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Chaffle makers?

Alexandra100

Alexandra100

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,794
Location
West Yorkshire
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I am seeing lots of mention of chaffles here. No shortage of recipes & instructions online, but do I really need a special waffle maker, or would a frying pan do? If the former, recommendations for good ones would be welcome.
 
I got a waffle maker, not sure it's the best though. If I were you, I would try out a few recipes in the frying pan. If you find a recipe you like, then splash out. There are so many recipes out there, all wildly different. I have only made a basic one so far, it has potential.
 
Alexandra100 said:
I am seeing lots of mention of chaffles here. No shortage of recipes & instructions online, but do I really need a special waffle maker, or would a frying pan do? If the former, recommendations for good ones would be welcome.
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I tried a frying pan but the mixture spreads out too much and I suspect it needs the all over heat of a waffle maker to get the full effect. Most US videos seem to use the Dash mini waffle maker but that doesn't seem to be available in the UK. If you find a suitable one let me know.
 
I was clicking through the Aldi and Lidl special buys a little while ago. One or t'other had a waffle/sandwich/panini maker (3 removable plates, making 2 waffles at a time, for something like £16.

I imagine the frying pan idea would create more like crepes
 
The frying pan thingy is just to taste the recipe. I suspect some of them are not so good. I have never eaten real waffles. Some of the recipes seem a bit elaborate and off the wall.
 
xfieldok said:
The frying pan thingy is just to taste the recipe. I suspect some of them are not so good. I have never eaten real waffles. Some of the recipes seem a bit elaborate and off the wall.
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Yes, this is good advice. I recall reading somewhere here a while ago someone complaining they had tried one of these recipes and it just came out like an omelette. If that's the case, I already have a pan that is perfect for making omelettes. I had been wondering about trying to make a substitute for a jam omelette using Erythritol. It is an irony of fate that before being obliged to eat VLC I never used sugar, but now I do rather crave sugar substitutes.
 
Jam Omlette??? Goodness!

If you have sweet cravings, google keto fat bombs. I tried keto bounty bars, they were OK but need further work. As our taste for sweetness diminishes, it is hard to estimate the amount of sweetener we need. All trial and error, but to save ingredients, I tend to err on the side of less sweet.
 
You can get cheap silicone waffle moulds for oven/microwave use. Could try one of those for a few pounds before investing in a waffle maker?
 
DCUKMod said:
I was clicking through the Aldi and Lidl special buys a little while ago. One or t'other had a waffle/sandwich/panini maker (3 removable plates, making 2 waffles at a time, for something like £16.

I imagine the frying pan idea would create more like crepes
Click to expand...
I bought the 3 in one you mention this week in ALDI. (Be quick before it goes if you want one) So much easier to clean with removable plates. I am ditching my old one as it was a pita to clean and the non stick was flaking as a result of scrubbing it.
I have made them in the frying pan and it’s doable by pushing the mixture together til it forms up but a bit of a different texture. Not as light. But worth trying for the taste before splashing out.
 
HSSS said:
I bought the 3 in one you mention this week in ALDI. (Be quick before it goes if you want one) So much easier to clean with removable plates. I am ditching my old one as it was a pita to clean and the non stick was flaking as a result of scrubbing it.
I have made them in the frying pan and it’s doable by pushing the mixture together til it forms up but a bit of a different texture. Not as light. But worth trying for the taste before splashing out.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I think chaffles are a fine idea, but to be honest, it's such a long time since I had a "sandwich" of any kind that I feel totally ambivalent about it. When I had to go gluten free, I was even further distanced from sandwich and sandwich lookee-likee- options, as so many have gluten powder in them.

That said, were I going to go for it, I'd likely go for a mini machine, or even an old styleee iron, as they're a quick cook, hoever they're done.

@Alexandra - Assuming the feet don't heat too hot, I just put things like this onto a small melamine tray, then any drips can be cleaned up easily. Call me lazy, but it's easier to clean a small, square tray than tackle a greasy worktop.
 
DCUKMod said:
I think chaffles are a fine idea, but to be honest, it's such a long time since I had a "sandwich" of any kind that I feel totally ambivalent about it
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IMO the great threat to lifelong VLC is revulsion arising from monotony. There are now comparatively so few foods on my menu, I live in dread of turning against eg eggs. I have already gone off various types of cheese and found myself with a refrigerator full of cheeses I couldn't face eating. Luckily I have eventually "gone on" them again and am glad to eat them up. So finding a novel way to present over-familiar eggs + cheese seems to me a good idea.
 
Alexandra100 said:
IMO the great threat to lifelong VLC is revulsion arising from monotony. There are now comparatively so few foods on my menu, I live in dread of turning against eg eggs. I have already gone off various types of cheese and found myself with a refrigerator full of cheeses I couldn't face eating. Luckily I have eventually "gone on" them again and am glad to eat them up. So finding a novel way to present over-familiar eggs + cheese seems to me a good idea.
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I have zero challenge to anyone who tries any given food, or food preparation method. We all have to find our own way through the maze of LC eating.

I am LC, gluten-free, and have to be a bit careful not to have to much (for me) straight fat (as opposed to fattier meat cuts) in my diet, but I can hand on heart state my eating and way of living isn't monotonous.

As I say, we each have to find our own way.
 
Been chaffling for a few weeks now.
I splashed out on the waffle/sandwich/panini option and am v pleased with it.
Not had a problem with grease dribbles. I think that would only happen if it was overfilled, and it is easy to avoid that. Also using a little absorbant stuff (almond flour or psyllium) would prevent that.

with 2 of us in the house, we would need multiple mini waffle makers. A 2 sandwich sized one is perfect.

have also put chaffle mix into the panini plates. That worked, but in a flat, non waffly way, that was less satisfying to eat.
And i can confirm that those panini plates make a fab rectangular fried egg creation. Cheese top and bottom and well cooked yolks (which I like). Runny eggs do NOT appeal to me.

i would heartily recommend the remove able plates. A doddle to wash up.
 
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