I just made sourdough waffles for breakfast. If you ask me if I would prefer pancakes or waffles, I would have to take a good waffle any day. The slight crunch and the little holes that fill with butter and syrup just can’t be beaten. I don’t care for the thick, cakiness of the Belgian waffle. I prefer an old-fashioned waffle made in a waffle maker from the ’40s or ’50s. They just taste better. You can almost see Grandma standing at the counter waiting to open the cover and fork out the perfect waffle. I’d have my nose so close to the iron she’d warn me I’d get it caught in the next waffle if I didn’t watch myself.
My mom has a double door waffle maker that I have envied most of my adult life. She got it as a wedding gift in 1961 from my grandma Anderson. Grandma had bought it at a second-hand store back then, so it had to have been manufactured sometime in the ’50s. I told my husband just this weekend that I was thinking of getting a “new” waffle maker. What I meant was scrolling through eBay looking for a vintage waffle maker like my mom’s, not clicking on Amazon as I do for everything else. As it turns out, I found my current waffle maker on eBay for $87. It’s pretty old, but I guess the wooden handles make it more valuable. I picked it up at a Goodwill 20 years ago for about three bucks. It seems I made a good investment, but I can only cook one waffle at a time.
I found some double waffle makers like my mom’s on eBay, but I couldn’t pull the trigger and buy one. It’s a want, not need, but I could argue you can’t make waffles without a waffle maker. It just can’t be done. Maybe I could justify the purchase if I hosted a waffle party this Christmas for my family. Everyone could bring their favorite toppings….my son loves peanut butter and maple syrup. I am a traditionalist with real butter and pure maple syrup, preferably from Lutsen. I am sure my cousin would like strawberries and whipped cream or my mom’s blueberry jam. I just made myself hungry again! I might just buy that double waffle maker yet!
“We have to remember what’s important in life. Friends, waffles, and work. Or waffles, friends, and work. Either way, work has to come in third.”
~ Leslie Knope, Parks and Recreation
Taste of Home columnist Sandy (Anderson) Holthaus lives on a farm in South Haven, MN with her husband, Michael, and their children Zoe, Jack and Ben. Her heart remains on the North Shore where she grew up with her parents, Art and LaVonne Anderson of Schroeder. She enjoys writing about her childhood and mixes memories with delicious helpings of home-style recipes.
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