The Sage Smart Waffle Maker, Brushed Stainless Steel, BWM620UK

Product Information

The short answer? Pretty much everything. But to go into a little more depth, the Sage No Mess Waffle Maker looks and feels like a premium product straight away. Its sleek circular shape and sturdy stainless body make for a very aesthetically pleasing piece of kit, with the waffle plate inside looking similarly sturdy and well-designed.

The ready light will make sure you don't add your waffle batter before it's time to cook, delivering a perfect sizzle. That edge channel is useful too. On some waffle makers you'll have to deal with waffle batter overflowing from the edge of the machine, but the channel will catch any excess and make it easy for you to remove while you serve up a perfectly round waffle. There are 7 cooking settings which produce progressively darker and crisper waffles – we found level 4 was perfect 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 a waffle maker with an audible or visible alert to help you know what is going on. Most will light up or chime when its preheated enough, ready to cook another batch or when your waffles are done. A sound is preferable to light as it allows you to step away and get on with other things instead of hovering nervously over the machine. 6. Ease of storage The rotating function is a unique addition and ensures an even and consistently cooked waffle. This is operated manually which means you can’t really walk away but the process is actually quite therapeutic and forces you to not forget about them.

Sage by Heston Blumenthal No Mess Waffle Maker – Key Features

After the first waffle I was smitten. Perfect waffles on our first attempt – light, golden brown and with a crispy and crunchy exterior – so so much better than from the now defunct cheaper machine. The waffle maker is super speedy taking a few minutes to both heat up, and to cook. There is an audible beep once cooked so you can get on with other things and do not have to watch the machine. Each quarter waffle is smaller than a traditional sized waffle making this machine very suitable for those with children, the machine can be used by a (supervised) 8 year old, and the handy drip moat will catch overflowing batter caused by over enthusiastic pouring. The machine is about the same size as a mini health grill – about 28 x 23cm standing about 15cm high, it is nicely solid weighing about 3kg. To make the waffles simply switch it on choosing your heat setting, wait for the blue “ready” light to come on, pour in the batter, close the lid and wait for the waffle to cook then remove and eat. Sage by Heston Blumenthal No Mess Waffle Maker – Key Features Much like pancakes, the basic ingredients for waffle mix couldn’t be more humble – flour, eggs and milk. But despite this, don’t expect to make perfect waffles on your first go. You will need to get to know your machine and perfect your batter mix before hosting a waffle party. However, once you have whipped up a few, you will feel like a pro. Jamie Oliver’s Brilliant Breakfast Waffles is a good throw-it-all-together starter recipe. You can easily modify this with sweet or savoury ingredients and pimp with delicious toppings. 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.

The Sage might not be the cheapest option for your breakfast waffle fix, but it's well worth the investment. There are recipes for all four types in the booklet that comes with the machine, plus an explanation of how different settings affect the end product 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? Handy accessories that come with the smart waffles are a measuring cup so you know how much batter to add in, a recipe booklet with four recipes and tips from Heston about how to achieve the perfect waffles. Heston, my waffle loving children seriously thank you.

What features should I look for in a waffle maker?

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! 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. 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 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.

There is a variable temperature gauge which allows you to cook them how you like – if you like crisp and crunch then crank up the dial to max or if you favour a lighter texture just lower the heat. A few trial runs and you will know what works best for you. There areoptions for different batter types (Belgian, Classic, Chocolate or Buttermilk), plus a special "custom" settingThis 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. Seriously – the phrase’ mama I want pancake waffles (not potato waffles mama)’ is a weekly constant around here. 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.

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. 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. 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).

Right, this one is a matter for experimentation. I’d advise starting with a recipe from the leaflet that comes with your waffle maker. Once you’ve made your batter, pour it into a measuring jug, and only put in the exact amount your recipe states for one waffle. We’ve learned with the Sage Smart Waffle Maker that the waffles come out so fluffy that less is more. I’d say it also depends on your settings. For us Belgian comes out fluffier (and therefore expands more in the machine) than Classic. About the Sage Smart Waffle When you close the lid, be careful not to clip the latch shut. This machine needs to give the waffle a little wiggle room to rise and somewhere for the steam to escape. You might notice the lid lifts slightly as the waffle cooks. The waffles only took about 2-3 minutes to cook and I’d say they were near-perfect. They had the right amount of crispiness on the outside and fluffiness in the middle. I was also very impressed with how neat they looked.