I first discovered Daniel Shumski and his waffle project in early 2010. He was on a mission to waffle everything that could waffle and as an devoted waffler myself, I took an interest. I watched the blog for awhile, before sending him a quick note, asking if he might be interested in a quick guest post featuring my waffle iron collection and a few of my waffle thoughts. He was and published this.
Last fall, Daniel published a book called Will it Waffle that contains more than fifty wonderful things you can waffle beyond a ladle of batter. It makes me long to leap up, pull out one of my two remaining waffle irons (an old vintage model and the Calphalon Belgium version – I gave the other old chrome model to my sister) and start cooking.
This book features ways to use your waffle iron for every meal of the day. There’s waffled french toast, sausage and hash browns for breakfast, gridded grilled cheese for lunch, waffled chicken parm for dinner, as well as salad toppers, side dishes, and desserts. If you happen to have a partner who objects to your waffle maker collection, this book will help you justify their presence in delicious fashion.
Disclosure: The copy of Will it Waffle that is pictured here is a review copy that Workman Publishing sent to me last fall when the book first came out. All my opinions remain my own.
Waffles, gotta love them. I’m still itching to try some of the “Will It Waffle?” recipes. So far my most ambitious use of a waffle is to make a peanut butter, jelly, and banana sandwich from it as an after school snack when I was a kid.
🙂
The BEST and last waffle I’ve ever had (before finding out I had a gluten allergy and can no longer eat delicious gluten-filled waffles :,( ) was at this little cafe in Cape May, NJ. It was this huge Tiramisu Belgian waffle with mascarpone cheese and espresso, hints of vanilla, chocolate drizzles, fresh whipped cream and powdered sugar. I’m usually a pretty health-conscious person, but one bite of it, and I completely lost all care for calories and nutritional content and devoured the entire thing (I may or may not have licked the plate clean too…). It had the perfect amount of crisp on the outside but was unbelievably fluffy and buttery on the inside. And yeah, I was that person taking pictures of my food at the table in the middle of a crowded restaurant (totally worth it though. Its greatness had to be documented). I will spend the rest of my life trying to replicate that tiramisu waffle in a gluten-free way so I can re-live the greatness of that waffle.
We like to take the waffle iron camping if there is electricity available. Makes the whole campground smell wonderful. Nothing like breakfast in the woods in the PNW.
I received a nice waffle iron for Christmas from my uncle. He had me order it because he doesn’t like shopping online. Soon after Christmas (he still had yet to pay me back) he bought a bunch of steaks on sale and was going to split the cost of steaks with me and my mom. After trying to get e to pay, he realized he had not paid me back for my gift… so he told me half of my payment was in steak lol!!!!! (Totally didn’t mind though.)
I don’t have any waffle stories but my kids surf love them! Haley U.S.
Sure
My favorite part of vacations with my family growing up, was the continental breakfast we often got to enjoy. I loved the places that had their own flipping waffle maker and making my own waffle in the mornings was the best!
When I was younger, the only waffles I ever had came out of a box. Then I went to Europe and had a Belgian waffle. Wow, you haven’t lived until you’ve had one of those.
Thanks so much for the giveaway.
And last, but not least, I’m Canadian!
Waffles are probably one of my favorite foods. Growing up in the late 60s and early 70s, we had an electric waffle iron/griddle. Waffles were one of the first foods I learned to cook. I was never so happy than when I bought an antique waffle iron that I use over my modern electric.
At Burningman, I made waffles and gave them away.
I’m in Canada! The last time I tried to make waffles they were gluten-free and they failed miserably, and I ended up scraping off a bunch of the non-stick coating trying to get them out. If I got this book I’d have a hard time resisting the purchase of a cast iron waffle maker…
I’m terrible at using a waffle iron – mine never come out right no matter if I leave them in longer, shorter, too dark, too light, separated and sticking to the plates! One time I tried brownie batter inside and, well, after cursing a lot while cleaning it, I put the waffle iron away and it hasn’t seen daylight since!
The waffle maker has become this incredible tool. So has Facebook. I bought a brand new, never out of the box waffle maker for $5 from a FB page for local sellers. I have now used it twice for “waffles”. This book is exactly what I need so I can do what I wanted to do from the beginning, make creative recipes with my waffle maker. Thanks for offering this chance to do just that.
I make a mac and cheese stuffed waffle for chicken and waffles. Yum.
When my boys were little they loved waffles. I always kept frozen for breakfast until I found a waffle maker on sale. No comparison or going back. I’ve made different kinds of waffles but have yet to try chicken and waffles. Would love to try recipes in the book.
I have made grilled cheese sammies in my waffle iron. My favorite right now is cornbread waffles, I just saw a recipe for ham and cheese cornbread waffles that I want to try. I live in the US of A.
