Chef’s Choice is primarily known for having a wide selection of electric and manual knife sharpeners, electric tea kettles, and electric food slicers but they also sell a few really good waffle makers as well.
Chef’s Choice’s three best waffle makers are the 854 Classic WafflePro 4-Square Waffle Maker, 852 Classic WafflePro 2-Square Waffle Maker, and 840 WafflePro Express Traditional Five of Hearts Waffle Maker. The Chef’s Choice 854 is the most popular because it can handle the needs of a large family full of waffle lovers better than the Chef’s Choice 840. The Chef’s Choice 840 has the same features as the 854 but its’ waffles are not as big as the waffles made by the 854. Both the Chef’s Choice 840 and 854 come with two cooking modes (soft inside/crisp outside and crunchy inside and out) and a color control dial that will determine how brown the waffles are.
The Chef’s Choice 854 Classic Pro 4-Square Waffle Maker is the only Chef’s Choice thin 4 square waffle iron. The Chef’s Choice 854 is the best thin, classic-style square-shaped waffle maker on the market because it comes with precise temperature control, uniform heat distribution, fast temperature recovery, and a superfast three-minute baking time.
Powerful 1600 watt heating elements
Learn MoreThe Chef’s Choice 854 uses 1600 watt heating elements to bake 4 square non-Belgian waffles in less than 3 minutes. The 1600 watts used during each baking cycle is the highest power consumption of any classic-style waffle maker. The All Clad 99012GT has 850 watt heating elements while the Breville BWM520XL classic round waffle maker has 900 watt heating elements and the Cuisinart WMR-CA has 1000 watt heating elements.
The 1600 watt dual heating elements will ensure that your waffles are uniformly heated, ensuring that your waffles will not end up with any raw or uncooked patches. The makesmanship of the appliance is exceptional and the superior taste, texture, and aroma of the waffles are top notch.
Unfortunately, there is no Chef’s Choice classic waffle maker that has removable plates but it still has a nonstick Teflon coating that makes it really easy to clean as long as you add enough butter and oil to your batter. If you want a waffle maker with interchangeable plates that can make both classic and Belgian waffles, then take a look at the GreenPan Elite 4 Square Belgian and Classic Waffle Maker.
You will enjoy the fresh taste and delicious aroma of these perfect homemade thin square waffles that will delight the most discerning palates from children to adults. The Chef’s Choice 854 Classic 4 Square Waffle Maker features a superior non-stick easy release coating and consistent, even heating that guarantees uniformly cooked waffles inside and out for the ideal tasty treat. It quickly recovers its temperature so it’s always ready to bake and feed even the biggest appetites of any large family.
Why does their quad baking system make the best tasting waffles?
It has an innovative quad baking system that lets you adjust the flavor, texture (fast bake or deep bake), and color of your waffles at any time during the cooking cycle. It is called a quad baking system because this waffle maker uses four heating elements instead of two, which is the typical number used by most waffle makers. There are two heating elements in the top part of the appliance and two more in the bottom part.
It has many customization options that enable it to handle either homemade or quick mix batters. It has a Rocker texture switch and color control dial that allows you to customize the texture and color of your waffles. It will allow you to make waffles as crispy and brown as you want.
There is a circular black rocker switch located on the left hand side of the front control panel that controls the texture of your waffles. This switch lets you choose between two textures: ‘Crisp Exterior/Moist Interior’ or ‘Uniform Texture’. Choosing the ‘Crisp Exterior/Moist Interior’ option will fast bake the waffles which will make them crispy on the outside and fluffy and moist inside. This texture will take about four minutes. Choosing the ‘Uniform Texture’ will evenly deep bake your waffles throughout which will make them crispy inside and out. This setting takes twice as long finishing in about eight minutes.
On the right hand side of the device is a ‘Color Control’ dial. This temperature control dial comes with 6 settings. This control dial is designed to be used together with the Rocker texture (fast bake/deep bake) Switch to customize your waffle color to a lighter or darker shade of your choosing. The temperature settings are very accurate and sensitive so any changes will make a big difference in the shading of your waffle.
The top cooking plate is attached to the bottom plate with a floating hinge. This hinge enables the top plate to rise up as the batter expands. This will give your waffles a more uniform thickness and even baking and browning and prevent the excess batter from dripping down the sides and onto your kitchen countertop.
Indicator lights, Audible beeping notifications, Upright storage
Located to the right of the rocker texture switch is a ‘Baking’ indicator light that lights up red to tell you that either the device is preheating the plates or cooking your batter.
