but hey, turns a waffle iron into a dual-use appliance.

[anapestic]

I'm not sure why it's so, but old waffle irons were built to last forever. The last time I found myself in need of a waffle iron, I marched myself to the Goodwill and got one for less than three bucks. It worked perfectly for years, and I'm sure it still does, though nowadays my partner always uses the fancy and HUGE waffle iron that his mother got him for Christmas three years back. That waffle iron has no history and no soul. Mine has both.

[BufaloGirl]

Hello - Just read your "Waffling" post and visited Toaster Central. Did you see the green Club toaster on the Vintage page? It would be perfect for your site. It is kind of funky, and it is green! I know it is expensive - could you just use the picture?!! Check out the link and take a look. BufaloGirl
Click here: Vintage Small Kitchen Electric Appliances Made in the U.S.A. from Toaster Central Clean and Working

[Julie]

What a great little waffle iron! Congratulations! And it's not uni-purpose -- it doubles as a wonderful piece of art, a tiny testament to a great era of industrial design. Definitely needs to be on the counter.

I have no good waffle recipes because I don't have a decent waffle maker and I have not been inclined to experiment. One recipe that caught my eye however was this one for light and crispy waffles.

All this waffle talk and waffle iron talk is inspiring me to go ahead and make the waffle iron leap at Toaster Central. One of these days.