Waffles are a delight and a treat. No matter how they are made, they add something special to breakfast. Everyone love to eat waffles especially when served with their favorite waffle toppings. You can’t go wrong when you serve up waffles on a weekend morning. It brings a highlight to your family’s day.
For all the fun and excitement that waffles create, not many people know much about waffles and the types of waffles. Waffles are of many types but can easily be classified into two; Belgian waffles and “regular waffles”. If you found yourself here, it is probably because you are wondering the difference between the two. Well, we are going to look at that in this article and also look at the difference between the waffle makers using in making them (that is, Belgian waffle makers and regular waffle makers).
In other to make sense of the two types of waffles, let us quickly look at the background of each of them.
Belgian Waffle Background
Here are some short facts about the Belgian waffles:
- Belgian waffles actually originated in Belgium
- They were officially invented in 1958
- Belgian waffles were introduced to America in 1962 in Seattle
- Belgian waffles became popular at the 1964 New York World’s Fair
- They were initially called Bel-Gem Waffles
Regular Waffle Background
It is not known for sure when or where waffles (regular waffles) were first made. All that is known is that it was in the 16th century AD that they made their first appearance. There is no one way to make regular waffles. Each country and culture has there own way of making waffles.
Why are Belgian Waffles called Belgian Waffles?
That should be obvious now, isn’t it? Simply because the originated from Belgium.
The Differences Between Belgian Waffles and Regular Waffles
As you may already know Belgian waffles differ in appearance from regular waffles. This is because they have different recipes. The recipes determine the look and size of the waffles. Here are some differences between Belgian waffles and regular waffles:
- Belgian waffle recipes call for yeast not baking powder
- Regular waffles on the other hand are baked with baking powder
- Because of the yeast, the Belgian waffle is lighter and fluffier
- Regular waffles are flatter and denser
- Belgian waffles have deep grooves
- Regular waffles have small grooves
These simple differences means that the two waffles require different types of waffle makers.
But… can you make Belgian waffles in a regular waffle maker or regular waffle in a Belgian waffle maker?
Technically it is possible, but you may end up with something that is not looking very good. Also your waffle will not look like the waffle it was intended to be. That is your Belgian waffle may end up looking like a regular waffle and vise versa. To make Belgian waffles, it is best you stick with a waffle dedicated to making Belgian waffles, i.e. a Belgain waffle maker. The same goes for regular waffles.
Belgian Waffle Makers vs. Regular Waffle Makers
While both varieties of waffle makers can be made in different shapes, there are however, some differences between the two makers.
Because the Belgian waffles are made with yeast, the maker must have deeper grooves to accommodate the rise in the batter.
Regular waffles on the other do not have this problem, so their grooves are smaller. This difference in grooves makes regular waffle irons heat up a lot faster than Belgian waffle irons. This also means that you waffle will cook faster in regular waffle maker than in a Belgain waffle maker.
Regular waffles irons come in different shapes and sizes. Some are square, others are rectangular, wedgy or even circular. It is up to your preference how you want your waffles to look. You can even find regular waffle makers designed to produce waffles that look like cartoon characters or movie characters. Some popular examples of this are the Star War Death Star waffle maker and the Micky Mouse waffle maker. You really have no limit to the shape of the regular waffle.
On the other hand, because of their bigger grooves and size, it is more difficult to produce Belgian waffle makers in different shapes and fashion. So unlike the regular waffle makes, your choices of shapes are limited when it comes to choosing a Belgian waffle maker.
Best Belgian Waffle Maker to Buy
There are lots of different Belgian waffle makers out there but some of the bests among them are Oster Belgian waffle maker, Presto Ceramic FlipSide Belgian waffle maker and Cuisinart Double Belgian waffle maker. You can learn more about the best Belgian waffle makers in the market today here.
Best Regular (Non-Belgian) Waffle Maker to Buy
When it comes to choosing a regular waffle maker, the choices are almost unlimited. However, there are the best among them and some of them include Cuisinart Round Classic waffle maker, Oster DuraCeramic Flip waffle maker and Chef’s Choice WafflePro Express waffle maker. You can learn more about the top regular (non-Belgian) waffle makers here.
The Costs of the Different Waffles
You wouldn’t think that there is much of a cost difference between the two type of waffles but there is.
Because the Belgian waffles are bigger in size and take longer to make, their cost is greater than regular waffles. Also, yeast and other ingredients exclusive to Belgian waffles adds up to make the cost of Belgian waffles higher.
Getting the Right Topping
Both waffles can be adorned with any topping of your choice. There is no hard and fast rule that states only certain toppings can be used on certain types of waffles. You can let your imagination run wide and creatively adorn your waffle with any topping of your choice.
However, the deep grooves of the Belgian waffles make them more attractive for fruit and other desserts. They can also hold more of the desired topping than regular waffles.
Each variety of waffles has their own advantages and disadvantages. Belgian waffles are bigger and can hold more of your favorite toppings. But regular waffles are more convenient, easier and faster to make.
Of course, if you want the waffles to reflect your health-conscious nature then it is advisable to stay away from sugar, syrup and other toppings that may be considered not too healthy.
Waffle Recipes
Like toppings, there are a variety of recipes you can use to spice up your waffle. You can add cheddar cheese to the batter and then top the waffles with an egg and bacon. Or you can use buttermilk instead of regular milk. It all depends on your creativity and sense of taste in how exotic you want your Belgian or regular waffles to be. Again there are no hard and fast rules here as well.
Final Thoughts
As much as there are differences between Belgian waffle makers and regular waffle maker, that doesn’t mean that there is war between them 😉 or either is bad. The one you choose to go for depends on what you want to make, how you want to make it and which type of waffle you think tastes better. Although it won’t be a bad idea to have both types of waffle makers in your kitchen.