I have a cast-iron waffle maker from like the 20s that works very well and is very fun to use. Added bonus, you can bring it on a camping trip and make waffles in the woods.
We have a reconditioned electric waffle iron from like the 40s. There are folks out there who specialize in taking them apart and replacing all the electrical components with modern stuff.
It also works very well, and as an added bonus it makes much better waffles than the modern Teflon ones do. You just can't get the same crispy outside out of a nonstick surface.
A superficial web search reveals a handful of options; I'm sure if you spent a little time, like 10-15 minutes, you'd find dozens. If you only look at what's on offer in stores, and aren't in a place with a lot of variety, then you're not going to have many options.
Shipping something that weighs only a few pounds and can be shipped along with tens of thousands of shipping containers (i.e., is not needed at the destination in a day or two) costs almost no CO2 emissions.
It costs as much as shipping just one container. Just because you can distribute the emissions over more people doesn’t make it less bad for the environment. Not ordering something from overseas is the only solution.
If you're really and truly concerned about this, you have to take a long, hard look in the mirror and ask yourself, "what's more important to me, my health or waffles?"
It might be time to look for a johnnycake recipe, and that's OK.
As far as I know, I don't have gluten sensitivity, but it may be something that could make a difference.
Whenever I have anything made with pancake batter, I feel bloated and uncomfortable. I understand that gluten-sensitive people have much more ... adverse ... reactions.
Funny, though. I can usually eat most cookies, no problem. There's something about pancake batter that does it.
There’s a spectrum of insensitivity, all the way from “I’ll die” (celiac), to “I get migraines/etc.” (classically insensitive), to “if I have a lot I feel real bad” (perhaps more folks than they realize).
Pancake batter is characterized by lots of flour and baking soda, if it’s not one it’s likely the other.
I mentioned it because it was an issue for my family growing up. My mother is an oncologist and has long been concerned about any plastic cookware. However, we were never able to do anything about the waffle iron, and family waffle mornings were a pretty important fixture in my family.
If you go after buying the waffle iron THE RIGHT WAY, spending few days researching, reading reviews etc., you'll see that it's hard to buy a good one that still uses teflon.
Or if you're lazy, copy me and get Åviken Elegance.
ah yes, the good ole iron age where castings were likely to have large amounts of arsenic/beryllium/copper/bronze contamination. much better than 'black plastic'.
I get your point , waffle irons are plentiful and available throughout history -- but finding some antique is pretty likely to just swap your contamination from one to another.
