If we have at least 25 Global Vegan Waffle Party 2012 hosts signed up by Friday, May 11, I’ll randomly select a winning host for each of the following three prizes. Hosts who have already signed up are included:

• $30 Amazon gift card to be used toward the waffle maker / waffle iron of your choice
• $20 Amazon gift card to be used toward the waffle maker / waffle iron of your choice
• cookbook two-pack: 1 copy of The Global Vegan Waffle Cookbook, and 1 copy of Vegan Chocolate Seduction

Technical, drop-dead, zombie-police-state-enforced deadline is 11:59 PM Eastern (GMT -5), Friday, May 11. But I probably won’t actually be awake then, so if a few last-minute hosts sneak in before I get up the next morning, I may have to let it slide.

Winners announced in comments here and on Facebook Vegan Waffles page by Sunday, May 13. So tell your friends to host a party, too! Per the 2012 Host List, we’re about halfway there as of the date of this post.

I realize that many waffle makers are much more than $20 or $30, but we’re low budget here, and this is just an extra little way of saying thank you for helping with meaningful causes!

Hey, kid, I'm gonna steal your vegan waffle!

We would not be enjoying delicious vegan waffles today if it weren’t for the waffle iron, so those of us in the U.S. extend our annual thanks to Cornelius Swartwout for filing the first U.S. waffle iron patent. He’d likely be impressed with how far things have come since 1869.

This day is also a perfect opportunity to share highlights from two additional vegan waffle parties.

Brian and Lise in Seattle, Washington hosted an August vegan waffle party including a beautifully decorated waffle. Isn’t it a great photo?

Yeah, he may be an adorable kid, but I still might consider snagging part of his waffle–I mean, is he really going to eat the entire thing? He’ll probably just eat the blueberries and frosting, and be left with a hairless, eyeless, non-smiley face. And that’s certainly no image you want a kid to grow up with. Civic duty calls me.

On a more serious but equally fun note, following is a brief description of their waffle party:

“I found the website while looking for a recipe as one guest is vegan.  I read about the waffle parties and decided to go for it…all vegan. We had fun.

I made the sweet yeast-raised waffle (did the overnight version) and the peanut butter fluff which I placed in an icing piping bag…decorate your own.  It was a sweet success!

The photo is of our nephew before he took a first bite.  The tongue says it all.”

First, it’s cool for multiple reasons that you decided to go ahead and make them all vegan. Secondly, I say to your nephew, quit chewing on your tongue and start chewing on that waffle before it’s mine, mine, mine!

Alongside this, I also got a late report on what has probably been the most media-covered vegan waffle event over the last few years–the Sweat Records party in Miami. The scoop from Lolo Reskin, Sweat’s entrepreneurial owner, who makes bright red hair look ultra-cool:

“Waffle Parties as a monthly event have been truly great for our shop.  We’ve expanded the amount of toppings and treats we offer and are enjoying huge turnouts at each one. People tell us all month long they look forward to it!  One of the greatest aspects of Waffle Party to us is that vegans and people looking to enjoy more veg foods can meet, network and make new friends.

Some press:
http://itsveganlicious.com/2011/06/27/sweat-records-vegan-waffle-party/
http://www.miaminewtimes.com/events/waffle-party-2838653/
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/citylink/events/sfl-best-bets-for-june-2228-2011-20110621,0,3310902.story
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/04/26/2186467/monthly-waffle-parties-draw-vegan.html

Here’s the link for the local New Times’ photo gallery of the last one: http://www.miaminewtimes.com/slideshow/waffle-party-at-sweat-records-33634245/

We’ve also had some sponsors come on board – last month we gave out Magner’s Pear Cider (the Apple isn’t vegan ) and before that So Delicious gave out scoops of coconut milk ice cream.”

As I’ve mentioned in the past, I love the diversity of types of waffle parties, ranging from small home events to some larger business and organizational events. Just these two events alone illustrate that. Congrats on the fun events, and thanks for sharing some highlights!

Perhaps you’d love to throw a vegan waffle party, but you don’t have a waffle iron, and you’re not serious enough about waffles to invest in one just yet. Or maybe you want an iron, but the budget’s tight at the moment. As the waffle party is intended to be a fun catalyst for positive change that is accessible to anyone, I offer several options for making it happen.

