Works well if you know how to use it

A while ago, my children wanted to get my wife a waffle maker for Mother's day. After seeing a variety of choices, sizes, shapes, number of waffles made at a time, and price, I decided that the most important factors would be how often we would use it, and whether my wife would care more about the counter space and storage than the ability to make a food that we don't eat very often. I ended up not getting one that day. In retrospect, it was the right choice, since the quality of what you get is not going to be obvious from what's on the store shelves.

Recently, we went on vacation, and the hotel offered a continental breakfast. There were two professional quality "do it yourself" waffle makers, and my wife was impressed. She asked if it made sense to get a waffle maker, and I had my answer.

A major department store was advertising a sale on waffle makers. As with the one at the hotel, the featured waffle maker was the type where the batter is poured on the bottom plate, and the plates are rotated so that the heat is distributed. Unlike the one at the hotel, the one we saw in the store looked flimsy.

We decided that the Cuisinart made more sense. It was less expensive, and our experience with Cuisinart products made us feel comfortable that we could expect a good product.

Professional waffle makers do a good job. Nevertheless, the chef at the hotel gave us some valuable tips. How well the waffle maker performs depends on the quality and consistency of the batter. The longer the batter is around, the more likely it is that it will stick. Seasoning a non stick waffle maker is a good idea, especially before the first use of the day, and when the batter has been sitting for a while. These tips proved to be equally relevant for the Cuisinart.

Once I got used to the unit, I found that it made excellent waffles. The appliance is not hard to use. Theoretically, there's not much to know. You set it to the desired "brownness" by sliding the lever to a number between one and five. You pour the batter in the middle, and spread it evenly. You take the waffle out when it is ready. The red and green lights tell you exactly when to do what. That's all there is to it.

The reality is a bit different, and if you use it as instructed, and your waffle mix is good, things will work out well. But the instructions are poorly organized.

Since knowing how to use it is the key to making either good waffles, or a complete mess, a review of the instruction booklet is in order, especially if your overall experience making waffles is limited.

As with many instruction booklets, this one starts off with a page of "Important Safeguards" that almost all users will ignore. Unlike many such booklets, parts of these safeguards belong in the following "Instructions for use" section as well.

Having a section called "Instructions for use" in an "instruction booklet" (really a "use and care" guide) is a strange concept in itself, especially when part of the safeguards admonish you ambiguously to read all instructions. Reading the "Instructions for use" is not sufficient if you want to use the appliance properly, and following it step by step will not include everything you need to know in the cooking sequence.

Following the "Instructions for use" section is a note suggesting that you season the grids as I mentioned above. Failure to do so, especially the first time, could make you end up with two crisp waffle halves that are nothing but a pile of crumbs by the time you scrape them off. That note would have made more sense in the instructions section right before the part where it tells you to pour the batter. Instead, there is a note there about the possibility of a slight odor and some smoke before the first use. That note belongs in the "Notice" section, and is unrelated to actual use. The instruction to even out the batter with a plastic spatula does not account for the rapid cooking of the batter. If you are quick, and are careful to move only the very top of the batter, then you will succeed. Using your ladle might be a better option, but be careful not to get too close to the non stick grid.

On the page following the instructions, there are tips for making "perfect" waffles. One of the tips is to use 1/2 cup of batter per waffle. The instruction section should have said to "pour 1/2 cup batter" instead of "pour batter." This is not a tip, but a misplaced instruction. But using exactly half a cup is still going to allow some of the mix to go over the edge. Those parts will need to be trimmed off when the waffle is ready, since they will not be cooked on both sides.

Following the tips section is a list of suggested toppings, and 2 1/2 pages of recipes. Following those are the "cleaning and maintenance" and "storage" sections, which start off by saying, "Once you have finished baking, remove the plug..." To me, that would have made more sense right after the "instructions for use" section, which finishes by telling you to remove the plug after baking.

The storage section tells you how to store the unit vertically, how to wrap the cord, and explains how the design incorporates a "special latching feature so the lid stays closed during storage." That's followed by a large picture of the appliance in a stored position. The problem is that the picture conflicts with the instructions, there is no "special latching feature" and looking at the picture makes things less clear than it would have been with no picture at all.

The picture shows the cord wrapped around the unit clockwise, with the plug hanging over the edge. Doing what the picture shows makes it impossible to place the cord's prongs in the special grooves as instructed, since they are nowhere to be found near the plug. If you wrap the cord counterclockwise, you find that on the other side, each half of the the assembly has room for one prong of the plug, which fits part way into the unit. It's the plug that works as a latch, assuming it does not fall out, and the device is far less stable in the standing position than you might expect. Some feet or small strips of rubber would have made sense, as would allowing the plug to go in all the way or at least having something to hold it in place.

Overall, there is a tendency to make everything into a feature. The "cord wrap" feature means that you wrap the cord, despite no special area for it. While some of the features are not overstated, such as "even browning" and "precise shade control," features such as "delicious options" (meaning that you can use your choice of toppings on the finished waffle) are not features at all.

If you read the entire use and care manual, and practice a bit, you can make good waffles. But normal use will require taking the time to make a good mix, cleaning up the inevitable occasional spills or parts that ooze over the edge, and having your family or guests served one at a time, with a minor gap in between as you make more. But an alternative unit that cooks less evenly, gives you less control, and requires that you pour the mix for all waffles almost simultaneously might make you want to throw it away and get this one instead.