Many people think that waffle irons and waffle makers are the same types of devices because they see these two names used interchangeably in articles and videos that they look at. However, the truth of the matter is, there are many differences between waffle irons and waffle makers including the use of different power sources and the different materials used to make the cooking plates and outer housing.
Power source – Electricity or Fire
A big difference between waffle irons and waffle makers is what energy source they use to cook their waffles. A waffle maker is powered by the electricity that comes from your outlet at home or maybe even a portable power generator while a waffle iron is powered by the fire from a campfire or a burner on your stovetop.
Home use or Camping trips
Cast iron waffle irons are meant to be used for camping trips since on camping trips you have to build a campfire to make your coffee and cook your food because you do not have access to a source of electricity in the middle of the forest. Cast iron waffle irons are also called stovetop waffle irons because you can use the burner on your kitchen stovetop to cook the waffle batter but most people do not buy these types of devices to use them at home.
Electric waffle makers are meant for home use because they come with a power cord that is meant to be plugged into your home’s electrical outlet.
If you want to use an electric waffle maker, coffee maker, or curling iron on your next camping trip, you can use a portable power generator to power either one. The best portable power generators are made by Jackery. A typical electric waffle maker that makes one 7-inch round Belgian waffle uses about 1000 watts per cooking cycle so you will need a portable power generator that can generate 1000 watts of power to power up this device. This type of generator can cost about $1000 and it will power up this waffle maker for about 90 minutes, enough time to make about 16 Belgian waffles.
An electric waffle maker that makes 4 square Belgian waffles uses about 1200 watts of power per cooking cycle. In this situation, you should buy a portable power generator that generates 2000 watts of power because it enables you to make these four Belgian waffles in about 5 to 6 minutes. A generator with less output power will require twice as much time to evenly cook these waffles so that there are no raw patches.
Materials used to make outer housing and cooking plates
The outer housing material and cooking plates for cast iron waffle irons are made from the same material: cast iron. Most waffle irons are made from cast iron, but a few are made from cast aluminum because they are lighter and more affordable.
Unlike cast iron waffle irons, the outer housing material and cooking plates for electric waffle makers are not made from the same material and neither is made from cast iron. Instead, the outer housing of the more affordable electric waffle makers is made from plastic while the outer housing of high-end All Clad and Breville electric waffle makers is made from stainless steel.
The cooking plates of all electric waffle makers are made from cast aluminum because it heats up quickly and evenly and it is lighter and cheaper than cast iron.
Durability
Electric waffle makers are more likely to break or malfunction than cast iron waffle irons because they are made of many electrical and plastic parts that can break or malfunction if you drop the device while cast iron waffle irons are only made from cast iron that will not bend or break even after getting dropped.
Nonstick coating
Another difference is the nonstick coating both use to prevent the waffles from falling apart while you are trying to remove them after they are done baking.
Cast iron waffle irons do not come with a nonstick coating. They get their nonstick coating through a process called seasoning that the user has to perform after purchase. This process involves heating vegetable oil, flax seed oil, or some other oil until it is polymerized and forms a non-toxic, non-stick coating.
Most electric waffle makers come with a Teflon nonstick coating that contains minute amounts of toxic chemicals that can affect the taste of your waffles depending on how damaged the Teflon surface is.
Ease of cleaning
Since cast iron waffle irons do not contain any electrical parts and the two cooking plates of a cast iron waffle iron are held together by hinges and locking pins that make the plates easy to separate, it will be really easy to clean them in a sink full of soapy water.
Electric waffle makers come with electrical parts that can be damaged when submerged in water and, most of the time, the cooking plates cannot be removed so you will not be able to clean this device in a sink. Instead, you will have to spend a lot of time carefully cleaning the exterior with a damp cloth and the cooking plates with a toothbrush and soapy water.
Preparation time
It takes a lot longer to cook a waffle in a cast iron waffle iron in comparison to an electric waffle maker because cast iron takes longer to heat up and only one side of the waffle iron is heated up at a time while an electric waffle maker heats both the top and bottom of the waffle at the same time.
Uniform heating
Low thermal conductivity
Cast iron has a lower thermal conductivity than cast aluminum which means it has a poorer ability to transfer heat and, as a result, takes longer than cast aluminum to heat up.
High volumetric heat capacity
Cast iron waffle makers retain heat a lot better than electric waffle makers because cast iron has a higher volumetric heat capacity which means it holds onto heat for a longer time. If you combine cast iron’s low thermal conductivity with its high volumetric heat capacity, you will create a uniformly or evenly heated cooking surface with fewer temperature fluctuations and more evenly cooked waffles.
Ease of storage
Most cast iron waffle irons come with really long handles to protect your hands from the hot energy source. The handles are great for protecting your hands but they make storing your waffle iron really difficult because they take up so much space.
Electric waffle makers come with much smaller handles and, thus, a much smaller footprint. They are compact and many of them can be stored in a space-saving upright position.
Availability
Cast iron is much heavier than cast aluminum which is why it is more expensive. Consequently, you should not expect to see too many waffle irons made of cast iron sold at brick and mortar stores or online retail websites. Since cast aluminum is lighter, cheaper, and heats up faster, both offline and online retailers will stock many more cast aluminum waffle makers.
