I have always thought of myself as a waffle iron connoisseur. I was raised to believe that any consumer-level waffle iron constructed after approximately 1965 wasn't worth the raw materials from which it was made. So I scoured the thrift stores for vintage waffle irons, buying them for five and seven bucks when the opportunity struck and squirreling them away in closets and under beds. However, I've recently experienced a waffle maker that makes me begin to rethink my vintage waffle iron ways.

I recently got a chance to try out Calphalon's new non-stick, No Peek Belgian Waffle Maker and I am officially smitten. I ran it side-by-side with my favorite, vintage waffle iron and was floored by its superiority. It cooks more quickly than my old iron and bakes up a waffle that is fluffy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. The waffle wells are deep and can hold lots of butter and syrup (or, as I like to dress my waffle, jam and yogurt). You can set it for the exact level of darkness you want, and when the bell dings, the waffle releases from the griddle easily and without tearing. You don't have to grease the iron prior to adding the batter, so to clean up, all you have to do is give it a quick wipe down.

Last May, I posted about the genius that is french toast made on a waffle iron. However, like so many of these things I write about here on Slashfood, I hadn't actually had an opportunity to give the technique a try, trusting instead that the Kitchen Chick wouldn't lead me astray.

Luckily though, I recently stumbled across a blog post that put the waffle iron french toast method to the test and proved that it is a winner. Lauren (creator of the pies in jars) used a two square Belgian waffle iron to cook up french toast made from bread designed for Texas toast. The bread fit the iron perfect and she and her family found it so delightful that they used the same method to make garlic bread to accompany dinner.

When I was growing up, once a year my parents would take my sister and me on vacation just after school let out for the summer. We'd rent a little house in Gearhart, OR that was a block from the beach and settle in for four or five days of laziness, walking along the shore and several hours of skee-ball in the neighboring town of Seaside.

This house was tiny, mostly just graying shingle, a sprawling deck and a kitchen where everything was at least fifty years old (it has since been sold and remodeled into a charmless monstrosity, built to impress instead of to comfort). The thing my dad liked best about that kitchen was that it came with an old waffle iron. You know the kind I'm talking about, big and square, with rounded corners and covered in chrome. The waffle plates lift out and are reversable, making it possible to lay the whole thing flat and make pancakes on it. We had a waffle iron like it at home, purchased at a thrift store when my parents were first married.

We always gave the first waffle to the dog, as it was always a little too greasy and a bit flaccid. The next waffle would be perfect, crisp and brown on the outside, but steamy and tender on the inside. My sister and I would scoot in one side of the built-in breakfast nook (covered in sparkly turquoise vinyl that was cracked in places) with our plates (heavy old mismatched stoneware) and dig in. My dad would stand at the counter, making waffles until the batter was all gone, a plate of his own breakfast at his elbow. He often commented that he'd like to take that waffle iron home with us, as it was superior to ours. He never followed through on that threat though, mostly because he wanted to ensure that it would be there for the following year.

These days, I buy every old waffle iron I come across at thrift stores and rummage sales. They have to have cast iron grill/waffle plates and be covered in chrome. I have one or two in reserve at any given time, in case my primary iron craps out. The rest I pass along to special friends and close family, so that they too can know the magic of the waffle.

Let's hear your memories of kitchen tools and appliances.

I was so excited about this Japanese Cloer model 1611waffle iron that I saw on Inventor Spot today. I thought that someone finally made a waffle iron that creates heart shaped waffles (even though this one is supposed to be in the form of a cherry blossom).

Then it occurred to me that this could not possibly be the first flower/heart shaped waffle iron out there. (You'll have to forgive my ignorance of waffle irons, but they're just not something I put a lot of thought into.) I looked around and, sure enough, there are plenty of flower/heart shaped waffle irons. You can even get a Hello Kitty waffle iron!

While there are some nice design features on this new model, Inventor Spot shouldn't be pimping it like there's nothing else like it in the world. Yes, the waffle iron is stored vertically so it takes up less counter space, but who keeps a waffle iron out when they're not using it anyway (except someone who uses it every day, of course)? I wonder if Inventor Spot knows that this new Cloer model isn't the first flower shaped waffle iron?

As someone who owns an unseemly number of waffle irons, I'm always looking for new ways to use this particular appliance, in order to better justify the fact that I possess so many. A few weeks ago, I discovered (thanks to the Kitchen Chick) that you can use a waffle iron to make French Toast (I haven't actually tried it yet, but it's on my list).

Chowhound has taken the concept of multi-tasking appliances a step further, using a waffle iron to cook up brownies, hash browns and breakfast muffins, as well as a slow cooker to make duck confit and a tender, fluffy soufflé.

What's your favorite appliance that you use in a way that is different from it's designed application?

I love waffles (I own four waffle irons and wouldn't hesitate to buy another if I came across an old, working one with cast iron plates). I also love French toast (all week long, I've been planning writing an ode to that breakfast dish), mostly because it makes it possible to create something delicious out of the most humble of ingredients. For these reasons, I am horrifically embarrassed that it never occurred to me to cook my french toast in my waffle iron, like the Kitchen Chick has done.

A craving for buttermilk waffles, coupled with a dearth of buttermilk and some brioche that needed to be used helped inspire this tasty creation. She proceeded to make French toast as normal, soaking the bread in an egg and milk mixture. Then instead of cooking it in a pan or on a griddle, she put the bread on the waffle iron and cooked like any other waffle. Deliciousness abounds!