Waffle iron tested: How good is the affordable Cloer 1629?

The Cloer 1629 is a waffle maker for heart-shaped waffles. It bakes one large flower, which you can divide into five small hearts. The favourable price is also reflected in the material. The majority of the appliance is made of plastic. However, this also makes it very light.

Design and functions

The light weight and compact, round shape of the waffle iron are striking when you unpack it. The handles are made of black plastic, the rest of the iron is matt silver, but also made of plastic. You wrap the power cable around it and secure it with a practical cable holder. This makes the iron easy to store. There is a stepless control dial on the top with five temperature markings. A red LED indicates when the appliance is heating up. It goes out when the desired temperature is reached.

As with many other waffle irons, the baking plates are firmly attached to the housing. This makes cleaning somewhat awkward. As they are non-stick coated, you don't need to use butter or oil. A soft, damp brush helps with careful cleaning. You can then soak up any water residue with a kitchen towel.
The lid of our test appliance sits wobbly in its hinge. I realised how dangerous this can be when the lid fell on my finger while I was moving the iron, which I had positioned too far in when reaching for the appliance. The waffle iron also gets hot on the outside when in use, so caution is advised if children want to help with baking.

Good waffles require attention

For the first baking process, you should preheat the Cloer 1629 to the highest setting. It emits a strong odour. According to the manufacturer, this means that the first two waffles are not suitable for consumption.

Whenever you use it later, the iron is up to temperature in just under two minutes (the control is centred at 3). Thanks to the non-stick coating, you don't need any oil or butter for baking and only need to pour in the batter. You don't need much, as the waffles will be flat. About two tablespoons are enough. The waffles will be evenly thick if you leave about one centimetre of batter empty up to the edge when filling. This will then fill up by itself when you close the waffle. A mini groove on the edge should prevent the batter from running out if you have poured in too much, and sometimes the waffle is heavily browned after just 30 seconds. When testing, I often selected level 2.5. You'll have to try out a few settings to find the one that suits you best.

The waffles will brown unevenly. The top is darker in the centre than at the edges. And baking the waffle right through was difficult, as they get crispy on the outside even on the lowest setting. To prevent the edges from burning, the inside is still raw in places. As the baking plates have a non-stick coating, you should only remove the finished waffles with wooden or plastic cutlery so as not to damage the iron.

After a while, I got the hang of it and got the waffles well browned and baked through with every batter. However, I have to adjust the temperature back and forth more often. The flavour also depends on the skill of baking the waffles properly. Other waffle irons are definitely more convenient in the baking process, but also more expensive. A plus for the Cloer waffle iron: It coped just as well with vegan batter as it did with normal waffle batter.

Conclusion: A waffle iron that requires practice

What the waffle iron does particularly well is both a blessing and a curse: it heats up quickly and usually browns the waffles in under 30 seconds. However, this can lead to parts of the waffle still being raw. If you get involved with the iron and play around with the settings a lot, you will get an inexpensive kitchen appliance for tasty waffles, but it is not perfectly made.

Waffle irons

EUR34,64

Cloer 1629 Waffle iron

202

Waffle irons

EUR34,64

Cloer 1629 Waffle iron

202