Years ago, when I still lived in Portsmouth, I bought an avocado colored waffle and pancake grill from the Immaculate Conception thrift shop. I was tired of trying to flip pancakes in my cast iron frying pan. I wanted a little wrist room! It was about five dollars, and it lasted another fifteen years before it finally died. I really liked the design—it was multi-purpose and reasonably flat, so that it stored well—so I hunted through thrift stores, searching for another. None. I tried local stores for a new one. None. Finally, I ordered another on line, because Mark really likes oatmeal waffles for breakfast. The new grill lasted about six years and died. Once again, I hunted around and gave into the online order. Five years, alter, it died.
By now, Mark had decided that he likes electrical repairs and projects, so he dismantled the grill, looking for the problem. It was a short in the thermostat; we could see the crack. He looked for the replacement part, but it does not exist. Black and Decker makes the exact same grill with the exact same thermostat, but you cannot purchase it separately. This is the epitome of the throw away society we are living in. First, the product is made to give out in about five years, rather than twenty five years, like my old one. Then, it cannot be repaired when it dies, so we have to purchase a new grill, if we want waffles again.
Rather than buy a new Black and Decker grill, we bought a stove top cast iron grill which allows me to make pancakes and flip them. It is also nice for breakfast potatoes and eggs, as well as veggies and grilled cheese sandwiches, so I am happy. Even better, it has no moving parts to break and can be used inside, on my stove, or outside, over a camp fire. We are, however, still waffle-less, so I am hunting, once again, for a vintage waffle iron, one that is built to last and to be repaired, like our stove.
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