Smart Planet PP-5 Waffle Cone Maker

I love the waffle cone maker. The cones come out great! The only thing is, it gets so hot, that even with a mitt, it's difficult to open it up when ready.

I ordered this product on a whim one afternoon and wanted it the next day so I could make waffle cones for a 4th of July picnic. It came, and it almost conquered. If you've ever wanted waffle cones at home, this is a pretty easy and inexpensive way to take the consumption of ice cream to the next level.

The good: It heats up relatively quickly and its nonstick surface is easy to clean. Its instruction booklet comes with two recipes (original and chocolate). The original is pretty good. This appliance will smell pretty darn good if you don't leave the batter in too long. It makes for a good-sized cone, but can also do minis if you'd like. OR you can place a waffle over a tea cup or glass to make a waffle bowl.

Things to look out for with the APPLIANCE:

MESSY--as with most kitchen endeavors, waffle cone making is a messy process with any iron/method. With this product, make sure you have a towel or plate underneath it to catch any batter spillage. If you're putting in 1-2 tbs of batter, it should be pretty minimal.

HOT--Use a hot pad or towel to open the iron after it's done cooking. Have a butter knife or thin spatula on hand to remove the waffle from the iron and to place it on a towel on your rolling surface. Use the towel to roll the cone with the provided cone mold so it doesn't burn you.

Extra things about waffle cone making in general:

See above, because it's going to be true for most methods.

Try David Lebovitz's waffle cone recipe from The Perfect Scoop (available from Amazon) or Jeni Bauer's recipe from Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream At Home (also on Amazon). Finally, the best recipe I've done so far is actually Gluten-Free!

The above authors/ice cream makers give good tips on the process as well.

I'd recommend this product to anyone interested in making waffle cones for fun--it's definitely a hit with parties, family and friends. It is not, however, NSF-certified and if you're in the business of making ice cream, you'd already know that and be looking elsewhere.

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I used to work at an ice cream shop and love fresh waffle cones, so my husband surprised me with this appliance for my birthday. I was not expecting it to make restaurant quality cones, but I thought I would get some decent cones at least. The only thing great about this appliance is the batter recipe found in the booklet. After trying to roll over 15 waffle cones, I'm returning it immediately, and here's why:

The lid isn't stable and will slam shut on you at the slightest touch (burning hot!)

The front handle/ lip that is supposed to be used for lifting the lid is burning hot and you have to use an oven mitt to touch it.

The indicator light does not click on and off consistently. Sometimes it indicates "ready" when the waffle is undercooked, and sometimes it indicates "ready" when the waffle is completely burned and inedible.

The waffles that I managed to cook okay were paper thin and tore easily, making it very difficult to roll into the cone shape.

The instructions were not very easy to follow and seemed disorganized.

Like I mentioned, many of the torn waffle scraps I sampled were delicious and the recipe is right on. But that's where the good ends and the bad begins. Please, don't waste your money or put anyone in danger by operating this appliance.

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One star for the machine, an extra one for the recipe. I bought one of these machines two months ago. I agree with the person who said it is a dangerous machine as it can very easily cause severe burns.

The lid is unstable and the handle is searingly hot. Hot steam escapes over your hand when you open it, so always use a silicone mitt when using the machine.

If it hasn't already caused significant burns to users, I would be very surprised. The machine also has hot spots so that when one part of the cone is perfect, there are already burned spots elsewhere.

Howeverthe cone recipe is lovely. It is easy to roll and crisps up even if you stop cooking when it is pale, to avoid burnt spots.Still, there are recipes on the web so that is not a good reason to buy this machine.

I think it is worth spending the extra money to buy a better brand, which I will now do.

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I have always enjoyed a good waffle and this works well and was better priced than others we looked at.