Waffling.

• Position: What's New? - Product/Service Evaluation

* After serving the first breakfast utilizing our new waffle maker, the question was raised as to how long this treat has been available. A bit of research led to the discovery that waffles have been around since about 1744, making them older than the nation in which we were eating them. Yet, we mused, the process continues to undergo refinement and improvement. Having worked up an appetite with all this, we whipped up a new batch, added butter and syrup, and went on to other subjects.

The object that triggered this admittedly less than weighty discourse was the Classic Waffle Maker from Cuisinart, East Windsor, N.J., which has merged modern technology with a classic procedure (as reflected in its name) to make a delicious and versatile confection that works equally well at leisurely breakfasts and for desserts smothered in whipped or ice cream, butter or jam, fresh fruit, syrups, and whatever else might please the palate. The device produces perfectly round waffles that are divided into four separable triangular sections by the crossbars in the top plate. Once plugged in, it heats up electronically until reaching the proper temperature, at which point the Ready to Bake indicator light comes on. This eliminates the guesswork the older models required, which invariably required throwing out the first batch of "test" waffles because the...