My family and I are patriots that enjoy making unique products for your kitchen. Our inaugural product was The Great American Waffle Iron. A waffle iron is one of the more difficult pieces of cookware to design and produce. Our foundry had to be accurate to within a few thousands of an inch for it to function properly and safely since it is piece of cookware with moving parts. I have never been accused of doing things the easy or normal way, so we started off with a Big challenge.
Our "Jeweled" line of cook/ table ware is another example of our work that I hope captures your eye. The lessons learned during the design and production of The Great American Waffle Iron, gave me the freedom to get creative with our cookware design. Certainly cookware should perform excellently. We also think it should have an excellent appearance.
For the past 30 years I have been fascinated by antique waffle irons and have collected many. After cooking with my very first one, I immediately reached into my cabinet, pulled out my electric waffle iron, and dropped it into the trash bin. It was only a few years old and already had damage to the non-stick coating and I knew the plastic legs weren't going to last either. However, now I had a real, permanent, cast iron waffle maker, a 160 year old North, Hamilton and Chase. There was no turning back.
I first pondered the idea of producing a waffle iron in the late 90’s. It seemed like a very expensive and insurmountable task for one person without a small fortune to gamble with. And it certainly would have been a gamble. I wanted it to be made in the US. Price was an overwhelming concern. Plus, I did not know anything about setting up stocking agreements with stores. Over the past decade or so, the internet and ecommerce developed to the point that I began to re-visit my dream.
As my children grew up, making waffles quickly became a tradition in our house. It was a special privilege to be the one to pick which waffle iron we would use that Saturday morning, taking turns from week to week. Our antique waffle irons feature a variety of artwork and everyone has a favorite. Those antique waffle irons are like revered older relatives that deserved to have their story’s told. Even if a specific one wasn't an absolute favorite, it made it in the rotation.
When guests were in town for the weekend, they often were given the opportunity to pick which waffle iron would be used for breakfast. This meant that each waffle iron had to come out of the pantry and be presented. My children would excitedly tell our guests about all the details and cooking characteristics of each. It is a wonderful thing to see your children explain to another person in great, animated detail about the many technical and artistic nuances of a practical and cherished object like our waffle irons. I knew more families would benefit from this simple experience. My dream was slowly rekindled.
As a family, we began to imagine how we would bring a cast iron waffle iron to others. We looked at the features and art on our antique waffle irons and knew we wanted to do this right! It was at this point, that Appalachian Cast Iron started to become a reality. We discussed at length, many, many times and explored numerous ideas about what artwork should be featured both inside and outside of our waffle iron. The Great American Waffle Iron is in many ways functional artwork that makes a great waffle. With this piece we pay tribute to the thousands of American foundry workers that helped build our nation.
Life, Liberty and
Cast Iron Cooking...
The Great Belgian Waffle Iron is a commercial grade, hand finished, heavy duty waffle iron. Exactly like our GAWI. The Great Belgian WI shares many features with The Great American Waffle Iron. They both use the same base, the same ball joint, and the same stay cool spring handles. For waffle irons manufactured and shipped from our facility after July 15, the paddles are interchangeable. The Great Belgian WI produces a waffle that is 1 inch thick, compared to the GAWI that produces a half inch thick waffle. This waffle iron is a bit thicker, and a bit heavier. The entire assembly weighs in at 16 pounds. This mass makes for exceptionally even heating. Ideal cooking temperature is between 400-430. (Be sure to increase the heat a small amount after pouring your first waffle.) Using an infrared thermometer eliminates guesswork. With practice, though, many accomplished wafflers judge the heat of their waffle iron by the sizzle made with a few drops of water flicked onto the waffle iron. If you are an introvert and a “yes” person, don’t let friends and family know that you own this waffle iron. You will receive more invitations to come over and help make breakfast, dinner, etc. than you can handle. The Lion gracing the front of this waffle iron is inspired by the Belgian Coat of Arms. It holds symbolic meaning for Belgians like the shielded eagle holds for those of us in the USA. Start with a good waffle recipe from our website. If you have a great recipe that you’d like to share, please email it to us. (Yes, several of our product photos are set in the Grand Platz in Brussls.)
