Waffle iron

A waffle iron is a kitchen appliance with which you can make waffles, wafers, and the like hip pastries. Other names are squirrels iron, iron and clamp ( Eiser ) pie iron. When host iron for the production of wafers, it also is waffle iron.

Origin and Distribution

Origin and first-time use of waffle irons are not fully understood. In the 12th and 13th centuries they were used in France ( gaufrier ), in 1300 in the Netherlands, from the 14th century, they are detectable in all of Western and Central Europe. Also in Austria, Switzerland and Italy before coming nicely drawn iron.

Technical Development

Waffle Makers consist of two iron plates. The outside is smooth, the inner surface by wearing a textured honeycomb or triangular pattern, an inscription or pictorial motifs as negative die for future wafer form. There will always be two iron is required, a lower part and an upper part on matching. In general, both parts are connected with a hinge like tongs with each other and are equipped with two rods as a handle. When baking on an open fire long stems were required to keep enough distance from the fire.

The waffle irons were forged individually by hand since the Middle Ages. With industrialization in the second half of the 19th century they were in some places also forged in a die, later often serially manufactured from cast iron without special unique jewelry. The company " Schnitzler and Kirschbaum (tools and ironmongery ) " in Solingen offered 1830 forged, engraved waffle iron to " Rectangular plates with more square waffle-like [ ... ]; Heart-shaped plates with diamond-shaped waffle-like [ ... ]; Round plates with a narrow square waffle finish and an edge ornament semi-circles and triangles. " Ernst Thiele met in the 1930s in the flaming and in Ostfriesland still forge on, at least occasionally, manufactured hand forged waffle iron.

Since the 15th century the originally circular plates were also produced in a rectangular shape in France. This practice spread from the Netherlands to the Brandenburg. Other regions (South Germany, Austria, Switzerland, East Frisia, Westphalia, Lower Saxony ) held wholly or mainly fixed to the round iron, in Scandinavia, both forms were to be found.

In 1903, a native of Italy Americans and ice cream vendor Italo Marchiony was granted a patent on a waffle iron for the production of ice cream cones. The New Yorker is therefore regarded as the inventor of the Eishörnchens.

Modern waffle irons are electrically heated and are equipped with a non-stick coating and with a temperature controller. They are available in round and rectangular in shape. Long stems are now no longer required.

Design and decorative paintings

Waffles were a common hard biscuits for Chinese New Year, weddings and carnival time, where they were given away as to servants and maids, or as thanks for good wishes. The pictorial and textual design was geared towards these events and are subject to the respective artistic style of the period. Waffle iron belonged to the trousseau.

Since the second half of the 13th century can be found on the waffle iron rich engravings. Even with several iron the same subject has been treated occur in the type of representation only in individual cases matches on. The designers of the iron remained anonymous in most cases, give information or name characters are the exception. A depletion of the artistic appearance of the iron came with the conversion to an industrial forging and casting technique from the second half of the 19th century. The drop-forged iron had more uniform pattern. The devices were manufactured by casting and have no special jewelry, but a honeycomb or similar.

Forged iron were decorated according to the observation Thiele at least since the 15th century by means of three main techniques:

• Demolition: With the left thumb of the cross or flat chisel was held with the hand hammer was then beaten. This crude technique could be developed into quite perfect designs.
• Engraving: This is where the work was carried out solely by the pressure of the hand, without a hammer. The lines of the graph were freely carved out of the iron plate. Areas were usually filled with dashes lungs or hallmarking, impact next blow.
• Working with form temples: Recurring details of the image display and ornamentation were smashed by forming die ( crosses, circles, animal forms ).

Many iron, Thiele had, made without a prior presentation, others testified of a planned overall design. In round iron often give a chosen focal point, at which the additional image structure oriented, as a means ornamental picture and a circumferential edge inscription or ornament. Rectangular iron provide space for left- arranged to the right inscriptions or image sequences.

Lyrically, designed iron refer to the pastry itself or the start of baking.

