Oster 3883 Belgian Wafflemaker, Chrome
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Oster 3883 Belgian Wafflemaker, Chrome
Customer Review: Adequate for dieters
Summary: 3 Stars
I rate this at 3-1/2 stars.
I own 2 other wafflers, a Nordicware Belgium stovetop unit and a 1960's vintage GE. These units work well, and are my basis of comparison for this review. This unit looks good. It's a convenient size and the top-side temperature control and ready lights are nice features.
This is NOT a suitable waffler for a large family, but is adequate for a couple who are either light eaters or who don't mind eating separately. The Oster waffler's maximum temperature setting is 20-30 degrees lower than the electric wafflers that I grew up with. (This isn't surprising since the units made in the 1960s and 70 had 1200w heating coils vs the 850W Oster.)
Using a batter that works well with both of my other wafflers, the Oster took 50 percent longer to produce a waffle of equal doneness- 7 minutes vs 4-1/2 minutes. I like this waffler because I can live within this limitation. My wife and I each eat 1/2 waffle for breakfast. I make 1/2 standard recipe (1-1/4 c batter, save the second half to bake after we eat and freeze the second waffle for another meal.
For prep and cleanup I rate the Oster as better than the Nordicware, and about equal to the GE. For quality of result, the waffles aren't as thick as a standard Belgium waffle, nor are they as crispy while maintaining a creamy interior, however tehy are far better than commercial frozen waffles.
I chose this waffler because at one time I worked for the US company that owned the Oster trademark (Sunbeam) and it looked very much like the premium line of appliances we made in the 1970's. I've since found that the Oster name was bought by a Chinese trading company, and is used on product produced by many different manufacturers.
I believe the wide range of opinions about this product may be due to inconsistent quality control in manufacturing.
Customer Review: Use after Use after Use, I still have my waffles every night.
Summary: 4 Stars
Let me start off my saying I vouch for this product, I really do. It has a couple of flaws, but let me get to that in a second. Let me acclaim it for its duties thus far.
I have used this every night for, I don't know, 6 months at least, because I eat Buckwheat waffles religiously. This waffle maker makes them the same every time, takes little time to heat up, and has not presented any CONTINUOUS problems. It is compact, attractive, hasn't tarnished or showed any signs of rust, and is very easy to clean up. I think for the value you are getting a fine product that should last you.
Now the couple of things that deplore me, although they never seem to be consistent.
1. Sometimes it doesn't reach full heat. I always have the dial turned to max, and it does have a light that goes on when it's "ready", but sometime it doesn't always tell the truth mind you, but this only happens rarely, and it always "fixes" itself.
2. Some of the Teflon has flaked off in my waffles a couple of times, which is very annoying, but like I said, has only happened a handful of times out of 200+ times, so I like the probability.
So I like it, I will continue to use it every night till it gives out, which I wouldn't object too because of how much I use it, and I certainly recommend you gives this little waffle maker a try.
Customer Review: potential electrical safety issue
Summary: 3 Stars
We've had our Oster 3883 Belgium waffle iron for little over a year now and, for the price, it works great. As with any waffle iron, understandably, you have to have everything right to get good waffles--batter, iron temperature, and you need to spray the grid at least once with a good non-stick cooking spray. We've had a few stickers here, but they've always been our fault and not that of the iron.
Anyway, last week, the electrical cover on ours fell off while I was washing it. It's apparently made from a brittle plastic/bakelite material, and fractured at both screw holes leaving the screws behind, still attached to the iron.
Upon contacting Oster for a replacement cover, in several emails, I was told the following--1. They do not stock parts for this model (nothing), 2. If the iron is out of warranty (based on a date code on the unit) you have to buy a new one, 3. They did not seem too concerned that at a potential shock hazard exists with this product.
So, you can make up your own mind. Read all of the glowing reports, think about how your mom's 20-year old Oster blender is still cranking away like new, and then turn one of these little gems over and tug on the electrical cord and see how it pulls against this cover.
Customer Review: DO NOT BUY THIS WAFFLE MAKER
Summary: 1 Stars
Hey everyone. I bought this Ostro waffle maker from Target and it is simply horrible. Here are the things that I did not like about it, compared to the $40 ostro flip one that I bought earlier.
* this one takes way too long to warm up
* take very long to make a waffle. It tells you 4.5 mins, but in reality it will take you a good 10 mins or more.
* the waffles are very flat - you might as well make pancakes. They make very very thin and need like 4 - 5 just to fill you up, and I'm not a big person. That means for breakfast it will take you almost an hour!
* The surface gets very very hot, and while that is the same with most waffle makers, this one has very little non-hot surfaces to hold on to. While I was making waffles, I burned myself once and my mom accidently did 3 times!
* even if you use pam or some spread oil to grease the surface, it still sticks a little bit.
* there is no tray that goes underneath if you put in too much mix - which is bound to happen now and then.
Trust me, you are much much better off getting the $40 Ostro flip waffle maker. That one is just great. It is like you are eating waffles from a real nice restaurant of something.
Hope this helps.
Customer Review: Affordable, Easy to Use, Non-Belgian Style Waffle Maker
Summary: 5 Stars
I've used this Oster waffle maker for over a year without any problems. It heats up relatively fast with a quick recovery time. I use a boxed generic pancake mix and follow the waffle instructions - same as for pancakes just add 1/3 cup oil to prevent sticking. All I do is plug it in to preheat, mix my batter, when the green light turns on, I spray lightly with cooking spray (I only spray for the first waffle) and add my batter being careful not to overfill and wait until the green light comes back on. The highest heat setting makes them a little too dark for me so I back it off a little. Also as you are cooking a large batch of waffles, the iron will retain more heat and you may need to back off on the darkness control just a little bit. I place the already baked waffles in a toaster oven around 250 degrees to keep warm while the rest of the batch is being prepared. Clean up is easy with a paper towel when cool. If any batter spilled over when cooking I just use a soft bristled brush to remove the dried batter. NOTE: This is called a Belgian waffle maker but the depth is that of a non-Belgian style waffle. The heating element is 850 watts. For the Oster flip true Belgian waffle maker look for Oster model #3874.