I suffer from pathological indecision when shopping for things like this. I currently have the super cheap plastic nonstick non adjustable one that I got years ago, and can make pretty decent regular waffles with it. The plastic lens on the indicator light broke recently... which doesn't really affect its ability to cook, but I've been thinking about getting a new one.
So I tend to start by googling and finding things like this
Sweethome review comparing models.
Quote:
For this guide, we interviewed Daniel Shumski, author of the blog and cookbook Will It Waffle?; J. Kenji Lpez-Alt, culinary director of Serious Eats; Tim Kemp, culinary manager of home cooking delivery service Blue Apron; and Matt Maichel, the ex-chef/owner of the catering company Waffle Which Way. Between them, they have made many thousands of waffles and other waffled items over the years and have used upward of a dozen waffle makers.
...
Quote:
To determine our original winner, we evaluated top-rated waffle makers on America's Test Kitchen (subscription required), Good Housekeeping, and food blogs and websites like The Kitchn, in addition to the best sellers on Amazon. For this update, we started with the available winners from our original guide and looked for new competitors. We eliminated anything that cost $100 or more, since there's no use in paying a lot for such a single-purpose, occasional-use machine. We also passed on anything with a higher-than-average rate of complaints about failures or overheating.
But if I contemplate going for the more expensive ones than their $100 cap, I find myself escalating to completely ridiculous options like
Krampouz commercial waffle makers that cost >$1000 and might involve running a new 240V line.
Not going to happen, of course, but just knowing those exist affects how I look at the reasonable choices.
This is why we still have an outdated TV.