When I was a kid I used to go on a lot of trips with my aunt Alice, who had a pop-up camper. There were three things I could always count on: cut-throat games of Boggle, waffles for breakfast, and my cousin bringing her ventriloquist’s dummy and performing at every single stop along the way for anyone that would stop and watch (for the same reason people slow down and stare at car wrecks, I imagine). To this day I take one of my three waffles iron with me whenever we travel so we can have waffles for breakfast, and my kids have taken to Boggle now that they’re better spellers. The ventriloquist dummy has been retired to my aunt’s upstairs closet, thankfully.
We started using our waffles for all kinds of wonderful desserts and sandwiches by just experimenting! This book looks like so much fun!
Before there were nonstick waffle irons, I tried to surprise my Mom with breakfast in bed. As a kid I didn’t know that you needed to oil the iron so the waffles don’t stick. My Mom was so great, she ate the waffle piece by piece out of the waffle iron and told me it was delicious!
I live in the US
The main reason that I met my husband Don, fifty-one years ago was because, in his own words, “I was hungry for waffles/” He walked into the High Restaurant, Mount Vernon, Ohio on Monday February 3, 1964, where I had been a waitress for two weeks. Our first date was Feb 16, we were married July 18, 1964. Yes, he brought me a waffle iron after we were married. The day after our 47th anniversary the doctor told us that Don possibly had six months to live. We had him for seven more weeks. I still bake waffles for the family. They’re favorite is buttermilk waffles from an old Farm Journal Cookbook. I would love to try all the recipes is this latest cookbook: Will It Waffle? Fantastic collection of great recipes.
while preparing for our last move, 20 years ago, a friend stopped by with a waffle iron and a couple of recipes for our new home. Every time I make waffles, and I’ve used her recipes and explored other breakfast and sweet options, I think of her and the time we enjoyed living in that town. I must say though – this book would lead me down a savory path I hadn’t really considered! Until now…..
This has to be my favorite collection of comments ever.
In our house we are no strangers to the waffle and I am devoted to a small handful of recipes. But the most frequent use of the device is in the service of what is known to us as the WaffleCheeser. You can never go back to a regular grilled cheese sandwich.
For the my first Thanksgiving hosting, I wanted to do new takes on the classics so I made stuffing waffles. They turned out good but I never got them as crispy on the outside as I would have liked.
I actually made Eggs Benedict with stuffing waffles right after Thanksgiving and it was fabulous. I also enjoy the term “Waffle Whiffer”… running gag with my mom :).
Waffles are best. Need a waffle food truck in town.
Waffle. Waffle. Waffle.
I just felt the need to do that. US
So fun!
We had company last week and I made waffled brownies for our dessert. It was a fun dessert – and our company said it was very “entertaining” and were looking forward to making them for their grandchildren.
Waffles and ice cream are a staple at this girls PA thanksgiving breakfast gathering!
I inherited my Mom’s old GE waffle maker that she and my dad received as a wedding present back in the 1950’s. It is metal (of course!) and has two cast iron plates, perfectly seasoned, with a waffle side and a flat side, so you can turn it over depending on what side you want to use. I took this to college and used the flat side to make my version of egg mcmuffins in my dorm room. A few years later, the cord finally tore and I was devastated. Amazingly, I found the SAME waffle maker at a yard sale not too long after that–that had the outside part but not the plates. PERFECT! It was so exciting! We still love using this maker, and it makes me think of my Mom, each time we do so.
Wonderful idea for a book! We love waffles, of any variety. We bought two waffle irons so that neither of us has to wait to eat, or argue over who gets the first one. Waffle irons are the BEST for cooking dressing – lots of crispy edges, the best part of dressing.
Sorry, Marissa! That email addie should have been as is corrected here. Oops!
And, is it too late to add that those two waffle irons reside wit us in the US? (Reading all the instructions prior to posting would have been very nice. Aaaaarrrrgh!)
You’re good, Pete!
I am ashamed to say my waffle experience has always been with the frozen kind. We were a pancake family, and I never learned how to make waffles. With recommendations on a waffle maker and this book, it looks like that is going to change!
When my 7 kids were little, I started a tradition of chocolate waffles with ice cream for Sunday night suppers in February to help make winter in upstate NY more fun. They all loved it!
Every so often we get invited up to a friend’s family cabin on the river, and they always make us overnight yeasted waffles for breakfast in the morning, with tons of toppings to choose from. We never make these for ourselves at home and it always makes the visit that much more special!
When I was a kid (50’s/60’s), Mom would always make extra waffles to freeze. We ONLY ate them as ice cream sandwiches! The warmed waffle would slightly melt the ice cream.Yum! Got to dig out the Waffle Iron! I am in MI, USA!
