Waffles: Not Just For Breakfast Anymore

I love waffles, but have been against having yet another small electric appliance in the house that only does one thing. I already got rid of my electric coffee maker and electric beater, perhaps even my food processor will one day vanish from the kitchen, so an electric waffle maker was out of the question. Then last summer I was rummaging through my mother's attic and came across an old cast iron waffle maker designed for cooking on a range top (given its age probably a wood cooking stove). I was pretty excited. At the time I was living out of my car cooking over a coleman stove so the thought of waffles instead of pancakes and french toast was a welcomed change. However, due to the poor seasoning of the waffle iron and the decades of neglect, I was very disappointed the first time I tried using it. My result was a waffle caked to the iron with only a small remnant worth salvaging. Needless to say, the rest of the batter was transformed into pancakes.

Well recently, having a strong craving for waffles, I dug out the iron from the back of my cupboard and decided to give another go. Awhile back I asked Cheryl at Free Range Living if she had any tips on seasoning cast iron because she seemed to have a knack of bringing old cookware back from the dead. Gaining some advice, I soaked the inside in sunflower oil for about two days and wiped it clean with a rag. Then I sprayed it with canola oil and slowly heated it up to a fairly high temperature before adding the batter. The result: Crispy waffles that didn't stick and a wonderful dinner. Two thumbs way up.

Here's my quick and easy waffle recipe.

3/4 C white flour (I use Gold'n white)
3/4 C whole wheat flour (or experiment with other whole grains like rye or quinoa)
1 T sugar
1 T Baking Powder (rounded)
1/2 t salt
1 C milk
2 eggs separated- whites beaten
3 T oil
1 t vanilla

* combine dry ingredients
* combine wet ingredients (yokes but not whites)
* mix dry and wet together slowly
* fold in beaten egg whites
* Bake in preheated waffle iron
* enjoy with maple syrup or vanilla ice cream and seasonal fruit
or like in Utah, honey


My resurrected waffle iron circa 1910