I'm Keeping My Other Waffle Iron (opinion on Krup's WaffleChef)

I have owned a waffle iron for about 10 years. It makes nice waffles & has a light that goes off when my waffle is fully cooked. Problem is there are 5 people in my family & this waffle iron just doesn’t make enough waffles at once. So I put “waffle iron” on my Christmas list & was lucky to receive a Krups WaffleChef from my Mom.

The WaffleChef makes 4 Belgian-style waffles at a time. This allows me to spend more time with my family & less time in front of the waffle iron at dinnertime. Waffles aren’t all that large (about 4 ¾” x 4”) but they are thick (I’d say about 1 1/4”). That’s just the right amount to satisfy my 8, 4 & 2 year olds. My husband & I eat 2 or 3 of those.

That’s all of the positives I have to say about this unit because I had some trouble adjusting to the Krups. My first batch of waffles came out overcooked, stuck to the iron, & were on the small side since I had put too little batter into each cooking plate. I adjusted to the amount of batter by my second use; I learned I need to pour ½ to 2/3 cup of batter into each plate. As for the sticking, even though they are non-stick surfaces, I just sprayed more oil onto the plates before heating the unit up. And, as for the overcooking, I just shortened the cooking time.

But that’s what drives me nuts about the Krups WaffleChef … cooking directions are somewhat unclear. They don’t tell you how much batter to use in each cooking plate so you have to play around until you figure it out. That made for some holey waffles the first time I used the product. They also say to “lightly” grease the plates before using the iron but I found I needed to grease them more than “lightly” if I wanted my waffles to come clean off the iron. I wish I had known! AND they say that “the cooking time is about 4 to 6 minutes and varies depending on the type of batter being used.” Well 4 minutes was the absolute MAX for our batter! That first batch I made was way too crispy for any of our tastes. Yuck! I realize, as they state, different batters require different cooking times but what helped so much on my other waffle iron was that little light that went off alerting you to when your waffle was done cooking. I would like the Krups so much more if it had that feature. The last time I used the WaffleChef my first batch took about 4 minutes to cook so I set my timer to 4 minutes for the second batch. Well, the second batch wasn’t done at 4 minutes & I wound up opening the lid too soon on those. I just don’t want to have to guess when my waffles are done.

The Krups has a “cool touch thermo-insulated handle”. I figured this meant that I could open the lid to remove my waffles once they were done cooking without burning my hands. That’s what it’s supposed to do but it didn’t work for me. I grabbed that handle the first time I used my waffle iron &, youch, slightly burned my fingers. For safety I suggest holding the plastic latch that is attached to the handle when opening the lid when the iron is hot (the latch is normally used to hold the unit together during storage).

As for the final product – the waffles themselves – I have to say that I prefer the thinner waffles made by my other waffle iron although the Krups waffles aren’t too bad. I use the same batter in each but the waffles have come out airier in the Krups. I want to bite into something solid when I eat &, to me, the Krups makes waffles that are too airy & even seem to cool down quicker than those other waffles.

I have to admit that my waffles turn out better each time I use my WaffleChef. So I’ve come to the conclusion that you have to experiment &, eventually, might wind up with great waffles. If I ever reach that point I’ll rewrite my review & give the Krups Waffle Chef a better grade.