I use the waffle iron my parents received in 1943 as a wedding gift - like an old flat top that has seared thousands upon thousands of hamburgers, it is so seasoned that it releases its contents without being slathered in extra fat, and each time it steams and hisses I am transported back to the 1950s when it was my job to make the Saturday waffles. The All-Clad iron I bought for our second home can't match the old one (or maybe I can't let it). In any case watch for the old round classics in antique stores and snatch one up if you are lucky enough to find one!

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