Chef's Choice 852 Classic Wafflepro 2 Square Waffle Maker

Simple and Effective for Making Thin Waffles
This is the latest electric waffle-maker from Chef's Choice, which makes a series of generally well-reviewed waffle makers. It looks like the classic models from GE. I've only used this machine twice, and I have not used any other waffle makers. This model makes "classic" (thin) waffles not "Belgian" (thick) waffles. (It is unrelated to the much pricier 850 model, which makes more, thicker waffles and has more controls.)

So far I'm very satisfied: it makes good waffles quickly (2 minutes), without sticking (even without spraying oil on the plates) and with essentially no clean up. We will see if anything breaks over time. However, it looks durable. I tried both the Waffles of Insane Greatness recipe and Eating Well's multigrain waffle recipe (modified to include more oil in the batter). Both came out well.

The controls are simple: you plug it in to turn it on; set the desired cooking setting (1 to 6, I used 3 or 4), wait a bit for it to heat, put 1/3 cup of...

Quality and function hard to find
My dad taught me to make waffles 50 years ago. We make breakfast waffles once a week, usually my from-scratch sourdough waffles whose starter allegedly came from the Klondike via the abandoned gold-mining camp of Southern Cross, Montana.

Sourdough requires a hot iron, and this one can do it easily on its highest setting. We had to buy a new waffle iron when the heating element in my 40 year-old GE finally died, and we discovered that in this throw-away modern world, we couldn't find a replacement element, nor anyone to install it. So began the saga of searching for quality in a traditional "thin" waffle maker that matched the toughness and power of the old GE. It was a struggle. Not many companies make a traditional waffle maker, and for those that do, it appears to be a shoddy afterthought to the trendy dessert Belgium waffles.

But this one finally passed the test. It's tough, might even get another 40 years out of it. But it's well thought out, too. Some...

Picture perfect waffles.
Color, texture, non-stick coating, heat distribution, the floating hinge, and the instruction/recipe booklet altogether make this waffle iron perfect. Reading the booklet most likely will save some frustration/hassle. I did my research, I know this brand is reputable and took the leap on something with one review here and none anywhere else. I wanted American and square waffles with decent color tone throughout, this waffle iron definitely brings that to the table. I can't complain one bit about any single factor about this waffle iron.
Only in the instance that the reliability or consistency factor drop, will I change my rating/review.

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