IRON GIANTS: OUR FAVORITE WAFFLE MAKERS

When it comes to waffles, everyone is after the perfectly golden, crunchy-on-the-outside, fluffy-on-the-inside Belgian waffles you find at the best brunch spots. But at home, replicating those waffles can be challenging—unless you have the right equipment.

To find the best waffle maker, our Test Kitchen put some of the most popular brands to the test. They tinkered, griddled, flipped, and made batches upon batches of waffles to discover which model produced brunch-quality waffles just waiting for a big slather of butter, drizzle of syrup and scattering of fresh fruit.

On the quest to make the crispiest, fluffiest waffles, our Test Kitchen pros kept a few things in mind as they put each brand through its paces. First, ease of use—is the machine intuitive, are the controls easy to use and, overall, is the waffle maker simple enough to operate on even the sleepiest of mornings? Of course, the kind of waffles each produces is the most important aspect of all. We were looking for waffles with a crisp, golden exterior, yet soft, tender and fully cooked on the inside. We also noted how easily the waffles removed from the irons—preferably smooth and intact, with no bits stuck on after. And finally, the cleanup process. Is there batter leakage around the edges? Are the waffle makers’ plates easily removable? And how tough are those nooks and crannies to clean out?

In the end, these three contenders came out on top. From brilliant design to multiple functions to making waffles that wow every time, each one excels in its own category. Check out our winners and get brunch underway!