The $15 Waffle Maker

Have you ever salivated over a recipe so much you had to run out and buy the ingredients and the appliance? I have and did. A couple of weeks ago I bought Vegan with a Vengeance. It’s a kick ass, punk rock Vegan cookbook. In it are some absolutely amazing recipes including the pumpkin muffins I made today. That isn’t what I was salivating over though, no, instead it was the waffles. Muffins I have all the bake ware for, waffles, not so much. I don’t own a waffle iron. Today that was going to change.
I went to Canadian Tire to check out what they had for waffle irons. I was delighted when I saw the one for $12.99. It was compact and cheap. I really can’t afford to be buying anything, but this baby was around $15 with tax, so I thought why not. I’ll tell you why not... it turned out to be an absolute piece of CRAP!

I took the time to find the right recipe. I decided on Banana Oatmeal Waffles. Gathered all the ingredients, carefully mixed them up, turned on the waffle maker and went to work. I poured my first waffles, closed the iron and waited for the light to go off. It did I tried to open the waffle maker but the waffles were, well stuck. Its non-stick so you would have thought it would have not stuck. But it didn’t.
At first I thought I may have made the batter too thick, so I added some more soy milk to it. Didn’t work. Thinned it out some more. Still didn’t work. I figured after the third attempt that it wasn’t me or the recipe, in fact the waffle iron was just a piece of crap! You know that old saying. ‘You get what you pay for. ‘ Problem is, I can’t afford the $60 one. One day I’m sure I will, but right now it’s out of the question.

That was my first problem, my second problem is I am now obsessed with making Vegan waffles. I LOVE waffles, I love smothering them in fruit and maple syrup. I love having them for breakfast or as a desert. I LOVE WAFFLES. Now I have to try to contain my itch to go find another waffle iron. One that works. One that isn’t going to cost a fortune. I could stalk Value Village and hope that some one offers up one. The problem there is if they are getting rid of it, it probably doesn’t work or work very well. So how do I solve this dilemma?

Christmas is coming. Somehow I don’t think that is the answer. If I ask my Mother for one, she will either buy me the same model I am returning or, get me something that isn’t a waffle iron. For three years running I asked for a Slow Cooker. For three years running I received everything else but. I’m amazed she didn’t buy me a 4th, 5th and 6th Wok. That’s right she bought me three in a row. I eventually got a Slow Cooker, from a friend who was tired of hearing me whine that my Mother wouldn’t buy me one. Maybe I should start dropping the hints to friends again. Of course knowing me I won’t be able to wait till Christmas. I am already trying to think of other places that sell them and am wondering if I go up in price if I can get one that works. I am also sitting here wondering if I oil crap out of the cheap one I bought if that would make any difference... stupid non stick $15 dollar waffle maker. Instead of sitting here working on the podcast, our one of my books, I am obsessing over a waffle maker. Not just any waffle maker but one that will actually work.

Mmmmm Waffles.

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