Calphalon HE400WM Review

It is time for a waffle making party with the Calphalon HE400WM No Peek Belgian waffle maker. This well-designed waffle maker makes it very easy to produce high quantities of square Belgian waffle quickly. Calphalon uses a series of clever ideas to make the waffle maker easy to use for everyone and to eliminate the need to peek inside to see if they are finished. You know exactly what happens when you peek into most waffle makers. You do it too soon and you pull the waffle apart or you wait too long and they are already turning a dark brown. Here is how Calphalon solved the problem.

 

Waiting for Your Waffle Iron to Be Ready

 

One of the problems with cooking waffles is pouring batter into the waffle maker too soon. When you start cooking waffles with an under heated waffle iron you get inconsistent cooking, battery interiors, and sometimes tough skins on the waffle. With the Calphalon HE400WM No Peek waffle maker there is no guess work.

All you need to do is select the level of brownness you prefer for your waffles. Calphalon claims it only has three settings of light, medium, and dark. This is a little misleading. There are several selection marks between each of these settings to allow you to get your waffles your perfect shade of golden brown. Once you have set the rotary dial to your preferred level of brownness you need to step back for a few minutes. The waffle maker takes approximately 5 minutes to reach cooking temperature and then gives you an audible beeping alarm to let you know it is time to start cooking. No guessing if it is ready, you will know.

The waffle maker provides 1500 watts of cooking power which allows it to heat rapidly, maintain heat during cooking, and adjust between darkness levels fast.

 

The No Peek Feature of the Calphalon HE400WM

 

The no peek feature which Calphalon touts about their product is a very simple feature. They use a simple built-in timer and temperature monitor to make sure your waffles are cooked to perfection. The settings are controlled by the brownness dial.

Your job is simply to fill the waffle iron with batter, close the lid, and step back to wait. The waffle maker monitors the cooking progress and then chimes the alarm to let you know the waffles are ready.

Each cooking cycle produces 4 square Belgian waffles which take approximately 2 cups of batter. It is possible to cook less than four waffles at a time by only filling one section of the waffle maker, but you should expect to get some run over into the other areas as the batter flows and heats.

Your real challenge is going to be to adapt to the no peek feature. You will be tempted to lift the lid. You need to break the habit and wait for the time if you want perfect waffles consistently.

 

Easy Cleaning

 

One of the outstanding design features of the Calphalon HE400WM is the smooth flowing lines. The design gives the waffle maker a very pleasant appearance, but more importantly, makes it easy to clean. We all know that waffle batter is going to end up where it does not belong. This is especially true if we allow our children to make waffles. With the smooth lines and tight sealing corners, the HE400WM is easy to clean with just a damp cloth on the exterior surface.

The waffle plates are easy to clean with a damp sponge or cloth. You may want to use a small brush for cleaning between the waffle iron peaks. As with most home use waffle makers, the plates are non-removable so you cannot submerge them in water for more effective cleaning.

 

Safety Feature for Families is Added Bonus

 

Calphalon designers obviously took the time to think about who would be using the waffle maker. They knew if children were involved there is a high chance that someday one of them will cook their waffles, load them on their plate, head outside to eat, and leave the waffle maker on.

To eliminate wasted electricity and reduce fire risks the Calphalon designers added a 60-minute auto shutoff to the HE400WM waffle maker. This small detail should give parents a little-added confidence in allowing their children to use the waffle maker.

 

Dimensions, Color, and Other Features

 

The Calphalon waffle maker is nearly a perfect square measuring 11” inches wide and 11-3/5” deep. It is only 6” tall. Does the footprint of the waffle maker make it a little hard to store in your kitchen? This is one other place the designers used some good ingenuity and common sense. They designed the waffle maker so it can be stored flat, or standing on edge. This allows you to decrease the footprint from 11” by 11” down to only 4” by 11”.

The HE400WM is a combination of stainless steel with black trim pieces. These neutral colors allow the waffle maker to look good in any kitchen.

 

Additional Information

 

One of the fun features of the Calphalon waffle maker are the indicator lights. The rotary brownness dial includes a series of LED lights to indicate the heat of the waffle maker and your cooking progress. When you first turn on the waffle maker and set the dial to your preferred brownness you can watch as the LED lights illuminate in succession as it heats. Once it reaches the correct temperature is when you hear the alarm.

The waffle plates are made using a bronze nonstick surface which is designed to last. The waffle maker is covered by a 1-year parts and labor warranty, but the nonstick surface is covered by a full 5-year warranty. Make sure you hold onto your receipt for the full five years.

 

Included/Optional Accessories

 

The Calphalon HE400WM waffle maker comes bundled with zero accessories in the box. This is not surprising since you really do not need anything else. They do offer two nice optional accessories you may be interested in. The first is a nylon waffle fork. It allows you to grab the waffles out with ease without scratching the nonstick surface. The second item is their nylon turning tongs. They can be sued for removing waffles and moving them to the plate.

A nice bonus can be found in the Calphalon instruction guide included with the waffle maker. They include a series of delicious waffle recipes for you to try.

 

Pros of the Calphalon HE400WM

 

This waffle maker has outstanding features which should make most people very happy. The positive points include the variable brownness setting, LED indicator lights, audible alarms, and high-quality non-stick surface.

The slick design of the waffle maker makes it easy to clean up and the clever design to allow you store it on the side makes it easy to handle.

 

Cons of the HE400WM

 

The negative aspects of the Calphalon waffle maker are not issues of base design. Instead of covering our negative points here let us cover them in the consumer ratings. The one issue we will point out here is Calphalon does not include a measuring cup which allows a greater possibility of under filled or over filled waffles. Make sure you stick very closely to their recommendation of two cups of batter for making four waffles.

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Consumer Ratings

 

This is the point where we hit a real problem with the Calphalon HE400WM waffle maker. The features of this waffle maker are outstanding. The design elements are great. The problem is in execution. The overall rating for this waffle maker are above average but the low rating reports is where we get a little concern.

Compared to other waffle makers there seem to be a high percentage of buyers reporting two basic problems. Some units have an issue with defective heating elements or controls which do not allow them to reach the proper temperature. These heating issues appear to be mainly isolated to the upper plate of the waffle maker. The second common complaint is tied to faulty rear hinges. Problem reports average about 5 to 10% of buyers who provide ratings.

It appears these issues are recognized by Calphalon and are being corrected. They have stood behind the products completely. Nearly every complaint is accompanied by reports of Calphalon promptly replacing the waffle maker and providing excellent customer support. Keep in mind users with problems are more likely to fill out ratings making the actual percentage of failed units much lower.

 

Conclusion

 

The Calphalon HE400WM No Peek Belgian Waffle maker is packed with features you will appreciate. The combination of simple use, fast heating, easy cleanup, and ease of storage make it a good option for your home waffle maker.

The product would receive our highest recommendation but is slightly tempered by the higher number of complaints. With Calphalon commitment to stand behind the product and taking responsibility to correct the issue this is still a very good choice for your home.

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