Van's Waffles

[ohsotired]

I was tickled pink that I found Van's waffles on sale at a local grocery, so I bought two boxes.

I ate them for the first time today. They seemed really dry and crumbly.

I'm sad, because so many people rave about these.

I don't have a toaster presently (haven't replaced it yet) so I followed the instructions on the box to heat them in the oven.

The main differences between the instructions and what I did are: didn't let them thaw much before heating, and put them on a cookie sheet instead of directly on the rack.

They ended up being in the oven for almost 5 minutes (2 1/2 per side), so I'm thinking that might be the biggest problem?

Any tips? How do you prepare yours?

[Puddy]

No it's not just you. I didn't care for them either. And I don't think they like me. I didn't feel well after eating them the first and last time.

[ohsotired]

Interesting you mention not feeling well after eating them.........I'm not feeling so good either.

It almost feels like I'm coming down off a sugar high (a little shaky, muscles feel weak), and I'm suddenly really sleepy.

Think I'm gonna go take a nap.

How did they make you feel?

[Lisa]

I toast them every morning and spread them with peanut butter and marmalade. Just love 'em.

[curlyfries]

Perhaps you cooked them too long? I use a toaster oven and they are always crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. (I put them in frozen at about 400 degrees)

[Darn210]

We have a toaster . . . but I just thought that I would throw in that my daughter prefers hers with cream cheese spread on top.

Also, we tried Trader Joes waffles and she did not care for them so I toasted them, chopped them up, tossed them with butter and some spices and they became my crispy topping (replacing stove top stuffing) on one of my casserole recipes. So if you don't like them as waffles, use them as bread crumbs or something.

[purple]

If you want to make your own waffles and have a waffle iron then try these:

Open Original Shared Link

Banana Nut waffles. It makes alot so you could freeze them or cut the recipe in 1/2.

[larry mac]

My opinion.

They are exactly like gluten store bought frozen waffles. Light & crispy (if you follow the directions and cook them properly, if it says put directly on rack, then that means don't put them on a cookie sheet, duh) nothings. Something hot & edible to put butter, syrup, honey, agave nectar, peanut butter, jelly, cream cheese, chocolate, or whatever your little heart desires. Of course they're not like real waffles. You cook a real waffle with batter in a waffle iron. These you take out of the freezer and pop in a toaster.

I don't really like them, because I never liked the gluten versions, which are the same IMO. But I eat them, 'cause our choices of fast, easy gluten-free breakfast foods are so limited. And making gluten-free pancakes or waffles are time consuming, a big hassle, and a crap shoot.

The Van's are better than the only other brand available here IMO. Those were a little tough and not as crispy.

best regards, lm

p.s., I would think one could toast these in a pop-up toaster. Anyone?

p.s.s., I highly recommend the Black & Decker countertop toaster convection oven. I call it my little nuclear oven. It has three large quartz tubes on top, and three on the bottom. I use it all the time. I make chicken breasts (even large bone-in, it fits three), nachos, hot wings, toasted sandwiches, other things I can't think of at the moment, and of course frozen waffles. There is a learning curve. It takes some effort to use (ie. not idiot proof). It's not as forgiving as the big kitchen oven because the elements are closer to the food. But, it cooks fast and good. Plus they're inexpensive, mine was $59 last Christmas. The one I had before that, a Krups, was $159 (also a very good product). Every Celiac should have one IMO.

p.s.s.s, For those that felt ill after eating these, please try the following test. This is a serious suggestion, not a joke. Take a Van's frozen gluten-free waffle out of the package. Hold it, smell it, cook it, then throw it in the trash and see if you still get sick. That will eliminate a myriad of variables and narrow it down to actual ingestion.

[psawyer]

We do them in an ordinary pop-up toaster and like them.

[jerseyangel]

I did them in the toaster, just like an Eggo waffle. They came out fine, tasted good but made me ill. I think it was either the soy flour or CC I especially liked the blueberry ones.

