Listen, a waffle iron can be used to iron out a plethora of foods, and that is a miracle of science. To waffle a food is to increase surface area that touches heat, thereby increasing the potential for a seared crunch. Plus, who doesn’t love tiny, repetitive compartments to fill with sauce?
Well, we’ve found the ideal gadget to make all your waffling aspirations a reality. The best part is that it comes from a group that is also trying to better the world around them. The ROTO Waffle Maker was created thanks to a partnership between Crux and Ghetto Gastro (CRUXGG) at Target. Ghetto Gastro is a New York-based collective of chefs and food enthusiasts that have strong ties to the Bronx specifically. The group’s mission has been to address food injustices that directly impact the lives of people of color, seniors, low-income families, folks who have previously been incarcerated, and disproportionately affected communities experiencing higher rates of Covid-19.”Often people have a hard time wrapping their heads around exactly what we do because when they hear that we are in the food business, the first thought that comes to mind is a chef with a restaurant,” says Ghetto Gastro chef Pierre Serrao. “For us, it’s all about the business outside of restaurants. Through our experiences as a collective, the main takeaway is there are other non-traditional pathways in the industry to achieve financial success. We use food as a tool to really connect and build long-term relationships with people from all walks of life.”
The collective focuses primarily on food insecurity, with a focus on creating food and the tools you need to make it as affordable and accessible as possible. Their intention with this line of small appliances is to provide kitchenware with purpose. The designs are user-friendly and built to embody contemporary minimalism. More impressive, however, is their giveback program. CRUXGG donates 5% of proceeds to charitable partners working to end food insecurity.
“Doing our part to combat that has been baked into our business model since the beginning-we aren’t overnight activists,” explains Serrao, who co-founded the company with Jon Gray and Les Walker nearly 10 years ago. “Jon and Les grew up in the same neighborhood of 5th City, or Co-Op City, in the north Bronx and connected over an appreciation for the culinary arts as adults. Jon and I met at the gym in Long Island City in 2013 over a conversation about food and the rest is history.”
The company started off hosting small food-focused gatherings called Freestyle Friday, which is still a tradition that continues to this day. “We chose the CRUXGG appliances with similar gatherings in mind,” Serrao. says “Our intention is to create a product line that encourages people to want to get busy in the kitchen with simplicity and style.”They rightfully boast that the CRUXGG rotating waffle maker is key to creating sweet and savory recipes in a flash. Use it for slow mornings at home during the holidays or mix it up and experiment by making a waffle-iron pizza, waffle-iron acorn squash, hash brown waffles, or even a jumbo cookie or brownie-anything goes.
The powerhouse machine is not your grandmother’s waffle iron, it’s all souped up with a 1,000-watt heating system and six browning levels that can make five one-inch thick waffles in less than 10 minutes. Its titanium ceramic coating is scratch-resistant and durable, and allows for easy-release waffles.”I love the waffle maker so much that we created a waffle mix,” says co-founder Gray. “I don’t cook much so I needed something simple. Add some water and, boom, more waffles to slaughter. We designed a waffle maker, launched our own waffle mix and you already know the syrup is coming soon.” says co-founder.
If you’re not using the company’s four flavors of waffle mix-Red Velvet, Chocolate, Toasted Matcha, and Ancestral Roots-try these other creative ideas for waffle maker success. We’ve compiled some ideas to get you started.
Bacon You can readily prepare your strips in a waffle maker in about 5 minutes. You can save what will likely be 1-2 tablespoons of rendered fat for another purpose. But your crispy meats will be ready with minimal effort. Expert food advisor Alton Brown stands by the use of a waffle maker for bacon as well, so it must be the correct choice.
Hash Browns Instead of cooking them in a skillet, throw those potato shreds into the waffle maker. You’ll get the perfect crunch on both sides, without having to worry about having the golden brown top fall apart in a pan upon the turnover. You’re getting double-action sear, and it’s compacted perfectly to use as a potato waffle patty in a breakfast sandwich.Omelet Try making an omelet with your waffle iron for a complete and balanced breakfast. Whip up your eggs with whatever other tidbits that suit you, and pour into your waffle maker. Close the lid and count your blessings-no disastrous omelet flips required.
Cookies and Brownies The hardest part of baking cookies or brownies is having to wait until they’re done. They say a watched pot never boils, so you’d think we would catch on and know that staring at cookies through the oven window doesn’t warp time either. Imagine freshly baked cookies or brownies in 3 minutes or less. This can be made a reality with a waffle maker!Savory Items Savory items are great in a waffle iron, too, it’s like a panini press, but more fun. Try making grilled cheese, pizza, waffled falafels or quesadillas-the possibilities of what can be created between those two hot checkered paddles are boundless.
