Waffles all day
Crispy on the outside and wonderfully tender on the inside, waffles have satisfied hungry bellies since the days of the ancient Greeks, when Athenians cooked flat cakes called obelios between two metal plates.
Waffles arrived on American shores thanks to the Netherlands, a country so captivated by the crispy treat that it established a waffle makers鈥 guild back in the 13th century.
Some of the pilgrims who made the voyage across the Atlantic in 1620 lived in Holland before boarding the Mayflower, and they brought Dutch 鈥渨afles鈥 with them. In 1789, Thomas Jefferson also became a fan, bringing the first long-handled, double-plated waffle iron to America after a trip to France.
Back in the day, users held the irons over an open fire or on the hearth to cook the waffles to perfection. It was a dangerous proposition that often ended up with the waffles 鈥 or cook 鈥 getting scorched. Then Cornelius Swartwout invented a stove-top version of the waffle iron in 1869 that was easy to flip 鈥 and less likely to burn the hand of the cook.
After General Electric sold the first electric waffle iron in 1918, this crispy, golden alternative to pancakes really took off, not just as a breakfast food but also as a sweet or savory dish for lunch and dinner.
How popular are waffles? Well, Waffle House sells approximately 124 million a year at its 2,000-plus restaurants in 25 states 鈥 or some 2 billion waffles since its founding in Georgia in 1955.
We think we know why.
Thanks to their extra-deep pockets and crunchy exterior, waffles can hold toppings that would weigh down and possibly smother a more delicate pancake. They鈥檙e also a little easier to make, as most waffle makers have a light that turns green to tell you when they鈥檙e done.
You can keep them warm in the oven until everyone is served, and they crunch up beautifully in a toaster the next morning if you鈥檝e got leftovers.
With that in mind, we have three waffle recipes you鈥檒l want to try this fall: a sweet apple-topped waffle for breakfast, a crunchy cornmeal waffle topped with cheesy, homemade chili con queso for brunch and, for dinner, a waffle topped with buttermilk-brined fried chicken with a drizzle of hot honey.
Buttermilk in the batter gives all three a richer, denser texture. I made them in a Belgian waffle maker, which has larger, thicker and deeper grooves than a regular waffle maker.
