Heats quickly and evenly, simple to use, makes delicious waffle cones. Buy it at Amazon: geni.us/Mn4K [Amazon Affiliate Product Link]
You’ll receive the waffle cone maker, a plastic cone shaping tool, flexible spring handle, and a user manual that also includes recipes for the cones. The waffle maker measures 10" wide, 10.5" tall, and 14.5" from front to back without the handle (18" including handle).
When the upper plate is opened, the full height of to the end of the handle is 21.5" and the diameter of the plates is 8". Note though, that if used at home, the handle may hit your cabinets, even if the unit is all the way to the edge of the countertop; I had to turn the unit to the side in order to open the lid fully. The inner surface of the waffle iron is non-stick with a grid of ¼ squares on both the top and bottom plate. When the lid is closed, you may notice that there’s a bit of play that allows the top plate to shift side to side; this is normal as there needs to be some wiggle room to allow the waffle to expand as it cooks. The rest of the machine is made using stainless steel which has a commercial-grade but professional look to it. At the back of the machine you’ll find the attached 4 ft power cord and spec sticker.
At the front of the machine are the controls for power, settings adjustment, indicator lights, and temperature and timer displays. When you turn the machine on, the power switch will light up and it will beep. The temperature is displayed in Fahrenheit and when the red heat light is on, the unit is preheating. To check or change the target temp from 0 to 449° F, press 'Set' once, then use the 'Right' and 'Add' buttons to increment the selected digit. To set the cook time, press 'Set' followed by the "start/stop" button. The timer can be set up to 9 minutes and 59 seconds. Once the machine has reached the selected temperature, the green keep warm light will illuminate, though note that the iron may temperature may fluctuate within 10-15 degrees above or below the set temperature.
The waffle cone base recipe in the manual is supposed to yield about 10 cones, though I was able to make about 16 cones total. The cookie recipe used for the batter is pretty good, though I felt the 3 Tbsp of vanilla extract was excessive and reduced it to 3 tsp (1 Tbsp). You can lightly grease the iron plates with a touch of cooking oil using a brush but avoid using aerosol cooking sprays as the propellants in them often cake and burn on non-stick surfaces making them less effective over time. Use 2-3 tablespoons of batter into the center of the bottom plate depending on the size waffle you want to make. I like to press down gently on the top using a heat proof mitt to ensure that the waffle cookie is as thin as possible. I found that 2 minutes at 300° F makes a nicely browned waffle.
Making the cones is straightforward but is a skill that requires practice since it takes speed and technique to roll perfect cones. The cone shaping tool is 9 inches long, with the cone form being 5.5 inches and having an upper diameter of 2-14 inches. The tool can be used by both right and left-handed users and the tip of it is rounded and not sharp. I didn't feel comfortable using the cone roller while the waffle is on the iron as it's made of plastic and I would be concerned that it could melt. If you work too slowly, your cookie is too thick, undercooked, or overcooked, it will be prone to cracking. My first few attempts weren’t great and there were plenty of broken cones. One tip is to hold the form in place with the seam side down for a few seconds to set the shape after rolling.
My cones ended up being about 7 inches tall with an opening diameter of nearly 3 inches when using about 3 Tbsp of batter per waffle. If your tips have have holes in them you can plug them with mini marshmallows placed in the bottom of the cone. Mugs work great for serving or scooping ice cream into the cones; plus they will catch any drips from the cones. These waffle cones went great with our homemade blackberry and strawberry ice creams, and the base cone recipe tastes pretty good. Just like having a artisanal cone at the ice cream parlor, and I can't wait to try other flavors of cones like chocolate or swirled.
You can make a variety of other shapes too, not just cones, for example waffle bowls by pressing the waffle against the bottom of a dish or ramekin, taco shells by draping it over a tent of cardboard wrapped in tin foil, and even mock cannoli shells by wrapping it around a rolling pin or cannoli form. Overall, this machine did a great job making the waffles for rolling cones. It heats quickly, evenly, and is simple to use. You can shape the waffles into different shapes to meet your needs, and even if you break a few during rolling, you’ll still have some tasty cookie crumbles to use as toppings.
Amazon Affiliate Product Link: geni.us/Mn4K