Presto Ceramic Flipside Belgian Waffle Maker, 7 inches (Pack of 1), BlackGray

This is easier and more fun than I imagined. I was a bit concerned about a flipping waffle maker. I wanted the more expensive dual (rotating) waffle maker I had used several times at a friend's, but this one was half the price. It makes ONE waffle at a time (just so you know. It stores in the upright position ("Ladies and gentlemen, please return all of your seat trays and waffle makers to the upright position.") which is weird and unnerving, but it hasn't fallen over yet. It does this trick by way of a hard plastic shim that you slide up when you press both of the sides together upright. It seems goofy but it works.Now, as to the waffles. You open it and let either side rest on the counter (as shown in the product image). Pour a standard scoop of waffle batter on the center (there are recipes and directions--both were quite clear) and allow it to spread. Be generous. This waffle maker makes THICK waffles (which I like) and you will almost always ending up putting too little batter in, and end up with incomplete waffles. Anyway, pour, watch it spread (that is kind of fun) and close the lid. Wait a few minutes and flip it over--not the whole thing, just grab the handles and rotate the waffle (you will understand how to do this when you have it in front of you) and you can lift the lid in case you want to check it. I like that you can check both sides of the waffle without having to take the waffle out. You can even pop some butter (not margarine please) onto the waffle and close the lid and in 2-3 seconds (maximum) your waffle is buttered.Use PAM cooking spray for best results--not a lot--just a quick but thorough shot to make the waffles pop right out. Also, if you use melted butter instead of oil in the recipe your waffles will taste MUCH better.Now, let's say that you do manage to pour a teensy bit too much waffle batter into the iron. Let it spread and start to cook for a few moments before you close the lid. GENTLY close the lid and wait a few minutes before you flip it. You may dodge the bullet right there, but even if you do not, there is a circular groove (you can see this in the product shot) that catches and cooks excess batter. If you put WAY too much on this thing is SUPER easy to clean. Simply grab a few wet paper towels or a Handi-Wipe and brush it off quickly while the iron is hot. Post-waffle clean-up is non existent unless you really did pour too much batter in. Even then a green scrubby pad and a sponge works great, but be sure to hand dry this with a towel or the stainless will look crappy.Again, this thing looks kinda flimsy and funky, but when you use it you will LOVE it and see that it really is a well-built and well-designed product. It is also super portable. You can take it anywhere you can get juice (110 AC outlet).Hope this helps: happy waffles!

Update: After eating these waffles a few times I began wishing I had bought a "regular" waffle maker....so the waffles would be thinner. Belgian waffles are very large and thick, and more difficult to re-heat (I can't just plunk them in the toaster) and take more room to store in the freezer. However, I easily solved the reheating problem. I take them out of the freezer to thaw for a few minutes, then I preheat my Panini press (I have a Breville Panini Duo which is my most often used kitchen appliance) just lay the segments in there, close the lid, and set a timer for about 4 minutes. I heat them for as long as it takes until they are nice and hot, crispy on the outside...and it flattens them! I LOVE that....makes them easier to eat, in my opinion, and they are incredible tasting after being reheated and crisped up in that Panini press.And here is something NOT to do. After my first batch of waffles had been really successful, I decided to try my favorite muffin mix (from a box) and see how it did in the waffle maker. Big mistake. Huge. Although the waffle muffins were good tasting, they were a MESS. And the mess stuck all over my waffle maker. It is extremely difficult to clean all of those nooks and crannies, and I was sure I had ruined the finish, even though it looked fine. But next waffle batch came out clean and easy as the first one, so no worries.Another thing I want to mention. I had called customer service to ask about the issue of seasoning the waffle maker before the first use. It says "use cooking oil", but all I had was olive oil. One of the people in the "food experimentation" division called me back in a few days (long after I had decided not to season it at all) and told me I was fine to not season it, but if it started sticking in the future, spraying on olive oil would work just fine.Original review:I have not had waffles in years. I don't tend to eat out much, and breakfast for me needs to be tasty AND fiber rich. Restaurant waffles certainly would do the trick taste-wise....but normally not fiber-wise. I was given an amazon gift card for my birthday and chose this waffle maker (thank you so much to the guy who put up the video about it.) I received it today, and used it this evening. I made the whole-grain recipe from the little booklet (it only comes with half a dozen recipes.) It included some whole wheat flour and some instant oats. I added a couple of tablespoons of fiber, as well as the same amount of wheat bran, for some added nutrition. I did not adjust any of the quantities of dries or fluids, just added these items into the dry mix. I used olive oil as the oil (I only ever use olive oil in baking and eating) and I did NOT season the machine, because I read that you shouldn't use olive oil for that, nor PAM spray. So I didn't really know how it would all turn out, but the picture I am posting will show you my very first waffle. It came out completely clean and easily. The remaining three turned out just the same. I should add...I wasn't sure if I would use the timer, but it is ultra convenient and simple. I preheated the machine, it took about 4 minutes, poured in a cup of my batter, flipped the thing over, pressed the time button 3 times (for three minutes) and that was it. When the timer beeped, at three minutes, the waffle was perfectly done, as were the three which followed. These waffles are SO big. My husband and I shared ONE. Then we couldn't resist having another quarter each. Some of the remaining will go in the freezer, and some will go in the fridge for breakfast tomorrow. For breakfast I will reheat the waffles in my Breville Panini Duo, which has become my "oven replacement" for reheating such things (it does a fantastic job on pancakes which have been frozen and thawed....leftover pizza...etc. Oh...did I mention....the waffles were incredible. Absolutely wonderful to eat!

Presto engineers designed a waffle maker that works extremely well. Perfect waffles. The grids are ceramic, easy to wipe and the unit takes up little space when stored upright. You can feel good about serving your family waffles without fear of passing on toxins chemicals from teflon. Totally impressed. However, although I really like the unit, the stand is not up to the standard of the unit itself. It is a lightweight plastic and the locking mechanism does not feel durable - could be a problem after many wears of use. But I would deal with these issues because the unit is really that good. Except: the biggest problem I had was the power cord. If your outlet is on a back wall behind the kitchen countertop, you will have no cord design problem. However, if your power outlet is on a wall at a right angle to your countertop, it will be awkward. My workspace is on a kitchen island. The power outlets are located on the sides of the island. When flipping the waffles I had to carefully and continually re-arrange the power cord away from the unit to avoid entanglement. If the stand were a bit sturdier, the locking mechanism a bit more durable and the cord issue redesigned, this waffle maker would be among the very best on the market.