Tower Rotary Waffle Maker with Easy Clean Non-Stick Cerastone Coated Plates, Removable Easy Clean Tray, Adjustable Thermostat Control, Non-Slip Feet and Cool Touch Handle, 1000 W, Silver/Black

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Ultimately the rotary design is supposed to improve things but doesn't. It's not tall enough, so anything spilled into the drip tray gets scooped by the outside onto the table. The seal is also a little fussy, so it ended up making more mess. The likes of Brody's use professional-quality rotary makers and they're great, but this is just a pale imitation. The lack of vertical stand also means storage basically takes up as much room as a standard waffle maker. Since it doesn't save space and manages to cause mess, there's very little to recommend this over a cheaper non-rotary waffle maker, that just has a clip to hold it closed, which is a shame because I've seen how they can work.Tower, take a leaf out of others books. Give it enough height so turning it doesn't scoop out the drip tray, include a measuring cup to put just the right amount into the machine (your own recipe might be good, too), and add a timer which starts automatically when you rotate it. And improve the cleaning options - it's a messy item to clean. Then it would be good. At the moment, though, I can't recommend it.

I have been using an unknown-branded waffle maker which was half the price of this Tower product. It has lasted for some five years and is still going strong. However, the Tower waffle maker is far sturdier, if slightly bulkier (for storage purposes). If my current waffle maker is an indicator of longevity, I would anticipate that the Tower stainless steel waffle maker should last considerably longer. Incidentally, this product comes with a guarantee of three years.I was a little sceptical regarding the rotary device and remain so. Is this a marketing ploy as all the plates are heated and I have never had a problem with uneven waffle cooking despite my current waffle maker being a flat iron type? Nevertheless, the waffles produced by this product were pleasingly thin and cooked and browned to perfection. The key to perfect browning is to take the waffles out once the steam reduces. I experienced no problems in extracting the cooked waffles from the greased, non-stick plates. Unfortunately, on the second time of using the waffle maker, I overloaded the mixture. Whilst the drip tray was an asset - easy to remove and clean - trying to clean the maker itself proved a little troublesome and problematic and I was unable to remove some of the spillage, especially around the outside and between the plates. Hence, the product loses a star and gets only a 4-star rating.I was pleased to find some recipe ideas at the back of the instruction manual and tried my hand at the yogurt waffles. These were a little on the salty side for my palate (will just reduce the salt content next time round!) Nevertheless, the recipe was easy to follow and made a change from my usual waffle recipe.I am looking forward to using this Tower maker regularly and plan to retire my old waffle iron!

This is a relatively low-cost waffle maker which like many you'll find in hotels rotates through 360 degrees to help ensure that both sides of the waffles are cooked. This approach is also helps avoid overfilling the waffle maker to ensure the waffle mix is in contact with the heating elements - front and bottom - which can very easily result in the mixture overflowing and making a mess.I currently use a rather more expensive waffle maker, a  Sage by Heston Blumenthal BWM520BSS the No-Mess Waffle Maker - Silver  which deals with overflowing waffle mix better, is easier to clean, and produced full sized waffles. But it is much more expensive.The Tower version produces four mini-waffles. It has an adjustable cooking temperature which is useful and after a bit of practice I found well-cooked waffles easy to produce. As notes, I think that the rotary function of the waffle maker does result in better-cooked waffles. The low price point is also a welcome feature.Less positively, the framework in which the maker sits, and which allows the heating elements to rotate, is rather flimsy and seems to be made out of a plastic-like material. I would question whether this is robust enough to stand the test of time. I'm also would prefer to make one large waffle rather than four small ones. Finally, the waffle maker is a real pain to clean if any of the mix escapes from the hot plates.Overall, if you're planning to make infrequent use of a waffle maker, with machine may well suit your needs - and is worth a four star assessment. For frequent use I think the cleaning issue would act as a strong deterrent to making any waffles at all! For me, therefore, I'd rate the waffle maker as a three star product.For both machines I find a pre-prepared waffle mix available from Amazon -  2 x Luxury Belgian Style Waffle Mix - Waffle Mixture for Belgian Waffles & Liege Waffles  - to be very good and would recommend it.

The waffle maker arrived promptly, well packaged and the packaging and product in pristine condition. My last waffle maker was 1200 watts and had a four times four by four 'grid'. There was no rotating and it lasted several years. This waffle maker is 1000 watts and has a smaller foot print with 4 x three by three 'grids' to make waffles. The waffles were as good as my previous model (as long as you follow the cooking times).The waffles were also easy to remove from the non stick plates. My only problem was, the waffle mix was slightly more difficult to remove if it overflowed (but that was a mistake that I avoided the second time). Once you get into the pattern, making the waffles with this is easy. This isn't a bad waffle maker at all at a reasonable price. It would also make a nice gift for someone - the packaging and the product itself look good.