Waffles, obviously. Check out Ghetto Gastro’s recipe featuring their very own matcha waffle mix.
Ingredients: • ¼ cup white grape juice • 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract • 1 dozen figs • ¾ cup Toasted Matcha Wavy Waffle Mix • ⅓ cup water • 2 tablespoons of butter, or plant based butter if you prefer • Zest of 1 lemonDirections: 1. Preheat (toaster) oven to 375°F. 2. In a mixing bowl, combine white grape juice, sherry vinegar and vanilla extract. 3. Place figs in an oven safe baking dish or skillet and pour this mixture over them. 4. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the figs are tender and edges have started to carmelize. We suggest rotating the figs after ten minutes. Broil for the last remaining five minutes to fully caramelize. 5. While the figs are baking, preheat your waffle maker on and combine the matcha waffle mix with the water in a mixing bowl. 6. Add the waffle batter to the hot waffle maker. 7. Remove figs from the oven. 8. While the waffle cooks, melt butter in a saucepan and slowly add remaining juices from the baked figs, emulsifying with a whisk. 9. Remove waffle from iron when ready lights appear, and top with figs and fig syrup, top with zested lemon.Want more Thrillist? Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat!
Greer Glassman has worked in the hospitality industry for over a decade, first as a dishwasher and line cook, then later as a front of house manager and eventually, a farm-to-table food chain supplier. She also writes about food culture, recipe development, and other culinary product niches. She’s easily pleased by a bowl of matzo ball soup, and asserts that anything can be an ice cream topping, if you will it. You can follow her @baby_savory.
If you’re a fan of the royal family (because “fan” is the more socially acceptable way of saying obsessive internet stalker), this is your year. Netflix’s The Crown has returned for its second season, the Duchess of Cambridge is pregnant with her third child, Prince George and Princess Charlotte continue to be the cutest heirs to ever walk the face of the earth, and Prince Harry has finally been wrangled from his former wild ways to marry Meghan Markle this spring. All of this royal family news has us in a tizzy, and we need a stiff drink to calm our excitement back down to inside voices. Thankfully, the royal family are drinking icons. Here are the favorite drinks of all the main figures of the new Elizabethan era, so you can properly drink along with all the upcoming royal festivities.
Much has been written about the Queen’s legendary drinking habits , with many articles claiming she drinks as many as six glasses of booze a day. Insiders have disputed this rumor, saying that she “would be pickled” if she drank that much, but we all know that the queen is a creature of habit, and probably does enjoy these drinks fairly regularly. Her all-time favorite cocktail is the Dubonnet Cocktail with a lemon twist, which is gin mixed with the sweet French fortified wine the drink is named for. Her staff always carries the two bottles and lemons wherever the queen goes in case she gets thirsty. Additionally, Queen Elizabeth II is said to drink wine with lunch, the occasional Dry Martini in the afternoon, a glass or two of Champagne with dinner, and some port wine after dinner. For someone that looks 91 years young, this monarch seems to know a thing or two about the secret to a long life .
While his wife loves her gin tipples and wine, the Duke of Edinburgh just fancies beer-and none of that fancy craft stuff. His lifelong favorite brand was Boddington, a regional brewery in Manchester. Unfortunately, the brewery ceased operations in 2005, forcing Prince Philip to drink other, still unassuming, beers. He is even said to have muttered, “Get me a beer. I don’t care what kind it is. Just get me a beer!” when he was offered fine wine by former Italian Prime Minister Giuliano Amato while dining in Rome.
The long awaiting king-to-be enjoys a wide variety of stiff drinks. His favorite whisky is a peaty Islay single malt, Laphroaig 15-year. Prince Charles also helped produce his own whisky, Barrogill ; HRH personally selected the single malts for the blend, which was distilled by Inver House Distillers and North Highland Products. The bottle features a watercolor of Barrogill Castle that was painted by Prince Charles himself. Additionally, Prince Charles is said to enjoy plenty of wine with his wife Camilla, along with his go-to cocktail, a 50/50 Martini made with equal parts gin and dry vermouth .
Prince William seems to take after his grandfather when it comes to drink preferences, opting for straightforward beers over cocktails or rare wines; His two favorite beer brands are said to be Stella Artois and Guinness, but he occasionally also enjoys shots of Sambuca. He didn’t always have such simple tastes, though. In his youth, the Duke of Cambridge was said to have ordered (on more than one occasion) the “Treasure Chest” from Piccadilly club Mahiki, which is a $180 cocktail consisting of brandy , peach liqueur and a bottle of Champagne, served in a smoking treasure chest with tons of extra-long straws, flowers and ignited sparklers.
