LJWorld.com / Waffles aren't just for breakfast anymore

Archive for Wednesday, October 16, 2002

By Kathleen Purvis, Knight Ridder Newspapers

October 16, 2002

Just thinking about waffles makes us waffle.

Which angle to write about? Should we consider the chemistry of waffles, the way the leavening makes the batter puff while the waffle iron holds it down and makes it crisp?

Or perhaps we should debate the many styles of waffle batters. The raised batters made with yeast. Convenient, because they can wait in the refrigerator for several days, they also make crispier waffles with more developed flavor. The tender waffles, made with dairy products like sour cream or yogurt. The fluffy waffles, lifted (perhaps it should be "wafted") with beaten egg whites. And the simple waffles, made with baking soda or baking powder and whole eggs.

Then there's waffle history. We could write about how waffles originated in Dutch countries, where they were called "wofels." They came to America with early settlers, but they were still enough of an oddity that Thomas Jefferson, returning from France, brought a waffle iron along with macaroni molds and short-grain rice.

We could consider waffle fashion. In her 1995 book "Fashionable Food," Sylvia Lundgren wrote about the rage in the 1930s for "Sunday Supper" parties that let women show off electric waffle irons, toasters and chafing dishes, and entertain without kitchen help.

Or we could even debate the weird world of waffles. Sure, the South has Waffle Houses. But Los Angeles has its own chain, Roscoe's House of Chicken N Waffles, which serves fried chicken and waffles. (On separate plates, but many people put them together. Sometimes with gravy.)

Strawberries and maple syrup sit next to a waffle iron. Waffles can make a great meal at anytime, not just breakfast.

But no. Given all those choices, we'll go another way: Meal waffles. There's more to a waffle than breakfast.

There's even more to a waffle iron than waffles. Ever use one to make French toast? You get a custardy inside and a crisp outside, a cross between pan-frying and oven-baking. Or how about a grilled cheese sandwich? When you get past the windowpane look, it's tasty, although you also can stir cheese and ham into a waffle batter for a substantial lunch.

At dinner, you can dress up a waffle with savory ingredients and a topping, like our Coconut Waffles With Thai Chicken.

But the best waffle of all is dessert. We found a rich one flavored with rum and studded with chocolate chips. But you also can pour brownie batter on a waffle iron.

The one thing all those waffle batters have in common is butter. You can replace some butter with oil, but not all of it. Waffle batters need butter, for tenderness and to keep from sticking.

Nonstick waffle irons usually don't need to be oiled. But a squirt of nonstick spray doesn't hurt.

The neatest trick for cleaning a waffle iron is from "Plugged In," by Lora Brody: Unplug it, place several wet paper towels on the grid, close the still-hot iron and let it steam.

Waffles freeze great. Just wrap them. No need to thaw. Just put them in a toaster.

See what we mean? Breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert.

Sounds like gridlock.