I wanted to show you something you may not know still exists (and is still manufactured). Before there were electric waffle irons, there were waffle irons that sat directly on a heat source, like a stovetop. The first American stovetop waffle iron was invented in the second half of the 1800s. It wasn't until the early 1900s that a waffle iron attached to its own heating elements was invented. Technology for these early electrified waffle irons improved between 1920 and 1950, giving us the waffle irons we remember from our childhoods.
My own waffle iron is one of those old-fashioned stovetop contraptions. There is no electrical cord and no heating elements. It bakes waffles with the heat from my stove burner. It can also be used over a wood fire, so long as there's a grill for the iron to rest on. (My arms would get tired holding the iron steady over a fire for more than a minute or two.)
The iron consists of two grid paddles connected by a hinge. Each side has a built-in simple thermometer, with just 3 settings, COLD, COOK, HOT. To use the iron, I must first pre-heat both sides on my stove's burner. I turn the iron over a couple of times over the course of 5 minutes or so, until the thermometer's pointer is on COOK for both sides. At this point, I add the batter to the iron and return it to the stovetop. I manually flip the iron over to cook the second side about 2 minutes into cooking. When the steam seeping out from between the two paddles subsides, I know my waffles are baked.
My purpose in showing you my waffle iron is really just for information and entertainment. It's different from what most of know as a waffle iron, so I thought you might enjoy seeing it. Why would someone buy this sort of waffle iron, you may wonder. Here are a few pros to old-style waffle irons:
- They can't really break or stop working, as there are no electrical cords or elements which could short out. Old-style waffle irons could in theory continue to "work" for centuries. I expect mine will be handed down to one of my kids or sold at an estate sale to be used for many, many more years.
- They can be used over a fire in the fireplace or a grill outdoors, so in theory it could be taken camping.
- They're less expensive to purchase than most electrified models.
- Without an electrical component, they have a slim profile and can be stored in tight spaces. This was important to us when we first received it 35 years ago, as we were living in a small apartment with little kitchen storage.
- There's a learning curve to getting the waffles to come out just right. Without an indicator light to tell you when the iron is heated or the waffles are baked, the cook has to make educated guesses for its use.
- Because the iron has to be flipped over halfway through cooking, this type needs more attention than electrified units that cook on both sides at the same time.
- Waffles take a little longer to bake, as the iron has to be flipped on the heat surface to cook both sides.
- It can't be brought to the table for cooking additional waffles while the family eats the first batch. Some families like to have the electric griddle or waffle maker at the table, so the cook can eat alongside the family.
Anyway, I was making waffles for my family last Friday and thought about how unique my iron is in today's world, and a few of you may not realize these are still in household use.
