1950 Called...But, They Can't Have Their Waffle Iron Back

As I eluded to in yesterday's post, I recently acquired a 1950s Sunbeam Waffle Iron via an ebay purchase. At this point, you may naturally be wondering...'why would anyone do that?'

Well, T loves waffles, but I have resisted making them at home because most (all) waffle irons sold in the stores these days are coated with some sort of non-stick layer. I was discussing my quest for a "traditional" waffle iron with my family awhile back and the next day my wonderful sleuth of an uncle sent me this link. Vintage waffle irons restored to their former glory! So fantastic, but the prices...ouch. I made note of the brands and have been casually browsing ebay for the last several months for a Sunbeam.

I'm fond of this brand because our electric griddle (aka pancake-maker extraordinaire) is made by them. This griddle has been passed down in our family and is so well-loved and used  (and not easily replaced because of the same non-stick issue), that it lost one of its legs. My grandpa mended it with a wooden replacement, so now it has a peg-leg :)

Anywhooo, back to the waffle iron at hand. I snarfed this gem off ebay for a mere $10 +shipping. It arrived just in time to be T's b-day present.

 

I wasn't really sure what to expect when it arrived. The seller had labeled it  in "OK condition." 

 

There she blows in all of her glory (why am I prone to nautical phrasery today? I'll blame it on the peg leg reference above). 

 

Well, needless to say...it needed a good cleaning. Like, a real good cleaning.  

 

My guess is that this waffle iron was found in the basement of the seller's parent's home and had not been used for a few decades. It also hadn't been cleaned since its last use...there were still waffle crumbs pasted to the inside. 

 

4 Brillo Pads and a significant amount of labor later...she was shiny (and sanitary) again :)  The cord on the back needs some wrapping with electrical tape in a few spots just to be safe, but other than that- she should be good to go. 

 

This is my favorite shot. I didn't want to risk turning it on right after the washing (water...electricity...), so I am hoping to plug 'er in tonight and see how it goes. We are having my grandparents over for the inaugural waffle run this weekend. 

As luck would have it, when I logged onto bloglovin' today, I saw that the Pioneer Woman just posted a waffle recipe. Eureka! Fingers crossed that we will be enjoying waffles with some delicious Caribou Cream Syrup this weekend. If this machine is a total flop...it'll be pancakes instead :)

-The Delicious Dabbler