[Judyin Philly]

I ate them in the beginning and then IF I REMBER CORRECTLY, don't they have soy?

Peter and Lisa can you have soy? After about 5 months gluten-free i had to give up soy so haven't had in a long time. Think there is a product called Iams or Ians that have french toast but i didn't care for them They might have waffles too.

Judy

[Fiddle-Faddle]

We toast them in the toaster oven (we don't have a pop-up toaster). I like mine spread with butter and drizzled with real maple syrup (I HATE the fake stuff). My daughter likes them with one half spread with peanut butter, one half spread with cream cheese, and both halves then topped with jam. One of her friends came up with this idea, and it is now known (at least at our house) as a "Julia Sandwich."

[momandgirls]

Ugh...my daughter and I tried them for the first time this morning and had to spit it out. We think they're awful. On the other hand, we don't mind the Trader Joes brand. I was happy to find Van's in the regular grocery store but will not be buying them again (I hated to do it but I actually threw away the rest of the box).

[psawyer]

I'm okay with soy. I've been gluten-free for eight years.

[ohsotired]

These waffles DO contain soy. But I don't think that's the culprit in my case.

Ingredients: Brown rice flour, water, potato starch, rice flour, canola oil, pineapple juice concentrate, peach juice concentrate, leavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, monocalcium phosphate), pear juice concentrate, salt, soy lecithin, defatted soy flour, guar gum. CONTAINS SOY.

As far as them making me feel sick, I'm kind of wondering if I have a problem with rice flour, as I made some banana bread the other day with rice flour and was sick with stomach cramps and D in under an hour. At the time, I thought xanthan gum was the culprit, as it was the first time I'd used it. But, it could have been something else too.

As far as the toasting/baking of them.......I don't have a toaster, so the oven was the only way I could do it. I didn't put them directly on the rack because (even though I'm embarrassed to say it) the oven needs a thorough cleaning and I just didn't have the energy to do it before making my waffles.

So larrymac, no need to say 'duh' to me about not following the directions. There was a reason for it; I'm not stupid.

And the results weren't great, so next time I'll try something different.

[Darn210]

ohsotired . . . I see that you have been gluten free for less than a month. You are still healing. You may be having problems with sugar (maple syrup, banana bread). The villi process more than just the sugar (lactose) in milk. They process a few other sugars as well.

This was part of my daughter's diagnostic process . . . a generalized disaccharidase Deficiency

Open Original Shared Link

Before you give up rice flour, try it in something that doesn't have much sugar or carbohydrates in general in small amounts. If it's a disaccharidase deficiency, it will get better as your villi heal.

[ohsotired]

Janet, thanks for chiming in. I just read the link you posted, and that certainly sounds like the reaction I had after the banana bread.

I hadn't considered sugars being a problem, as I've also been eating some granola bars that I made that contain chocolate chips and corn syrup. I've had no problem with those at all as far as I can tell.

I really, really need to start up my food journal again and see if I can pinpoint other foods/ingredients that aren't agreeing with me.

I don't think there are a ton, as I've felt pretty decent, with only a couple of isolated incidents (after the banana bread, and after the waffles). The waffles didn't trigger D, I just had the muscle weakness and shakiness that I associate with eating sugar on an empty stomach.

I have a follow up with my GI on Tuesday, and I'll try to discuss some of this with him, although I doubt I'll get very far. I'm changing GP's, so hopefully I'll have more success with the new one.

Thanks again, Janet. Definitely something to discuss with my doc.

[JustCan]

I make them in a pop up toaster but before I replaced my toaster I made them in the regular oven. Rather than a cookie sheet, I would put aluminum foil down so the waffle wasn't directly on the rack. I would then toast them for a few minutes and try to flip them once in the middle. It seemed to work pretty well.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

ohsotired, I had problems the first few months of gluten-free, not with sugars, but with gluten-free bread/cookie/waffle/pancake substitutes.