" THERE IS ALMOST EIGHT TIME DA FUTURE ME WELL MADE ALSO, THERE IS SOME TIME THERE WELL DONE APPROVED "

Name, occupation and place of residence of the client could be subject of the inscription, the name of the bride, whose dowry included the waffle iron, or the name of the giver. Spreads were also quotes from the Bible and religious inscriptions. On some iron the Year has been added.

Pictorial design elements for waffles were coat of arms and house brands, husband and wife or representations and symbols that pointed to the profession of the client or the owner of the iron and so the pastry gave a personal touch. Also Landeswappen came before. An animal representations were horses and deer - also in hunting scenes - common, occasionally also unicorn, birds and roosters. In addition, tree representations in many variations and symbols like heart, star and rosette.

Religious jewelry as for waffle iron and pastries were the occasions for baking in Context: At the turn and at the wedding they expressed " the believing God connectedness " of the people from. Were the motives with which the hosts were decorated, preferably the cross, the monogram of Christ, IHS and the Lamb of God is with host iron, were found in the secular waffle iron a wealth of themes and symbols shown. Very often the "Lamb of God" were represented as a symbol of Jesus Christ, the crucifixion and the resurrection scene in which Christ rises from the grave. Rarely are nativity scenes or the baptism of Jesus. Popular were Adam and Eve, along with other subjects from the Old Testament as Joshua and Caleb. In saints depicted St. George was a favorite motif.

Use

With the advent of the back iron made ​​it possible with simple means to decorate the usual flat, round flat bread for the hard use by the baking process itself pictorially. Before the treatment of the individual baking compact by wooden paddles or baking bread temples was necessary. At the same time it was now possible to produce large quantities of the pastry in a short time. Ernst Thiele is based on an application of this method back in the ecclesiastical and secular, for baking wafers on the one hand and by year, wedding or celebration cake on the other.

To apply the traditional waffle iron tongs Ernst Thiele has compiled recipes from the 18th century, so from Nuremberg ( 1703), Itzehoe (1766) and Paris (1723 and 1750). The waffle iron was first heated on both sides over the fire (for example, on a tripod ) and then greased the inside with in a cloth -bound with butter or bacon. Then a bucket was fully placed into dough, and the iron was then placed first from one side and from the other side on the tripod standing over the fire until the desired baking condition was reached. It could initially only be closed carefully ( " drucket but not so soon even to " Nuremberg cookbook ) to prevent leakage of the dough. The detachment of the finished product was as done with a knife. The Itzehoer cookbook points out that too much heat and haste are not advisable and that the finished " Wafel Cake" should be then placed on the fire, as they otherwise " soft and schwammigt " would, if they stack shapes to each other. The Nuremberg cookbook also provides care instructions: The iron should be rinsed under no circumstances wet or even scrubbed, but simply wiped with a cloth and then placed so that the two iron sheets do not touch.

Pictorial evidence from the 15th to the 17th century show individual stages of the baking process, so by Hieronymus Bosch, Pieter Aertsen and Pieter Bruegel the Elder. In all three cases, it is rectangular iron; Aertsen shows how with a ladle of dough is taken from a vessel to enter it in the iron, at Bruegel can see a knife or a scraper to remove the apparently forced out dough residue.

These waffle irons are very different doughs have been processed, fluid as well as cake- like thick liquid. The composition varied regionally strong. The talk is of simple recipes made ​​from barley flour, water and salt, and grated carrots were occasionally components; On the other hand, there was also time-consuming preparations with egg yolks, cream, butter and honey or sugar. Also adding various spices such as cinnamon, saffron, cardamom or anise are attested.

For use directly on the hearth there was round waffle maker, who work with handles in the opening of the cast-iron stove and let rotate about its horizontal axis. Means Herdringen in different sizes you could change the opening above the fireplace, as required, for waffle iron, pots or boilers. For the latter form, there are also the terms " waffle pan " and " moving iron ".

Derived word usage

In Belgium, a compensation policy that provides for an equitable distribution of funds to the areas, sometimes metaphorically with the motto " waffle iron Policy" ( Flemish: Wafelijzerpolitiek ) denotes: When Flanders gets a major project, the Walloon Region has such a condition, and vice versa.