How to make a waffle on a wood cook stove…

Griswold Puritan Waffle Iron, on a Kitchen Queen wood cook stove.

Krista and I found an old cast iron waffle maker at “Funky Junk” in Sandpoint a few years ago. Since the sun was nowhere to be seen the first day of Spring Break, I decided I really wanted a waffle, but didn’t want to use the electricity for our electric waffle maker. Ergo, time for the Griswold Waffle Iron.

First, I washed the maker, but did not use soap. I had seasoned it about a year ago in the wood cook stove oven. Next, I separated the plates and set them on their backsides directly on the stove top. Once they warmed up, I greased them with olive oil and joined them together again and placed them in its holding device. I opened the stove wide open and got the stove top above 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Our waffle iron is a size 8. If you have a size 7 waffle iron use less batter, and if you have a size 9, use more. For our size 8, I place a 3rd cup of batter and about another tablespoon into the center of the griddle and closed the iron. I spun the waffle iron putting the hot side, 350 degrees Fahrenheit on top and the side that cooled to around 284 degrees next to the very hot stove top. To tell the temperature, I use a laser temperature gauge found at most hardware stores. I can point the laser on anything and click a button for a quick temperature reading. For example, the dog was 79 degrees and my hand was 91 degrees this morning.

A finished waffle from the waffle iron.

Within about 3 minutes of placing the batter into the waffle iron, I had a perfect waffle finished. It wasn’t doughy at all, but it had a nice spongy texture like a cross between an angel food cake and almost the density of a pound cake. I removed the waffle, placed it on the plate, took a quick picture and moved the plate to the warmer shelf. I added more olive oil and repeated the process creating perfect waffles each time adjusting the stove temperature to be between 400-500 degrees and keeping the waffle iron between 285 degrees and 350 degrees.

I will admit this is my second attempt at making waffles with this maker and the first attempt was so frustrating that I ignored it for over a year. The problem I had the first time is I tried to cook the waffle when it wasn’t hot enough. This caused the waffle to stick to both sides and I had to scrub stuck waffle out each time I tried to make a waffle. The key to success is a hot, hot stove and a little bit of oil between each waffle.

Our cast iron waffle maker is a Griswold, Puritan patented in 1908. After doing some research on the logo, this type of waffle maker was made between 1897-1920. Not bad for a hundred year old waffle maker that was built with pride in an American foundry and built to last. The best cast iron we can find today is the made in the USA Lodge brand. We have several of their cooking ware and enjoy them immensely.

A wonderful breakfast using the wood cook stove.

Krista and I enjoyed a nice breakfast together today with fried eggs, bacon, waffles, coconut syrup, with orange juice and coffee. What a great start to the day.