This article will compare American waffle makers to Belgian Waffle Makers. This American Waffle Iron vs Belgian Waffle Iron comparison will tell you everything that you need to know to decide which one to buy.
What are the differences between American and Belgian waffle makers?
Any of the best American style waffle makers make thin crispy non-Belgian waffles because they have shallower and smaller square pockets than a Belgian waffle maker does. Most waffle irons have plates that are not removable. However, there are a few waffle irons with interchangeable plates, such as the All Clad Digital waffle maker with removable plates. Read this article to learn more about the All Clad Digital waffle maker – https://wafflemakercenter.com/all-clad-gourmet-digital-vs-manual-waffle-maker-with-removable-plates
A Belgian waffle has deeper and larger square pockets than an American waffle. This is why Belgian waffles are twice as thick as American waffles. Also a Belgian waffle has thicker walls separating each pocket.
The square pockets in the waffles are made by a series of square-shaped protrusions coming out of the two cooking plates of the waffle maker. The protrusions are separated a certain distance apart from each other depending on whether it is an American or Belgian waffle maker.
A typical round American waffle maker with a 7-inch diameter has 68 square-shaped protrusions sticking out of the waffle plates. The protrusions are spaced about a quarter of an inch apart. The round plates are divided into four quadrants with a small spacing in between which makes it easy to separate the waffle into four different pieces.
A typical round 1-inch thick Belgian waffle iron with a 7-inch diameter has 20 square-shaped protrusions sticking out of the cooking plates. The square protrusions are spaced less than half an inch apart.
A typical square Belgian waffle maker with a 9″ x 9″ cooking surface has 100 squares protruding from the plates. The squares are spaced about a quarter of an inch apart.
A typical square Eggo-style waffle maker with a 9″ x 9″ cooking surface has 144 squares sticking out from the plates. The protrusions are spaced less than a quarter of an inch apart.
The deeper pockets and thicker walls between the pockets of Belgian waffles allow you to use fruit toppings while the shallower pockets and thinner walls of the American waffles can only accept butter and maple syrup as toppings.
Can you make thin waffles in a Belgian waffle makers?
A lot of people who love American-style waffles and only own a Belgian waffle maker want to know if they can make a thin waffle in a Belgian waffle maker. The answer to that question is that you an try to do this but the resulting waffle will not look like the typical thin waffle because it will probably be undercooked and the squares will be too big. So it would be better to use an authentic thin waffle maker, such as the Breville BWM502XL, to make a perfectly-formed thin waffle with the right thickness and right-sized small squares.
How thick are American waffles?
The Breville and All-Clad American waffle makers will make 0.50-inch thick Eggo-style waffles. The waffle makers from Chef’s Choice will make 5/8-inch thick American-style waffles.
How thick are Belgian waffles?
Most Belgian waffle makers will make 0.75-inch thick Belgian waffles. The All Clad and Breville Belgian waffle makers will make slightly thicker 1-inch thick Belgian waffles.
However, there are several Belgian waffle makers that can make waffles that are more than 1-inch thick. The PowerXL Wafflizer can make one 7-inch wide, 2-inch thick Belgian waffle at a time that is stuffed with whatever fillings you want.
The Presto 03512 Stuffler makes one 6-inch wide, 1.75-inch thick Belgian waffle at a time and it also comes with a flip feature.
The Elechomes Flip Belgian Waffle Maker can make one 7-inch wide, 1.4-inch thick Belgian waffle at a time and it has an LCD display as well.
The BELLA 4 Slice Belgian Waffle Maker can make four 4.5-inch wide, 1.2-inch thick waffles at a time; 20-25% thicker than the typical Belgian waffles.
Which is more popular: American or Belgian Waffles?
Most diners sell a lot more Belgian waffles than American waffles because Americans prefer the extra-deep pockets of Belgian waffles since you can fill them up with more toppings including butter, jam, and maple syrup.
The exception is Waffle House. They only sell thin, American-style waffles and they will not budge from that. So you should not expect to see any Belgian waffles on a Waffle House menu anytime soon.
