Carbon's Golden Malted Original Waffle and Pancake Flour, 32 Ounce (Pack of 3)

I am a repeated customer on Carbon's Malted Original Mix. When I was much younger I would go to this swanky restaurant in New Braunfels known for their famous breakfast. I didn't eat eggs (I was a kid) and would only eat the delicious pancakes. My mom's pancakes never tasted this good (and hers were great) as this has a distinct flavor that must be corn or the malt? Back to my story....so as a kid I asked the waitress where the restroom was etc. and after she gave me the location (across the room, turn right, go passed the lobby desk and I would see the restroom entrance. These instructions were not the best for a kid!) The waitress did me a big favor!!! I accidently went into the kitchen of the restaurant. (chose the wrong door lol) and remember seeing this round red and yellow tub of Pancake Mix that said Carbon's. The staff told me I must be lost and escorted me out of the kitchen and to my destination. I told my mom that I saw the big tub of pancake mix and wanted her to get some too! Needless to say they didn't sell Carbon's in the grocery stores where we lived. (I was disappointed, as a kid, having to eat what I considered less than desirable pancakes at home because I had eaten the best pancakes ever at the swanky restaurant.) To my shock and amazement I saw the familiar red and yellow round can of Carbon's pancake mix on Amazon!! I bought it (immediately I might add) and couldn't wait for it to arrive. When Amazon delivered it, I rushed into the kitchen to whip up a batch and relished every bite I took. These are sooooh good! I make them according to the directions but sometimes I add Mexican vanilla to the batter just for a little variety as well. Of course I use REAL butter when I prepare these :-) I can tell you the price is higher than your average pancake mix (even with Bidenomics) but the mix is so worth every penny.

First, if you have tried Carbon's and liked it, this is the most economical way to go; a while back I had to buy some directly through the company (Amazon was out of it), and I paid about the same amount for much less of the product (three tins but quantity was much less in each one). Now, when you go to hotels and get this product in their super duper waffle makers, it is first rate. When you try to use it in your little home waffle maker, it isn't as good. (I finally found one waffle maker (Waring) that produces a pretty good waffle. The trick seems to be the intense high heat that you can only get from the 240 current that you don't usually have at home. Anyway, this is a very good waffle mix (yeah, I know you can make pretty good pancakes with it too); the directions are simple; you just add some milk, egg, and butter in the quantities it directs you to use. One trick I learned a while back (in my sourdough recipe) is to separate the eggs and put the yolks in; then take the whites and whip them up to like a meringue (lots of air in it--I put in a bit of cream of tartar), then mix that into the batter. It makes the batter much lighter, and the waffles then are lighter and more airy. Another trick is to use buttermilk; I think that makes them a little better too. There's another good mix on the market called Garvey's authentic organic pancake & waffle mix, but it is quite expensive compared to Carbon's (see my review of that one for a comparison). Hopefully this review gives you food for thought (a little pun for you).

I bought a Kitchenaid Pro "flip" double waffle maker for us and another one for our son's family. When using milk (instead of water) this mix is virtually as good as most scratch recipes---except for yeasted recipes (e.g. King Arthur's Flour Co. recipe) requiring overnight preparation and/or those which separate the eggs, whip up the egg whites and fold them into the batter. This mix's quick and easy solution can cause problems for those who are not experienced in waffle making. Because it can be whipped up in 5 minutes, some people take the eggs and milk directly from the fridge, mix them and quickly pour the batter into the pre-heated waffle iron. The cold ingredients make a cold batter that plays hell with the proper baking times. When the waffle irons are opened at the preset time, the waffles stick because they are not cooked through. From that point on things go downhill as you're left to guess when the process is done...or overdone. Here's an simple solution if you plan on quick and easy waffles the next morning: before going to bed, take the whole eggs out of the refrigerator and put them on the counter. They will safely be at room temperature when you use them in the morning. Use canned, condensed milk (which requires no refrigeration). In this way all of the ingredients are already at room temperature when you mix them in the morning---no need to wait for the ingredients to reach room temperature. IMHO: the condensed milk gives the waffles a better texture and flavor than regular milk. But DO let the finished batter sit for 5 or 10 minutes to let the baking soda do its job.