The earliest waffle irons are from the 14th century and were originated in countries like French and Belgium in western Europe. Those waffle irons were attached to tongs with wooden handles and to heat them they were held over an open flame, or set on a stove.

In the 19th century, the design of waffle irons changed so it would be possible to use them over a kitchen stove which was really popular those days. It was not untill the early 20th century that electric waffle irons, like we know today, were produced but they were invented by General Electric an American corporation in New York.

Today most people are familiar with “classic”, “Belgian” and “American” waffles. The difference between the classic and Belgian waffles is only depending on their shape and thickness but Belgian waffles are usually thicker than the classic ones and don´t always have the circular shape. American waffles on the other hand have a slide different recipe. Here is an example of a recipe for “classic” waffles which are also often labeled as “traditional” waffels.

Waffles

Photo: Waffel in a waffel iron

Preperation time: 5 min

Cooking time: 15 min

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ¾ cups milk
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp white sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat waffle iron. Beat the eggs in a bowl until fluffy with an electronic beater. Beat in flour, milk, oil, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla until the mixture is smooth.  

Either spray the iron with non-stick cooking spray or put a little bit of a butter on it. Pour mix onto the iron and cook until golden brown.

Serve warm with what you like for example cheese and butter or jam, fruits and ice cream/whipped cream.