Cuisinart Waffle Maker review

Cuisinart is an American brand and its machine meets expectations, producing classic deep-groove US diner-style waffles. In our tests its bakes were consistently crisp and golden with a soft, airy middle.

The crust had a good crunch and the colour on the waffles was generally even but keep a close eye after 4-5 minutes to avoid overcooked patches. The crisp exterior stood up to being doused with toppings and the generous dimples were ideal for collecting amber pools of maple syrup and melting ice cream drips.

Waffles aren't only the reserve of sweet breakfasts and desserts though. The crust created by the Cuisinart can also cope with the savoury soft poached yolks, smoked salmon slices and crème fraîche dollops suggested in their recipe booklet.

The machine has a clip on the handle. This is useful for holding the waffle plates together for upright storage and to minimise energy loss when preheating the machine. The instructions also recommend closing the clip while cooking the waffles. This speeds up cooking and ensures the top plate comes in good contact with the waffle to make the golden crust.

For the best results, the manual recommends a maximum of 90ml batter per waffle. Different batters will rise at different rates, however, so if you are experimenting with a new recipe or quantity, watch closely or leave the handle unclipped as a rapid rise may cause damage.

The build of the Cuisinart feels solid and it comes with a reassuring five-year guarantee. We were particularly impressed by the uniform thickness of the waffles. The machine has a high hinge with gives the batter space to rise with no squashing along the hinged edge.

The detachable plates have a good non-stick coating and require just a smear of oil for cooking. Once the machine had cooled down, they were easy to remove by pressing release buttons on the side of the waffle maker. The plates are labelled ‘low’ and ‘high’ and there are positioning guides on the machine which were helpful when refitting them.

With a simple on/off dial the Cuisinart is easy to operate. There is a red indicator light to show the machine is switched on and a green thermostat light to show that it is up to temperature.

At about 12 x 13cm the waffles are large. Despite this, they cooked quickly in 5-6 minutes per two-waffle batch. There is no integrated timer so you need to start checking after five minutes.

The waffle plates are dishwasher safe but are also easy to clean by hand in soapy water with a cloth. The body of the machine is simple to wipe down but there is a crevice on top that is hard to clean. There is a ridge on the short edge of the waffle maker which acts as a foot for storing the machine upright.

The top of the waffle maker does get hot during cooking so for safe use, it has a stay-cool handle and non-slip rubber feet.

Specifications:

Removable plates: yes
Size: 30 x 26 x 12cm
Weight: 3kg
Indicator light: yes – power and ready to cook
Waffle size: 12 x 13cm
Dishwasher safe parts: waffle plates
Wattage: 1000W

Read our full review of the best waffle makers

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This review was last updated in July 2019. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability, please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.