In stock at an introductory price of $95, the #10 Jeweled Skillet is designed for the cook that wants a superior “as cast” finish that seasons quickly, is more naturally non-stick, and captures the eye when presenting at the table. With an exceptionally smooth as cast surface, reminiscent of vintage pieces, our skillet does not need milling to give you an exceptionally smooth cooking surface. 5 Lbs. 10" across the top, 7.75" cook surface. A shade under 17" from handle end to handle end. Carat weight of 8646 with an estimated 2520 facets. Castings are in stock. Production and processing typically takes 2 days to 2 weeks.
Your perfect waffle starts with The Great American Waffle Iron, a hand finished piece made for the patriot, the family that enjoys quality food, the cook, the baker, the traditionalist, the historian, the story teller. Particularly suited for the person that loves to cook for those they love. Our updated artwork is now recessed. You may see some images on our website featuring our first production run with raised artwork. Functionality is the same. You will truly enjoy crafting the perfect waffle for people you love with this non-toxic, traditional, cast waffle iron. We preseason with grapeseed oil (certified Kosher) and do NOT use any PFOA's or Teflon. You will find great recipes on our website. An infrared thermometer (point and shoot) assists in your initial efforts to heat and cook at the preferred 400 degrees Fahrenheit temperature. With your right, open palm, simply lift the stay cool spring handles, then rotate. Rotating every minute or so keeps both paddles evenly heated.
Tooling is complete for this Pre-Order item and we are waiting our turn at the foundry. At an introductory price of $69, the #8 Jeweled Skillet is designed for the cook that wants a superior “as cast” finish that seasons quickly, is more naturally non-stick, and captures the eye when presenting at the table. With an exceptionally smooth as cast surface, reminiscent of vintage pieces, our skillet does not need milling to give you an exceptionally smooth cooking surface. 3 Lbs. 8" across the top, 6" cook surface. A shade under 13" from the handle end. As of June 2, we are expecting castings to be delivered within a couple of weeks. Now accepting pre-orders. These orders are expected to ship within a month.
Our Partnership Skillet is limited to less than 100 pieces. They are clearly marked with a capital "P" under the handle (be sure to click the pictures and view additional images. You can find the P under the handle.) Normal production skillets will not have this mark. Your decision to purchase a Partnership skillet is particularly appreciated. Partnership skillets are on hand and ready to ship. 8" across the top, 6" cook surface. A shade under 13" from handle end to handle end. 3 Lbs. Our part number JS09171787, stands for Jeweled Skillet and the date code is September 17, 1787, the date members of the Constitutional Convention signed the final draft of the Constitution. All of our cast pieces have a date code as part of their part number representing an important date in US history.
Our Partnership Skillet is only available in limited quantities and is clearly marked with a capital "P." Normal production skillets will not have this mark. Your decision to purchase a Partnership skillet is particularly appreciated. Partnership skillets are on hand and being processed. 10" across the top, 7.75" cook surface. A shade under 17" from handle end to handle end. Carat weight of 8646 (5 lbs. ) with an estimated 2520 facets.
Our leather handle cover is produced in house and is a great helper when using your waffle iron or pulling your Jeweled Skillet from the oven. We produce these in house and are sure you will love them. (Yes, you can use them on other brands of cookware, too. We won't tell.) The design is a fold over seam design and is very ergonomic. There is stitching down one side and the bottom. The other side remains open so that the piece is semi-open and easier to use. We use the thickest leather we could source and still execute the fold. Product testers have been amazed at its resistance to heat. The 4.5 inch version works great with the waffle maker. It is useful with the skillet as well. The 5.5 inch handle cover is recommended if you have only purchased the skillet, it provides a fuller grip.
Our paring knife is made by Dexter Russel, one of the last main line producers of cutlery in the USA. Tony personally has a couple of their large cleavers for BBQ duty, and several spatulas, but the paring knife gets used multiple time a day.