Which is more popular: American or Belgian Waffle Makers?
There are a lot more Belgian waffle makers than American waffle makers for sale. This is because Belgian waffles are a lot more popular in the United States because they are more filling and satisfying.
If you look at any retail website or store, you will see a huge selection of Belgian waffle makers and just a smattering of American-style waffle makers.
What shapes do they come in?
Besides the Black and Decker G48TD, all of the other American waffle makers from Breville, All-Clad, Chef’s Choice, and Cucina Pro, come in the shape of a circle. Only the Black & Decker G48TD thin waffle maker comes in the shape of a square. The G48TD can make four square-shaped Eggo-style waffles.
Unlike American waffle makers, there is a wide selection of round and square Belgian waffle makers from all of the well-known brands including Cuisinart, Breville, All-Clad, and Black and Decker.
What types of American and Belgian Waffle Makers are available?
The most popular Belgian waffle makers are the ones with removable plates because you can remove the plates and either soak them in some hot water before washing them by hand or, if they are dishwasher-safe, clean them in your dishwasher.
Another popular type of Belgian waffle is the flip-type that rotates the cooking plates 180 degrees to spread the batter more evenly so that the waffles are perfectly formed and more evenly baked.
There are also Double Flip Belgian waffle makers that make two Belgian waffles at a time and come with a rotary design. Cuisinart and Black and Decker have a wide selection of great Single Flip and Double Flip Belgian waffle makers that have received many 5- and 4-star customer reviews.
Neither Breville nor All-Clad makes flip waffle makers.
I looked at the selection of American waffle makers on retail websites and I could only find one American waffle maker with removable plates. The Black & Decker G48TD is a 3-in-1 waffle maker and grill/griddle that comes with reversible plates. One side of both plates can make four square Eggo-style waffles while the other side makes sandwiches, bacon strips, eggs, pancakes, or hash browns. The top folds flat to give you two cooking surfaces.
Are there any Eco-friendly or Teflon-free American or Belgian waffle makers?
Most waffle makers use cooking plates that are coated with Teflon because its nonstick properties make it easier to remove the freshly cooked waffles. According to the FDA, Teflon will not release any toxic fumes even if heated at the maximum temperature that a waffle maker operates at, approximately 360 degrees Fahrenheit or 180 degrees Celsius. However, a lot of people want to play it safe so they want to purchase a waffle maker without Teflon. This is probably because they read studies that indicated that Teflon can break down if it is heated repeatedly at high temperatures and emit toxic fumes that are dangerous to humans and especially to birds.
Ceramic waffle makers are popular today with health-conscious people who don’t want to eat waffles with Teflon flakes mixed in. This is because ceramic is made from all-natural materials which will not release any toxic chemicals even if heated at high temperatures for a prolonged period.
Oster has a ceramic vertical Belgian waffle maker that is easy to clean because it only allows the batter to enter through the top opening. When it is locked shut, the batter will not drip out the sides and cause a mess on your countertop.
Presto has the 03510 Belgian waffle maker that flips 180 degrees and comes with a ceramic coating that is eco-friendly but you cannot adjust the cooking temperature and the cooking plates are not removable.
The Hamilton Beach 26031 is one of the best ceramic Belgian waffle makers because it comes with removable plates. It has a flip feature and Durathon ceramic coating that is 4x more durable than Teflon coating.
I could only find one American waffle maker with a ceramic coating, the Euro Cuisine WM520 Heart-Shaped Waffle Maker makes five small heart-shaped waffles at a time. The cooking plates have an 8-inch diameter so each of the five heart-shaped waffles will be only 2 inches wide. The ceramic coated cooking plates do not have any PFOA or PTFE chemicals, which are used to make Teflon.
Cast iron does not contain any materials that will emit toxic fumes when they reach really high temperatures so it is safe to use around humans and birds.
If you look at the retail websites, you will not see any electric cast iron waffle makers because they are too heavy and take too long to heat up. The majority of cast iron waffle makers make thin, Eggo-style waffles. There are only a few that will make a 1-inch thick Belgian waffle.