Nowadays, you’ll find the Duchess of Cambridge publically drinking whatever is served at the many events she attends with her husband (when she’s not pregnant, of course), from Guinness at the St. Patrick’s Day parade in London to wine at a vineyard in New Zealand-where she exclaimed she was “really enjoying being able to drink again” after the birth of Prince George. But in her pre-duchess days, according to sources, Kate enjoyed fruity cocktails like Piña Coladas and the “Crack Baby,” which was served at Prince Harry’s favorite (now-defunct) nightclub, Boujis, and consisted of vodka , raspberry liqueur, passion fruit and Champagne. Rumor has it the future queen also still enjoys her go-to whiskey, Jack Daniel’s, from time to time.
The once infamous party boy may be settling into married life soon, but we reckon he’ll still enjoy his favorite drink, Cîroc Ultra-Premium Vodka , from time to time. Hopefully his bride-to-be Meghan will curb his questionable cocktail of choice, a Red Bull Vodka , and encourage him to try her far more interesting drinks of choice.
The name on the tip of everyone’s tongue this year is Meghan Markle, Prince Harry’s beautiful betrothed and an American former-actress to boot. Because Markle was famous prior to her engagement, she gave decidedly down-to-earth interviews, including one with The New Potato where she said, “God, do I love wine-a beautiful full red or a crisp white. But if it’s cocktails, I love a spicy tequila cocktail, Negroni or good scotch (neat).” Markle also named her former lifestyle website, The Tig , after Tignanello red wine. If that wasn’t enough to make her your new drinking hero, Markle also once told Delish , “French fries and vino are my vices,” going on to say that she’d “forgo a gooey, chocolate dessert for a ‘big, beautiful red’ just about any day. … In the summer, though, when I’m out with my friends, it’s rosé all day.” A future duchess after our own hearts.
The Duchess of Cornwall is said to be a big fan of wine, having once said she was “brought up as a child drinking wine like the French.” But Camilla was also rumored to have exasperatedly said, “I really need a Gin & Tonic ” after exiting a conversation with Prince William over the nature of her relationship with his father, Prince Charles, back in 1998.
Queen Elizabeth II gets her proclivity for Dubonnet from her mum. The late Queen Mother was much heavier a drinker than her husband King George VI, who didn’t imbibe much during wartime due to nationwide rations and his unfortunate love for cigarettes instead. Elizabeth would allegedly start at noon with a cocktail that was one part gin and two parts Dubonnet, garnished with a lemon or orange twist (some people actually refer to the Dubonnet Cocktail as the Queen Mother Cocktail). Then at lunch, she would drink red wine and a glass of port after the meal. A biographer wrote that if people asked for water, Elizabeth would ask, “How can you not have wine with your meal?” At around 6 p.m., the Queen Mother would enjoy a Martini , and at dinner she would have some Veuve Clicquot. Other drinking-related quotes attributed to her include: “I couldn’t get through all my engagements without a little something,” and, after being told by a host that they heard she liked gin, “I hadn’t realized I enjoyed that reputation. But as I do, perhaps you could make it a large one.”
Princess Margaret is enjoying a posthumous fan obsession, thanks to her fiery, scene-stealing portrayal in The Crown. The show never depicts Margaret without a cigarette in hand, but the princess loved scotch almost as dearly. Her favorite drinks were neat scotch with a drop of water and a Scotch & Soda , both made with The Famous Grouse and Highland Spring mineral water. Her staff instructed those within her circles to always keep bottles of both on hand, in case she stopped by for an informal visit. A staff member claimed that “if you didn’t serve Famous Grouse, she could identify exactly what was in its place.” Allegedly Princess Margaret even asked for the scotch while visiting The Macallan distillery in the 1980s. A decanter of The Famous Grouse was always present at Margaret’s apartment, and though she was “always a delight,” according to a friend , “there could be unpleasantness with staff if her glass wasn’t kept full or if the ice melted. That was one of her tiny weaknesses.” Today, the royal family continues to support the whisky brand; the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge opened The Famous Grouse Experience at the Glenturret distillery in 2014.
The late, beloved Princess of Wales wasn’t much for imbibing; she opted to skip the booze in favor of maintaining her iconic radiant skin. But when she did drink, she preferred something light, like chilled white wine, Champagne or a peachy Bellini. She is said to have ordered a Bellini on her infamous night out on the town with Freddie Mercury when she disguised herself as a man.