On a recent cleaning spree of our office I unearthed an unused $50 Amazon gift card we got for Christmas. Woot! I had my eye on the Calphalon No Peek Waffle Maker for some time (it’s the same one Joy The Baker uses) and it was our 4 year engagement anniversary (any reason for a celebration), so I made the splurge.
Believe it or not I have never had a waffle maker before. I don’t know if waffles are the new cupcakes but the recent blogosphere obsession with them subliminally made me need one. I had been fantasizing about all the waffles I could make – sweet or savory, dessert or anytime waffles – and I was so excited when it finally arrived.
The Calphalon No Peek has a really sleek, modern design. The brushed stainless steel is a classic look and matches the rest of our stainless steel appliances.
One of my favorite features is the locking upper handle. The lock feature allows the entire waffle maker to be stored upright in a cabinet or pantry. Perfect for people with not a lot of storage space!
Another great feature is the non-stick bronze plates. They really are non-stick (though I do use a little bit of cooking spray when making waffles) and they heat and cook evenly. They are a pain to clean, admittedly, since the plates are not removable. However, I intentionally did not want a removable plate waffle maker; the reviews I read online all seemed to have issues with improper heating, locking into place, or falling off. To clean I just wait until the waffle maker has cooled, run a soapy sponge lightly over the plates, and then dry off with a paper towel.
The name No Peek has to do with the exterior cooking display knob. With a waffle iron the inclination is to keep opening it up to see how your waffles are coming along, right? Well, with this light indicator on the knob, you don’t have to.
Before turning on the waffle maker you indicate your preferred doneness with the knob (light, medium, or dark). You then plug in the waffle maker to allow it to pre-heat. Once the waffle maker has pre-heated, it chimes letting you know it’s ready for batter. When you open the lid to add the batter the light indicator on the front goes all the way back to the first setting (see left picture). You add the batter, close the lid, and the light indicator moves in increments as the waffles cook. That way, you’ll know how done your waffle is instead of “peeking” inside. When the light gets all the way back to your cooking choice (mine here was medium, see right picture), it chimes again letting you know the waffles are done!
Last but not least, the cord storage is great – it wraps around a built-in cord holder on the bottom of the waffle maker. This also helps with the sleekness of storage.
So far I’ve used this waffle maker twice already (recipes coming soon!) and it worked perfectly! You do have to follow the instructions and not overfill the waffle maker, or else you’ll end up with a mess.
Homemade waffles are a great alternative to the frozen store-bought kind (I’m a sucker for those). Even the healthy/organic versions have preservatives and weird artificial ingredients. Like anything homemade, I prefer to control my own ingredients and portions. Despite the image that waffles conjure (diner style, under a heaping pile of whipped cream and butter – hey you can make those too), waffles are a great way to make a healthy breakfast full of fiber, vitamins, and protein. Another great thing about them is that you can freeze them and reheat easily in a toaster, toaster oven, or stove any time of day.
I think this was a great purchase and look forward to making many more waffles!
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