The Sage Smart Waffle Maker, Brushed Stainless Steel, BWM620UK

Product Information

Look for designs with interchangeable hotplates and variable temperature settings to vastly expand your waffle maker’s repertoire to include flat plates for paninis and grilling and toasted sandwich inserts for cheese-filled lunches. Yes, yes, and hell to the yeah!!! As long as you have a batter of the right consistency, adding in chocolate chips – or anything you might add to a cake batter, really – is absolutely fine. You could add dried fruit, lemon zest, even mini marshmallows! How much waffle batter should you put in your waffle maker? This machine is very user friendly with an intuitive design. When you plug in, a green light will come on which indicates the machine is heating up. This only took about 3-4 minutes. Once the machine is up to temperature an amber ready-to-cook light will come on. It recommends about 75ml of batter. I found that it could take closer to 90ml to properly fill the squares. This achieves a fatter waffle. Don’t panic, mess is easy to avoid with the overflow channel that will catch any excess batter.

The instruction books contains 4 recipes, we tried 2 (classic and Belgian-Style) and both worked perfectly For an extra light and fluffy waffle, separate your egg whites from the yolks. Beat the whites until they form soft peaks and then folding them into the rest of the mix. There areoptions for different batter types (Belgian, Classic, Chocolate or Buttermilk), plus a special "custom" setting I was given a Smart Waffle for the purposes of review. All opinion, editorial and imagery is my own.

This is a serious bit of kit for the dedicated waffle maker. In appearance, it actually looks like a mini Aga with its 2 flat-domed lids side by side. These two hot plates operate individually with separate switches. Each switch has a power light but there is no temperature gauge or indicator light to let you know when the waffle maker is heated, instead the instructions say to wait 8 minutes before cooking – you can use that time to prep your toppings. There are 7 cooking settings which produce progressively darker and crisper waffles – we found level 4 was perfect This waffle iron is large and is designed for commercial use as well as domestic. If your budget allows, it is ideal for a large family or a weekend brunch with friends. Producing two waffles at a time is a stand out feature and will cut down on the waiting time for hungry kids and guests.

The total baking time is a bit longer than the other models tested – approx. 5 -10 minutes and it was hard to ascertain when to flip. The instruction manual suggests part-way through so it will take a few practice runs to get the timing just right. You will need to peek at your waffle from time to time to see what is going on (but make sure you leave them alone for the first few minutes). READ NEXT: The best sandwich toasters available Sage The No Mess Waffle Maker review: Should you buy it? This waffle maker is smart by name, and smart by nature. By that I mean it cooks waffles smartly. It lets you cook your batter for as long as you want, depending on how light or dark you want your waffles. So you get to cook your classic, Belgian, buttermilk, chocolate waffles (as well as a custom waffle setting) as perfectly as you desire. So for example, I have found that on the classic waffle setting my preferred browning setting is number five. The Smart Waffle Pro is incredibly simple to set up, and making your waffle batter is similarly a cinch. While there are several batter mixes available in supermarkets, nothing can beat the homemade version, whipped up freshly from scratch. You’ve got a cup measure included which handily indicates how much batter to make per amount of mouths to feed. Seriously – the phrase’ mama I want pancake waffles (not potato waffles mama)’ is a weekly constant around here.READ NEXT: The best waffle makers you can buy Sage The No Mess Waffle Maker review: What’s good about it? As a rule, a waffle maker that flips will produce a more perfectly cooked waffle because it spreads out the batter and cooks it evenly on both sides. These designs can take up more room, however, due to the large handle and drip-catcher tray. What else should I look out for in a waffle maker? The Smart Waffle™ Pro is all about delivering pinpointed precision with every function, from the precise even colouring of the waffle to varying heat settings and adjustable timings. It also wants to know what style of waffle you’re looking to make so it can ensure it comes out perfectly. From classic buttermilk to chocolate, they’ve even made it that much easier for us as there’s a dedicate ‘Belgian’ setting. *bows to waffle gods*

Looking for more family food gadgets? Read how family pizza nights have become legendary since we got the brilliant Roccbox pizza oven Sage Smart Waffle Maker Review Choose the best waffle maker to amp up your brunches, even when cooking from home. In our top 10, we've featured models from Sage, Breville, Dualit, and more top brands. Some models have space for cooking two waffles at once, whereas others are smaller and more compact, perfect for single servings. Basically, you switch on the Smart Waffle, select a programme (I chose chocolate) and turn the dial to determine how light, golden, or dark the waffle comes out. You can then choose from one of the starter recipes that Sage give you in the handbook – which I recommend for your first few goes – and get cooking!

The most important factor when it comes to selecting a waffle maker is that it cooks your waffle evenly. Some might be plagued by hot spots – the perfect waffle has a consistently light and airy centre with a crisp and golden edge all over. 2. Speed matters

Sleek and narrow, this waffle iron is designed to be flipped 180 degrees during the cooking process for a super consistent bake. In fact, most chefs opt for a flipping waffle maker so let’s trust their advice on this one. Once plugged in it takes about 4 minutes to heat up. A green light will come on to let you know it’s ready for your batter. Making two waffles at a time, pour your mix into the centre of the trays and close the lid. The only complaint is that the plates aren’t removable so clean-up is a bit more of a fiddle and because of the rotating function, the machine isn’t as compact as others but for the price this is an impressive waffle maker that you can rely on for an indulgent weekend breakfast. This waffle maker also has temperature dial to control the cooking temperature, so you can make your waffles more or less crispy, A rare feature for such a well-priced machine. Aside from that, it has a red notification light that lets you know when it’s ready to go, though there’s no automatic switch to turn off the Global Gourmet once the waffle is cooked, so be sure to keep an eye on it.For best results, allow the waffle mixture to0. rest for five minutes before pouring into the machine. This is to enable the chemical reaction of the raising agent to begin. It will help the waffles to rise. Waffle batter expands when cooking so there is a handy moat around the edge of the machine to catch any drips