High base or low base Waffle Irons

[Charles_A._Burger]

I think I'm going to try and pick a waffle iron up in the future and was wondering what the difference is between the two base heights and how they are best used.

Does having a gas cook top make the choice easier or can either be used.  Thanks

[Jeff Seago]

Having a gas stove makes your choice very very easy as it narrows it down to only the high base!!  You do not want the fire to directly touch the paddles or it will burn that part of the waffle (or this is my experience anyway).  So just find yourself a high base #8 and don't pay more than $50 for it (I'm kinda cheap though) and you will love it!!

[Robert Hilman]

I use a high base #7 I got from Chuck on a gas stove. Follow Chucks ebay sales he always has W/I coming up. You wont get it for $50.00 but it will be beautiful.

[Chuck Rogers]

I use a high base #7 I got from Chuck on a gas stove. Follow Chucks ebay sales he always has W/I coming up. You wont get it for $50.00 but it will be beautiful.

Thank you Robert. I do have some WI's that I'm trying to get cleened, but my 2 55 gal electros are down, and being relined, so I'm back to the 20 gallon. Can't get much in ther, and whatever it is, can't be too big. I have about 20 or so WI's that I will be going through when I get the big tanks back on line. I'll have to see what looks good after cleaning.

Jeff is correct. You will need a high base for the gas cooktop. I prefer the high base on my electric stove also, but have used the low base also. I have to run a higher temp for the high base, but it's harder to burn in the high base. JMHO though.

[Sandy Glenn]

Interesting... I use a low base w/i on my gas stove all the time.  I just back off on the flame.

[Chuck Rogers]

Interesting... I use a low base w/i on my gas stove all the time.  I just back off on the flame.

I was just going off the advice I got from others. I thought it strange that it had to be high base for gas. Unless of course your gas cooktop can't be turned down that low. Mom has that issue with her gas range.

I know different now. Thank You Sandy.  :)

[Ed Allspaugh]

 When I got into the waffle making it was every weekend too. Then the family got burnt out on them ,so it's twice a month or so now.
  I just knock the heavy over flow off the base and leave it at that, maybe clean the outside of the paddles a tad. Once you get the correct amount of batter down pat they ain't much over flow.. It's nice when the paddles are well seasoned so that the waffles fall right out..  
  I use unmarked WW low base #8 on glass top stove.. Works fine for me..

[Paul Baker]

My wife(Bunny) cooks waffles for a church function we use the heart and star waffle iron and the low base, we usally cook about 150 of them. On a Griswold 3 burner stove.

[Dwayne Henson]

The low bases were for wood/coal stoves. With the eye of the stove removed you could just spin the paddles freely, as the paddles could spin through the eye hole. The high base works well on modern stoves, you can just spin the paddles, the paddles won't contact the burners. You can use the low base on a modern stove, but you have to lift the paddles to spin it to the other side.

[Tom Silver]

I've cleaned and seasoned 6 WI's so far, 4 low-base and 2 high-base. I've tried all of them on our gas stove and have had good waffles from each of them. I just recently acquired a #9 high-base that I will of course try after cleaning and seasoning.  The only difference I can discern is the action of lifting the paddles to turn the low-base. The waffles have all been great. (Well, there was that one that wouldn't exit the WI due to a bad seasoning job, but we won't talk about that one.) :-[ :-[

[Dwayne Henson]

Ed,
 I think you are talking about the high base Waffle Irons? On all the low base WI's I have, the paddles extend well below the bottom of the base when the paddles are rotated. The paddles would hit any flat surface when on a low base. The eye of the stove would have to be removed for the paddles on a low base to rotate without lifting them. On a high base the paddles rotate entirely inside the base and do not hit the flat surface they are on.

[Ed Allspaugh]

Ed,
 I think you are talking about the high base Waffle Irons? On all the low base WI's I have, the paddles extend well below the bottom of the base when the paddles are rotated. The paddles would hit any flat surface when on a low base. The eye of the stove would have to be removed for the paddles on a low base to rotate without lifting them. On a high base the paddles rotate entirely inside the base and do not hit the flat surface they are on.

   No, I am talking low base WI. You have to pike up on the handles to lift it from were it sets in the base before you rotate paddles.  Ya just have to lift a little higher and it clears the stove surface as you rotate the paddles. I've been doing it this way with low base WW waffle for years.

[Ray Benash]

The low bases were for wood/coal stoves. With the eye of the stove removed you could just spin the paddles freely, as the paddles could spin through the eye hole. The high base works well on modern stoves, you can just spin the paddles, the paddles won't contact the burners. You can use the low base on a modern stove, but you have to lift the paddles to spin it to the other side.

Hmm, so the real reason for high base was to be able to spin the paddles without lifting out of the frame on a gas/electric range?? For some reason I thought it was to allow more air space to prevent burning or to keep from snuffing out the gas flame. I have a couple I need to play with haven't gotten around to that yet. Both are high base #7 Griswolds. I saw another post where someone was just using there WI in the oven at 350 degrees. That would eliminate the hi or low base decision as both would work the same.

[Dwayne Henson]

I think we're saying the same thing Ed. :) (With the low base you have to lift the paddles while spinning.)
Another way to use a high base is while camping. I've placed coals inside the high base and made waffles that way. I have had to reseason the base as for doing that, but it worked well.

[Peter Meyer]

Follow Chucks ebay sales he always has W/I coming up. You wont get it for $50.00 but it will be beautiful.

How do I find Chuck on eBay?

Thanks, Pete

[Cheryl Watson]

Peter, I don't know if you will find Chuck on ebay currently, but... post up what you are needing on the Wanted Items board, and Chuck and others may see it there. :)