Ask a friend, neighbor, or relative if you can borrow theirs, and tell them they can attend without having to bring a waffle topping. Many people have waffle makers that have been sitting around unused in a cupboard or closet, so lending them out is no big deal. For our party, a few friends and neighbors (including omnivorous ones) have offered to lend us theirs in case we needed an emergency backup–without me even asking. The offer was usually prefaced with, “It’s been sitting around in the closet.” If I had asked, a few of them may have even agreed to sell me their iron.

Just be sure to follow proper etiquette with borrowed irons. Upon borrowing an iron, if you suspect more traces of non-vegan ingredients than you or your guests may be comfortable with, a chopstick with a bit of moist paper towel wadded up on the end will do a reasonable cleaning job, or you may wish to treat the first waffle as the “cleaning waffle.” Of course, also make sure you clean the iron well before giving it back, and avoid using any harsh abrasive objects (like wire brushes) on the grills.

Check out Craig’s List or Freecycle if you have groups in your area, along with your local thrift shops. I got a dirt cheap ice cream maker ($10) on our local Craig’s List after discovering the Vice Cream vegan ice cream book. And the seller lived four blocks from us–how convenient! I’ve seen a number of waffle makers on there, too, at least in our area, for $5 or $10. Back in college, I picked up a microwave and toaster oven at the local thrift shop, both for under $10.

Yes, some of the more expensive models do offer advantages and some are more durable if you’re planning to make a lot of waffles over time, but I’ve also made decent vegan waffles on cheaper and older models. The basic technology of the waffle makers doesn’t vary that much. You can always upgrade later if you desire that extra little bit of crispiness, the adjustable heat setting, and so on.

Offset some of your other costs so you can buy an iron. If you do an event that caters to individuals who are new to vegan food, following VegFund’s guidelines, the food ingredients will take little or no cash out of your wallet, perhaps leaving you or a friend some cash to buy a waffle maker. And because waffles can be a breakfast, brunch, or dinner food, owning this appliance opens up many future vegan waffle event possibilities. Having guests bring some of the toppings will also reduce your costs somewhat.

Start with a small party so you need to purchase or borrow only one iron. If you have at least one iron for every 4-6 guests, you should be fine–especially if you break the waffles into quarters or halves as they come out, so more people can start eating sooner. By the time they’re ready for the next quarter or half, more will be out.

If all else fails, you can still host a vegan pancake party. While you’d be sacrificing some of the texture, toasted flavor, and character that is unique to the waffle, you can convert most vegan waffle recipes to vegan pancake recipes by thinning the batter slightly. Some batters may not need thinning, and it may take a bit of experimenting with the first pancake or two. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons at a time of additional plant-based milk or water to your vegan waffle batter until it pours into a pancake at the desired thickness. You can also get away with reducing the oil for pancakes, as long as you’re still greasing the pan with oil or margarine. Keep in mind that the oil reduction will also impact the flavor somewhat.

If you go the vegan pancake route, I recommend a properly seasoned cast iron skillet or griddle. Cast iron skillets hold heat well and distribute it very evenly.

Happy vegan waffle partying!

While waffle irons may have existed in Europe for centuries before they were introduced in the U.S., Cornelius Swartwout patented the first U.S. waffle iron on August 24, 1869. This provided yet another continent with an alternative to the two-dimensional pancake. A number of websites refer to August 24 as “National Waffle Day” in the U.S. for this reason.

Coincidentally, one of our neighbors is hosting a potluck this weekend, so I plan to bake some vegan waffles in honor of Cornelius. (If only they had known that eggs and dairy aren’t necessary for waffles back in 1869…) Regardless of where you live, I’d love to hear if you do the same! And should they come out exceptionally well, express your excitement with the “Woot!” of the waffle world: “Wout!”

You can read more about Mr. Swartwout’s important contribution at the Swarthout Family pages. (From what I can tell, the spelling of the last name has taken on different versions over the years.)

If you live in a country with a much longer waffle maker heritage, and have any information on the history, feel free to comment and share with us what you know!