I always felt like I'd swallowed a brick if I tried to eat those gluten-free substitutes. But I can eat them now, no problem.

My understanding is that those flours are much heavier than gluteny flours, and more difficult for a gluten-damaged tummy to digest than things like plain rice, corn, and potatoes.

I had no problem digesting Frito's Corn Chips and Guittard dark chocolate chips, so it wasn't a carb thing, that's for sure!

Anyway, you might want to lay off the gluten-free bread substitutes just for a couple more months til your tummy heals, and then start out slow.

When you think about it, most of us probably got into gluten trouble because the typical Western diet is SO gluten-heavy. It's probably not a good idea to continue the same bread-heavy kind of eating pattern, even with gluten-free flours. I'm not saying to go on a raw, carb-free diet, or anything like that (though plenty of people recommend it)!

Maybe save the waffles for snacks--they're really not the healthiest breakfast around, whether or not they have gluten! (But they sure are yummy with butter and syrup....)

[MaryJones2]

These waffles DO contain soy. But I don't think that's the culprit in my case.

Ingredients: Brown rice flour, water, potato starch, rice flour, canola oil, pineapple juice concentrate, peach juice concentrate, leavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, monocalcium phosphate), pear juice concentrate, salt, soy lecithin, defatted soy flour, guar gum. CONTAINS SOY.

Just another thought. A lot of people have a problem with canola.

[larry mac]

.....

So larrymac, no need to say 'duh' to me about not following the directions. There was a reason for it; I'm not stupid.

And the results weren't great, so next time I'll try something different.

Dear ohsotired,

I didn't actually say duh to you, since I didn't quote you or use your name. I indirectly said duh about you, a subtle but important distinction. Having cleared that up, I apologize for making you give me the angry emoticon. At the very least, I should have thrown a happy face in there. Sorry.

best regards, lm

[Lisa]

larry mac, are you misbehaving AGAIN!

[Puddy]

My opinion.

They are exactly like gluten store bought frozen waffles. Light & crispy (if you follow the directions and cook them properly, if it says put directly on rack, then that means don't put them on a cookie sheet, duh) nothings. Something hot & edible to put butter, syrup, honey, agave nectar, peanut butter, jelly, cream cheese, chocolate, or whatever your little heart desires. Of course they're not like real waffles. You cook a real waffle with batter in a waffle iron. These you take out of the freezer and pop in a toaster.

I don't really like them, because I never liked the gluten versions, which are the same IMO. But I eat them, 'cause our choices of fast, easy gluten-free breakfast foods are so limited. And making gluten-free pancakes or waffles are time consuming, a big hassle, and a crap shoot.

The Van's are better than the only other brand available here IMO. Those were a little tough and not as crispy.

best regards, lm

p.s., I would think one could toast these in a pop-up toaster. Anyone?

p.s.s., I highly recommend the Black & Decker countertop toaster convection oven. I call it my little nuclear oven. It has three large quartz tubes on top, and three on the bottom. I use it all the time. I make chicken breasts (even large bone-in, it fits three), nachos, hot wings, toasted sandwiches, other things I can't think of at the moment, and of course frozen waffles. There is a learning curve. It takes some effort to use (ie. not idiot proof). It's not as forgiving as the big kitchen oven because the elements are closer to the food. But, it cooks fast and good. Plus they're inexpensive, mine was $59 last Christmas. The one I had before that, a Krups, was $159 (also a very good product). Every Celiac should have one IMO.

p.s.s.s, For those that felt ill after eating these, please try the following test. This is a serious suggestion, not a joke. Take a Van's frozen gluten-free waffle out of the package. Hold it, smell it, cook it, then throw it in the trash and see if you still get sick. That will eliminate a myriad of variables and narrow it down to actual ingestion.

[Puddy]

You know I was going to reply to your comment about throwing the waffle in the trash, but it's really not worth my time