To the right of the ‘Baking’ indicator light is a ‘Ready’ indicator light that lights up green to tell you that either the plates are hot enough to begin cooking your batter or your waffle is finished cooking and is ready to be eaten.
Like other top-notch waffle makers, you will hear an audible ‘Ready Beeper’ sound and see a ‘Ready’ indicator light turn on after your waffle is finished cooking and ready to serve.
This waffle maker has a latching handle and a cord storage compartment located under the device that enables it to be stored in a space-saving vertical position.
Waffle Thickness
The Chef’s Choice 854 Classic Pro 4-Square Waffle Maker is one of the few waffle makers that makes thin, non-Belgian square-shaped waffles. All Clad, Breville, and Cuisinart have classic waffle makers but they make round-shaped non-Belgian waffles. Another well-known waffle maker that makes thin, square-shaped waffles is the Black and Decker G48TD. However, the Chef’s Choice 854 makes 5/8-inch thick waffles while the Black and Decker G48TD makes slightly thinner 0.5-inch thick waffles. Also the Chef’s Choice 854 makes non-Belgian waffles with larger squares while the Black and Decker G48TD makes waffles with smaller squares like the Eggo-style waffles at the supermarket.
| Product Features and Specifications | |
|---|---|
| • Super Fast quad baking system can bake four square Eggo-style waffles in under 3 minutes in fast bake mode. • Each square-shaped waffle is about 4-inches long and 5/8-inches thick. • Multiple customization options for varying the flavor, texture, and color of your waffles • Texture rocker switch enables you to select between two baking modes: ‘crisp texture/moist interior’ (fast bake) or ‘uniform texture’ (slow bake for uniform crunchy texture). • Fast Bake mode will make your waffle crispy outside and fluffy inside. • Slow Bake mode takes twice as long as Fast Bake mode and will make your waffles crunchy inside and out. • ‘Color Control’ dial with 6 settings – You will get precise temperature control with the ‘Color Control’ dial. The six browning settings are very precise so you will notice a big difference in the way your waffles taste and look if you change settings. The different settings will enable you to give your waffle anything from a golden to brown color. • Heavy-duty unit is sturdy and well-designed • Instant temperature recovery – Temperature of the cooking plates will recover quickly so you won’t have to preheat the plates all over again, enabling you to bake one batch of waffles after another as quickly as possible. • Non-stick Teflon coating helps the waffles easily slide off the plates, making them much easier to clean |
• Red ‘Baking’ light – indicates when the heating elements are powered on and heating up the cooking plates • Green ‘Ready’ light – indicates when either the cooking plates have reached the selected baking temperature or the waffles are finished baking and ready to be served • ‘Waffle Ready’ audible beeping alert is activated together with the Green ‘Ready’ light to indicate that the waffles are done baking. • Floating hinge for easier cleanup and uniform thickness – Top cooking plate is attached with a floating hinge, giving your waffles uniform thickness and even baking and preventing excess batter from dripping onto your countertop • Latching handle keeps lid shut • Built-in storage compartment for the power cord • Space-saving vertical storage – Since the lid can be closed shut and the power cord can be safely tucked away, you can store this waffle maker in a space-saving, vertical position. • Nonstick Cast Aluminum Cooking Plates – Aluminum is a great conductor of heat but not as good as copper. However, aluminum is cheaper and more lightweight. Diamond is the best conductor of heat of all of the materials. • Perfect for homemade or store bought batters • PDF full of delicious recipes • Power consumption: 1600 watts • Dimensions: 14.75″ (Length) x 15.75″ (Width) x 6″ (Height) • Weight: 8.55 pounds |
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Extremely fast quad baking system uses four heating elements instead of the two that conventional waffle makers use • Texture switch makes it easy to bake the perfect crispy waffle • Six browning settings to control the color of your waffles • Stainless Steel Housing comes with excellent makesmanship • Audible alarm tells you when the waffles are done • 1600 watts of power consumption (1600 watts is the highest power consumption for any classic waffle maker; Black and Decker G48TD consumes 900 watts; Cuisinart WMR-CA consumes 1000 watts; Breville BWM520XL No Mess consumes 900 watts; All Clad 99012GT consumes 850 watts; Cuisinart WAF-300 and Krups QD502 Belgian waffle makers consume 1200 watts; Breville Smart Waffle Pro consumes 1800 watts ) |
• More expensive than other thin waffle makers but well worth the price • No channel or drip tray to catch excess batter • No removable plates |
