On this day in 1869, Cornelius Swarthout of Troy, N.Y. patented his invention, the stove-top waffle iron. While waffles irons of sorts have existed since the 1300s, Swarthout intended to perfect the design by adding a handle and a clasp that would allow the waffle-maker to flip the iron without danger of slippage or burns. It wasn’t until 1911 that General Electric put out the first electric waffle iron, the prototype for the counter-top versions used in many households today.
Traditionally, waffles are a breakfast or dessert item in the United States, served with confectioner’s sugar, syrup, fruit, or chocolate. Waffles are also served in savory dishes, such as fried chicken and waffles.
While American and Belgian waffles are the most popular in the United States, other countries have their own concepts, such as the Dutch stroopwafel (literally “syrup waffle”: syrup sandwiched between two thin wafers). The Scandinavian style waffle is heart shaped and often topped with various cheeses or cream and jam. Residents of Hong Kong eat large, round waffles called “grid cakes” that are spread with butter, peanut butter, and sugar.
Back in the home of the waffle iron, Troy, N.Y., Brown’s Brewing Co. is putting their own twist on waffles for Waffle Week (Aug. 23-27). Brown’s is serving up entrees that feature waffles made with homemade beer, drawing inspiration from what Brown’s Vice President Gregg Stacy calls, “some of the greatest wafflers of their time.” These include such flip-floppers as Sen. Joe Lieberman, Brett Favre, and Benedict Arnold, to name a few.
If you can’t make it out to Troy this week, though, that’s all right. Making waffles in the comfort of your own kitchen is extraordinarily easy, thanks to Cornelius Swarthout and his patented waffle iron. And don’t be afraid to get creative!
Antique electric waffle irons 1900-1960: a history of the appliance industry in 20th America. William George
1869 – Cornelius Swarthout of Troy, New York, a Dutch-American, receives a patent for the first waffle iron in the U.S., on August 24th. This anniversary of the patent marks National Waffle Day.
American inventor Cornelius Swartwout’s patent for what we would today recognize as a waffle iron – filed in Troy, New York, USA, in 1869 and granted on 24 August of that year – revolutionized a kitchen utensil that had been in use for centuries. His genius was to transform a long-handled contraption designed for use over an open flame into a stove-top version, making the iron both more practical to use and less likely to burn the waffles, or indeed the cook!
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To commemorate Swartwouts patent, National Waffle Day is celebrated on 24 August each year in the USA.
Ancient Greeks used an iron held over a hearth to make flat wafers; the deeper indentations of waffle irons were devised by the Dutch circa the 14th century and brought to America by the Pilgrims, who lived in Holland (now the Netherlands) for nearly a decade before continuing on to their new home in North America in 1620. These waffle irons had handles around 0.5 m (2 ft) long to keep the cook far from the open flame, but the cooking process was still fraught with danger, and it was hard to ensure even cooking. Swartwout’s invention used hinged round, rather than rectangular, cast-iron plates that enabled the cook to turn the iron easily without removing it from its stand. It was designed for use on a wood-burning or cast-iron stove.
Boston’s Simplex Electric Heating Company manufactured the first electric waffle iron in 1906, and throughout the 20th century various manufacturers sought to improve on that early model. The electric waffle iron eventually became so ubiquitous that it served as inspiration for the grid on the sole of Nike’s famous “waffle” training shoes, patented by Bill Bowerman in 1972.
Antique electric waffle irons 1900-1960: a history of the appliance industry in 20th America. William George
On this day in 1869, Cornelius Swarthout of Troy, N.Y. patented his invention, the stove-top waffle iron. While waffles irons of sorts have existed since the 1300s, Swarthout intended to perfect the design by adding a handle and a clasp that would allow the waffle-maker to flip the iron without danger of slippage or burns. It wasn’t until 1911 that General Electric put out the first electric waffle iron, the prototype for the counter-top versions used in many households today.
While American and Belgian waffles are the most popular in the United States, other countries have their own concepts, such as the Dutch stroopwafel (literally “syrup waffle”: syrup sandwiched between two thin wafers). The Scandinavian style waffle is heart shaped and often topped with various cheeses or cream and jam. Residents of Hong Kong eat large, round waffles called “grid cakes” that are spread with butter, peanut butter, and sugar.
Back in the home of the waffle iron, Troy, N.Y., Brown’s Brewing Co. is putting their own twist on waffles for Waffle Week (Aug. 23-27). Brown’s is serving up entrees that feature waffles made with homemade beer, drawing inspiration from what Brown’s Vice President Gregg Stacy calls, “some of the greatest wafflers of their time.” These include such flip-floppers as Sen. Joe Lieberman, Brett Favre, and Benedict Arnold, to name a few.
If you can’t make it out to Troy this week, though, that’s all right. Making waffles in the comfort of your own kitchen is extraordinarily easy, thanks to Cornelius Swarthout and his patented waffle iron. And don’t be afraid to get creative!
Today in History: The first waffle iron patent
FAQ
How did people make waffles before waffle makers?
Did they have waffles in the 1800s?
Who introduced the waffle iron to the United States in 1896?
Who ate the first waffle?
Who made the first electric waffle iron?
About 1906, the Simplex Electrical Company of Boston, Massachusetts, manufactured what is likely the first electric waffle iron. The early model had a rectangular form standing on four stout feet topped with two lines of three circular plates. Each plate was cast with the now familiar grid pattern, with the heating elements embedded into the grid.
Are there healthy waffles?
The hearty waffles are a great option on the menu. They are made with whole ingredients such as whole wheat flour, oats, bananas, skimmed milk and sweet potatoes.
How long have waffle irons been made?
Yve Colby, a museum technician at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, researched the product for nearly two years while working on the Domestic Life Collection, which has at least 50 waffle irons dating back more than 300 years. “It’s a complicated history,” Colby says. “Waffle irons date back a long way.
When was the first stovetop waffle iron invented?
About 80 years later, New York’s Cornelius Swarthout patented the first stovetop waffle iron. Waffle cones for ice cream debuted at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. On the home front, the old stovetop waffle irons were outfitted for electricity and became common household appliances by the 1930s.