I’ve been wanting a stovetop waffle iron for a while and after reading some reviews, bought a vintage Nordic Ware model with temperature gauges from an eBay seller. They don’t make this model any longer. The new version is also heavy cast iron, but doesn’t have the gauges.
The waffle iron arrived yesterday and after a little cleanup, I tried it out this morning. With no spray-on shortening and no waffle mix on hand, this was a from-scratch trial. By the third waffle, though, I pretty much had it down to Ron’s satisfaction. The reviewers are right, the temperature gauge is an enormous help, and from what they wrote, this device should last a very long time: some have had theirs for 30 years.