Monday 20 October 2014

The SMART WAFFLE from Sage Appliances by Heston Blumenthal *VIDEO REVIEW*

For those of you who read my blog regularly you'll know we recently went on an all inclusive holiday to Cyrpus courtesy of my 'Blogger of the Year 2014' award from Loved By Parents. On holiday we had access to the most amazing buffet restaurant and every morning my husband ate the hugest plate of freshly cooked waffles smothered in chocolate spread, maple syrup and chopped banana. He was in waffle heaven. 

Husband's waffle addiction on holiday left him with a deep waffle-shaped hole in his life on our return! 

When we arrived home, he had waffle withdrawal, and my griddle pan waffles just weren't cutting it!

Then I discovered the amazing SMART WAFFLE by Heston Blumenthal from Sage Appliances, and when they agreed to send one over for me to try, well, my husband genuinely looked like he might explode with excitement. 


I love a kitchen gadget. Any appliance that makes my life easier in the kitchen, can cook an item better than I can, with less mess, and looks beautiful atop my kitchen work surface is a winner in my book. 

I've now been using the Smart Waffle for well over a month , and blimey...we've eaten a LOT of AMAZING waffles. 

I cannot rave about this machine enough - it makes genuinely the best waffles I've ever eaten in barely any time, with NO MESS. Yes, it is pricey at £169.95, but, if you have the budget you genuinely won't be disappointed with this awesome piece of kit (the kids will LOVE you for it, saying that - so will your husband, friends, family…!)

I was so excited about this gorgeous machine of waffleyness that I decided to make a video about it - so here we go my lovelies, my first vlog, a video review of the Smart Waffle...

(Make sure you scroll down and read the rest of the post afterwards as I'll include the recipe for classic waffles, some photos, and a written overview of the waffle iron underneath the video link)


THE SMART WAFFLE - OVERVIEW

  • Can cook all types of waffle from classic, Belgian, buttermilk, and chocolate - you can even develop your own custom setting. 
  • Has a no spill moat which catches and cooks escaping batter as the waffle cooks and the batter expands in the irons. NO MESS AT ALL - the waffles slide out of the irons leaving no mess behind.
  • The Waffle IQ settings mean you can select which type of waffle you are cooking, what colour you'd like it to be once baked (light-dark scale of 1-10) and it will calculate the exact cooking time needed to make your waffle just perfect.
  • Double iron cooks two waffles simultaneously.
  • Waffles cook in around 3-5 minutes, and the countdown timer beeps to let you know when waffles are ready. 
  • LED display and orange back light. 
  • Sleek and beautifully designed machine that looks beautiful atop your kitchen work surface.
  • The 'A Bit More' button allows you to cook your waffles just a little bit extra if you decide you want them a little browner. 
  • Measuring cup and recipes included. 
PRICE £169.95 from Sage Appliances. 


CLASSIC WAFFLES RECIPE 

(from Sage Appliances)

Makes 8 waffles at around 323 calories per waffle

INGREDIENTS:

3 eggs
430ml milk
125g unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
300g self-raising flour
55g caster sugar

METHOD (Using Smart Waffle)

1. Select CLASSIC setting and dial up your browning control to your favourite setting (I recommend 4).
2. Preheat until orange light flashes up and the words HEATING disappear.
3. Whisk together the eggs, milk, butter and vanilla in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
4. Combine flour and sugar in a large bowl, and make a well in the centre. 
5. Gradually whisk the milk mixture into the dry ingredients to form a thick batter. Don't worry if there are a few lumps. 
6. Using the waffle dosing cup, pour 1/2 cup of batter into each waffle square. Close lid and cook until timer has finished and ready beep has sounded 3 times. 

ENJOY! 

A waffle stack that dreams are made of!

My favourite topping - maple syrup and streaky bacon! Yes! 

Warm straight from the iron waffle soaked in oodles of sweet maple syrup … Mmmmm! 

If you are a waffle loving family, if you've ever enjoyed a waffle in France or Belgium, or out in a restaurant and thought 'I wish I could make these at home' - now you can. Get yourself this amazing bit of a kit, and you'll be feasting on the best waffles in town in your own home. Remember, Christmas is coming…if you ask Santa really nicely you might just get a waffle-iron shaped surprise come Christmas morning. 

Happy waffle munching my lovelies!

Mrs B

xxx

You can follow Sage Appliances on Facebook here
On Twitter @SageAppliances
Or, on their YouTube here. 

Disclaimer: I was sent a Smart Waffle by Heston Blumenthal from Sage Appliances for the purpose of this review. All words, opinions and images are my own (excluding the first image of the waffle iron, which is from Sage Appliances). 

*A big thank you to Reg Wantling for the filming and editing of my review video.*