I have been a customer and fan of Epicure products for over 11 years now in Ontario. And I usually buy something when invited to a “party”. This is the one at-home or book party that sells stuff that I can afford AND I use! It was originally a Canadian ‘spice blend for dips’ company started in BC by a woman named Sylvie. The products have always been no or low sodium and NO MSG. And they have never used fillers – so most products can be gluten-free. As well, many are kosher. The products have expanded to other food products and kitchen utensils and cookware. Pampered Chef is my go-to only for their stoneware and mini spatulas. Everything else is Epicure!
So at my new neighbour’s Epicure party, I bought the Waffle Mold, Square steamer (the pan one is amazing, so I wanted the larger one for family portions), Oh Canada! Dry BBQ Glaze, and the Chipotle, Bacon & Cheddar spice blend.
My younger daughter is in love with toaster waffles and I hate buying them: they can be expensive, the box takes up too much room in the freezer, they don’t taste fantastic and they are not very healthy. I also did not want another appliance that only does one thing, so no to a waffle iron in this kitchen!
Even though I’m kind of a “path less traveled” girl, I followed the recipe that came with the silicone pan! (SHOCKER!) Truth be told, I didn’t have whole wheat flour in the house (I’ve been using up and cleaning out my cupboards!) – so I threw caution to the wind and followed the norm.
The recipe was super easy to make (5 minutes only!) and my oven baked them in less than the 12 minutes suggested – I’d say 11 minutes is good at 420 F in my oven.
One thing I realized is that the batter makes 12 waffles but the mold only holds enough batter for 6. Ugh. Based on my food science knowledge, I knew that the baking powder and rising would diminish a bit since the batter was standing around for the first 6 to bake. (Advice: Either split the recipe in half, or buy two molds so you can be done in 11 minutes instead of 22 plus cooling time in between.)
The waffles came out a bit crispy the first time due to me following 12 minutes baking time and the 425 F suggested temperature.
I didn’t mind. I had berries in the fridge from my stop in St Thomas the week before. I would have used greek yogurt (it’s like my healthier alternative to whipped cream!) but my older daughter cleaned us out of that – so a drizzle of maple syrup and, POOF!, it was gone!
The second time, I reduced the temperature to 420 F and tried a bit more batter. My little one was sick yesterday with a fever, so I thought she might not like the holes that go through the waffles (as suggested and I love!). I filled the batter with more than the suggested 1/4 cup per waffle and ta dah – no holes on one side.
This is great for those kids that love filling the holes with syrup, jam or nutella and it won’t fall through the waffle onto the plate. But low and behold, my younger one wakes up and I give her a choice. Welcome to Parenthood: My predicted outcome was wrong! She decided to take the one WITH the holes in it! She loved the fluffy texture and taste, but the poor wee thing was too sick to really enjoy or finish it, and I sent her to snuggle up on the couch and rest.
Which do you prefer?
(Comments are always welcome, opinions make it more interesting!)
I prefer the hole-y one! Less white flour and great spots for the berries to not roll around on my plate!
Kid friendly tip: Use blueberries and raspberries to play tic tac toe with your kids or between siblings. Play with your food! (Just be sure to wash your hands first 😉 ).
Home Economics tip: The great thing that I do (and is suggested by the included recipe card) is to freeze leftovers and pop in the toaster to reheat! A great way to have a leisurely morning breakfast one day and enjoy the baking when it’s a grab and go day (we all can’t be stay-at-home parents that scour Pinterest for new ideas every day)!
Verdict: Yes, I would definitely recommend this product!
Positives:
Easy to make
Easy to clean and store (silicone folds up and still retains it shape when you go to use it!)
Great basic recipe that comes with it
Great alternative to a heavy and expensive waffle iron
Can help reduce food costs if you Cook Once, Eat Twice (by freezing extras you make and retoasting later!)
Healthy alternative – you control the ingredients & can change the tastes (ideas on card for making waffles sweet or savoury)
Negatives:
Recipe card makes batter for two molds – suggests to buy two (business trick!)
You have to push the waffles out, they do not slip out like a silicone muffin tray (but now I’m trying to find negatives and complain – it wasn’t bad at all and they never broke!)
This is one company that I truly believe in and stand behind. Great tasty products, great responsible company and Canadian!
(Edit: Since the original post I have decided to be an independent Epicure consultant. Nothing else has been edited other than the following website.).
Visit my Epicure website (http://sandravenneri.epicure.com ) for more info. I’m sure you will see more Epicure products on my Instagram, Twitter and Facebook pages. That being said, I try to not ever limit a person to my recipes and food tips based on the products (not everyone is going to have them in their kitchen).
So go get messy in the kitchen and try something new this week – you might just find a new favourite (with or without a new product). And perhaps it’s just the tip of freezing leftover pancakes and waffles for a later day. (Be sure to wrap individually in wax paper or saran before storing in a freezer bag or container!)