cast iron waffle iron troubles;good waffle recipes?

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Countryside : One Thread

Hello! I certainly hope someone can give me some advice on my waffle iron. Recently,my husband bought me a tall base griswold waffle iron. It is in beautiful condition and well seasoned.However,I am fairly new to cooking with cast iron thus the problem:stuck-STUCK!-stuck waffles!!!On the first try,I may not have heated it enough before the batter was poured in;so on the second try,I remedied that;but the batter was really cold.I haven't tried it since;I guess I figured I'd better get some advice first!It really is well seasoned;the batter contained a proper amount of oil;and the iron was well greased. The batter was rather thick tough. Also,if anyone has a good waffle recipe,please let me know! Thanks and sorry my posts are always soooo longgg, God Bless, ~~~Tracy~~~

-- Tracy Jo Neff (tntneff@ifriendly.com), July 30, 2000

Answers

Hey Tracy! Sounds like you need to 'cure' the cast iron griddle. Look under the "country kitchen" thread and you'll find the destructions on how to cure it. If you cannot find it--holler. I'll repost it or emaimail it to you. Matt. 24:44

-- hoot (hoot@pcinetwork.com), July 31, 2000.

Add a tad bit mor oil to your recipe, too. Sometimes too little oil will make 'em stick.

-- Leann Banta (thelionandlamb@hotmail.com), July 31, 2000.

Old family Waffle recipe: Makes 6 to 8 (or more!)

Flour - 2 cups; Baking Powder - 1 Tblsp; Salt - 1 tsp; Sugar - 2 Tblsp ( I use 1/4 cup); Eggs -3 or 4; Milk - 1 1/2 cups; Oil or melted shortning - 1/2 cup.

Separate eggs. Put milk, oil and egg yolks into med size bowl (I use 8 cup measuring pitcher) and beat 'til frothy. Add dry ingredients and mix on low, or stir, 'til smooth. Wash and dry mixer beaters. Beat egg whites 'til stiff (will not stiffen if egg yolks or water in bowl or on beaters). Gently fold egg whites into batter.

These are very light, tender waffles. I occasionally add pecans, or cinnamon and nutmeg to the batter. You can also add crumbled cooked bacon, or a small amount or crumbled, cooked and well drained sausage.

-- Polly (tigger@moultrie.com), July 31, 2000.


I'm with Hoot - it may seem to be well-seasoned, but if they're sticking it's not cured enough. Do it again. AND add a bit more oil to the batter.

-- Deborah (ActuaryMom@hotmail.com), July 31, 2000.

Thanks Everyone! I shall try all of the above including the recipe(sounds good!). God bless and I'll come back later to tell y'all how it turns out. ~~~Tracy~~~

-- Tracy Jo Neff (tntneff@ifriendly.com), July 31, 2000.


Hello again, I just read the post on curing cast iron cookware and was all excited to get my waffle iron ready to use again until I recalled the fact that my iron has wooden handles.Is there any other way?I sorta hate to take the handles out for fear I may ruin my iron(it's antique). There is a tiny nail on each holding it in place.What now dear folks? Your help is much appreciated, Thanks and God Bless, ~Tracy~

-- Tracy Jo Neff (tntneff@ifriendly.com), July 31, 2000.

Tracy! Yeppie! You can also heat it up on the gas range/electric range. Just make sure it heats until it's HOT! Good luck, kiddo! It'll work and work fine. Don't worry too much you still 'ain't' gonna kill it. The worst thing to happen is if you don't get it hot enough to cure it. If that happens just re-do it again. Matt. 24:44

-- hoot (hoot@pcinetwork.com), July 31, 2000.

Thanks Hoot! God bless you sir!!! I'll let everyone know how they turn out! ~~~Tracy~~~

-- Tracy Jo Neff (tntneff@ifriendly.com), August 01, 2000.

You should acquire more cast iron. They are great for cooking with while camping.

I personally like them cause they're too heavy for my wife to throw at me when I reeeeeally get on her nerves. (heh heh)

-- Robert Addison (FarmerbobMO@netscape.net), August 01, 2000.


Oh Bob,that's terrible!LOL! I do hope to get more cast iron.Can't wait to take my children camping some day!What fun!! God Bless, ~~~Tracy~~~

-- Tracy Jo Neff (tntneff@ifriendly.com), August 01, 2000.


What the others are saying about curing and re-curing is true. We now use nothing but cast and it sticks less than the teflon junk my wife swore by. Something that you may not have considered. When cooking with cast small amounts of iron leach into the food ( experts call this healthy), so I figure if you cook with non stick teflon you may be leaching teflon and aluminum into your food ( experts say Alzheimer victims have high level of aluminum in their brains ). Cast is well worth the extra effort.

-- Jay Blair (jayblair678@yahoo.com), August 06, 2000.

Hello Tracy,

I use cast iron a lot, and when it comes to the waffle iron, I use spray crisco on it before each use, (every time I pour batter) because it is so hard to reach all those little areas. This helps a lot. I also spray it off lightly after I finish with it, and wipe off the excess.

Hope this helps. Beth (NC)

-- Beth(NC) (craig@icu2.net), August 06, 2000.


In response to the teflon issue, it is true that teflon leaches into your food if the pan is hot enough. This makes cast iron a much better bet, plus they cook so much better. The problem is, you can be safe at home, but any restaurant that you eat at is sure to be using teflon skillets in the kitchen (with exception of a few upscale restaurants I know of.) I think, though, that the amount of teflon/aluminum that would go into your food is such a minimal amount (much less than iron from a cast iron skillet) that it wouldn't affect your health very much at all. Don't let a teflon pan sit empty on a flame though, because when it smokes that is the teflon burning off and it's dangerous to breathe.

-- Benjamin Krikava (astromen@earthlink.net), April 14, 2001.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