Rome's #1100 Old Fashioned Waffle Iron, Cast Iron

I've owned this for a little over a year at the time of writing this review and have probably used it around once per month on average.The short version of my review is that it makes great waffles which never stick, not even when the batter spills on the outside.The long version is....long.** Initial Cleaning & Seasoning **I went through this procedure over a year ago, so I'll some of the details are a little hazy.This item is delivered with a protective coating (paraffin wax?) to prevent rusting. Mine arrived without rust, so I only needed to remove the coating. If the coating were patchy, I guess I'd have needed to use wire wool or a wire brush for rust removal.I washed the irons in very hot, soapy water to get the worst of the coating off. This didn't quite do the job, so I put them on the grill of my gas barbecue for about half an hour per side, then left them there to cool for a couple of hours.I then washed them again and dried them as best I could with a tea towel. The waffle pattern makes this a fiddly job. I finished the drying with a few minutes over a high flame on the gas hob, to dry them quickly and minimise the chance of rusting.To season, I rubbed rapeseed oil over all the surfaces with some kitchen roll, scrunching it to ensure that it got into all the recesses of the waffle pattern, then put the irons in a hot oven (over 200 C) for an hour or so. I switched the oven off, but left the irons in until cool enough to touch. I then repeated this procedure once more and that was it. This approach was influenced by an online article titled "Chemistry of Cast Iron Seasoning", though I didn't feel the need to apply the recommended six (!) coats of oil. Once seasoned, the irons change from a dull grey to a glossy black, with a hint of amber in certain lights.** Use **To use, I preheat both halves of the iron separately over a medium on the gas hob for about 5 minutes to ensure they're heated evenly and right through. I brush both halves lightly with melted butter before each waffle. I've not nailed cook time yet. A small difference in flame size seems to make a big difference in cook time, at least on my hob. For the first waffle, I cook for 90 sec per side, then have a quick peek. It's usually far too pale at this point, but at least it's never burnt. From there, I just cook for as long as necessary to achieve the dark golden brown colour I like. This can take anything from another 1 to 3 minutes. Once I'm settled into the routine, they usually take about 2 to 3 minutes per side. The cooked waffles are easily tipped out, without any prising, gouging or scraping. For the batter, I use a recipe I found online, apparently from Joy of Cooking.** Cleaning **I left the irons cool until I can handle them, then wash them in very hot soapy water, using the same brush I apply the butter with to work into the waffle pattern. This cleans the brush nicely too. I then dry with a tea towel and put them back over a high flame on the hob until they're smoking. When the smoke alarm goes off, I know they're dry :-) After that, I leave the to cool and simply put them away.** Care and performance **I've not had to re-season the irons and there's no sign of the waffles ever sticking. Even if I overfill the irons a little and batter seeps out the sides, it never sticks. The only other item of cookware we own with comparable non-stick properties is a JML Copper Stone pan (seasoned according to manufacturer's instructions) in which we can fry an egg without oil and it just slides out. This waffle iron is the only item of cast iron cookware I've ever used/owned/seasoned, but it's such a pleasure to use, it makes me hanker for a farmhouse kitchen with a range and racks of cast iron pans and skillets.** Other points **The handles are simply part of the iron, with no insulation, so they get really, really hot. You will need oven gloves, but unless you have unusual dexterity with standard mitts, get something with fingers, as it makes flipping and opening the irons much easier. I bought some Keiby Citom BBQ Grilling gloves (yes, with the Spiderman-style pattern) from Amazon and they're great for this job.My only criticism of the waffle iron is that the castings are not very well finished in some places around the edges where the mould halves came together, especially around the handle. They're by no means sharp or dangerous and I don't even notice the "problem" in use, but I wish I had spotted it and ground/filed these areas before seasoning. If I ever have cause to re-season the irons, I'll be sure to do this. I've not deducted a star, because such finishing takes time which would push the cost up.

I seasoned the pan as per instructions, but after reading another review decided to double up on the seasoning (reapplying oil and leaving waffle iron in the oven for an extra hour). First batch of waffles stuck like crazy. I reseasoned it (coated with oil, back in the oven for and hour, left in the oven to cool down). Next batch didn't stick at all. Perfect waffles. Cooked the first waffle for 4 mins each side, but after that the pan was hot so 3 minutes per side was plenty for the rest of the batter. What a good gadget! And no nasty nonstick chemicals. Worth the seasoning hassle.

Followed instructions to season the iron, but the first waffle was always going to stick and had to dig it out with a fork, then brushed out the iron, add more oil and re-season. Subsequent waffle sessions were successful and they all popped right out, no sticking. Other cons: it's a bit heavy and awkward to handle especially as you need an oven glove or silicon hot mitt. Once I got the knack, waffles for everyone!Note: I use a gas hob so can't comment on other cook topsTips for success:- follow the instruction to Season well before first use- pre-heat the iron, flipping to heat both sides. After 3-5 mins, Lift the top, and if you see a faint smoke it's ready! Sometimes it helps to oil the iron at this point, and heat a minute or two more before pouring in the first waffle, especially if the iron is still new. The right time per waffle is about 4 minutes at medium heat. Pour in the batter, let it settle a 10-20 seconds, flip, then set a timer for 3 minutes, flip every minute. Check doneness at 3 minutes.- the recipe that comes with the iron is terrible, waffles were flat, bland and tasteless. try instead the recipe from Joy of Cooking - waffles were crispy, tasted buttery, lightly sweet, with airy insides.- leftover waffles can be refrigerated and reheated in the toaster.

Awful product - does not do what it says on the tin.Having seasoned at least 4-5 times waffles still stick and more time is spent cleaning the iron.Totally unusable as a waffle iron - have since gone on to buy a well know electrical non-stick waffle maker, more than pleased.

I had to season this over and over and over again for what felt like weeks before I got this to be non stick and for that reason I wouldn’t buy one again as it was just too much of a nuisance (I think I had it seasoning in the oven for at least 15 hours overall and the process was quite frustrating as I threatened to throw it away on the final go) but, once I finally got it to the non stick stage it does work just fine. I did expect it to be bigger though.

After melting the preserving wax off the platters, I seasoned it several times. The first waffle stuck slightly, but I hadn’t sprayed it before use. Now I use a spritz of olive oil from a sprayer and it hasn’t stuck since.

Very well made. Seasons easily. Tricky at first to get the hang of the temperature and process. But once you have it's very straight forward and you can quickly knock up a few batches. As with most cast iron, the better the initial seasoning, the better it will work and it continues to get more non-stick with use. I used a metal skewer in my first few goes to help release them, bitvhad no issues with stuck waffles. Very happy with this and if looked after it will be a hand me down for the kids.