My mother stretched her food dollars with waffles covered in gravy. We liked eating it.
I’d like to make waffles more then I do and this book might help me do just that. Whenever I visit my sister who lives two provinces away, I’m guaranteed to be served waffles with strawberries and whipped cream. Such a treat.
I’ve only recently discovered my love for waffles. Growing up, my family often had frozen waffles as special weekend treats and I detested those because I hated the flavor and “chewiness.” I would never get belgian waffle sundaes or sandwiches because I assumed the taste and texture would be the same. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago when I went to a small cafe and the only breakfast option that I was in the mood for based on the menu description was a toasted almond belgian waffle w/vanilla creme fraiche. It sounded so tantalizing & was one of the most popular items on the menu. That began my love affair with belgian waffles so fresh is best for me!
Growing up, my parents had one of those old chrome waffle irons with the reversible cast iron plates. Except we never reversed them. Waffled grilled cheese was a favorite. That waffle iron died from over use when I was in junior high. Of course, it was replaced with a new model, but things were never the same. And then I happened to stumble on my childhood waffle iron at the thrift store last year! I snatched it up, brought it home… and am ashamed to say that it’s never been used… give me a reason! Lol.
Love my new waffle iron. Have resisted buying this book but I now see that it will probably be unavoidable . . .
Chicken & waffles was my intro to the idea of waffles with a savory, dinner type meal. You can go much farther than that with it though and eat them with all kinds of stews and dishes. Just learned from a book called The American Plate, by Libby H. O’Connell that this is actually historical– they weren’t just for breakfast with maple syrup originally, but part of the Dutch heritage of baked goods in New Amsterdam, now New York. They were served with fruit and sweet toppings, but also with dishes such as creamed chicken. Sounds delicious!
This sounds like an interesting cookbook!
Just call me waffle face. Drug deal went bad and I ended up with the hot side to the face. Still love waffles though and this book looks great.
We use to buy those square frozen waffles for the kids and one summer we took them to visit thier grandma and she made Round waffles in a waffle Iron and when my daughter saw her plate of round waffles she started to cry and refused to eat them because they were round…In the end she did take a bite and relized they werent some wierd gross round food and it was just a waffle….Thanx for the chance to win the book…
When my son was living at home (he’s in the Air Force now), the ONLY way I could get him up on Sunday morning was the promise of food–waffles in particular. We would go to a local diner and their waffles would smell beautiful and were so delicious. Gradually, with a plate of waffles and bacon and several cups of coffee, my son would gradually come back to the land of living. There were some good conversations on Sunday mornings over plates of waffles. Every time I think of waffles, I remember the days when my son and I would sit at the old fashioned counter at the diner, sipping coffee, indulging in waffles, and having mother and son conversations.
Waffles are a family favorite here, and my sister-in-law told me she recently waffled grill cheese sandwiches for her grandkids. They thought it was some kind of special! I would love to leave my waffle iron out all the time!
I only remember having waffle’s as a kid, and they hurt my mouth so I never had them again – but my son loves them! Living in canada.
Whenever my sons had friends for a sleepover, they would all request Belgian waffles for breakfast. My waffle iron was round, made one at a time, and had a spring in the back that allowed the waffle to get almost 2 inches thick. Sadly, it eventually died, and that waffle maker is no longer available. I have a new one, now. Makes great waffles, but not really thick.
I especiallt like to make cookies and brownies in my waffle maker.
Oh would dearly love to win this waffle book. Thank you for this giveaway opportunity.
My hubby bought my waffle iron on yard sale for $2.00 and that was so many years ago. It still works but I would like to get me a Belgium one. My hubby likes to make waffles using the store bought tube of cinnamon rolls.(that’s just his style of cooking)
My son moved into his first place just this past fall and I reluctantly gave him my old, tired, but much-loved waffle iron (my whole family is waffle crazy!) so that he’d feel more at home in his new digs. Fast forward a few months and I find myself buying an historic home 5 states away. When cleaning out the new-to-me place I discovered a secret shelf in the kitchen pantry stashed with vintage goodies left behind when the estate was cleaned out, including none other than a working waffle iron like my grandmother used to use. A little elbow grease later and she’s bright, shiny, and back in service!
Now this may seem un-American or just plain not within reason, but I have never had a waffle in my life!
When I was in college my mom saw waffle makers at WalMart for $3, so she decided it was time to replace her old hard-to-wash waffle maker. She loved the new one – it is very easy to clean – and the next time she went to WalMart they were on sale for $1.50, so she bought four more of them. That’s right, FOUR. She gave one to me, my cousin, and anyone else she could pawn one off on…although one of them was still in the box for years. I should check and see if it’s still there next time I visit – that was a good 10 years ago!