Cuisinart WMR-CA Classic vs Holstein Housewares HH-09125016B Side-by-Side Comparison
Deciding on what to choose between the Cuisinart WMR-CA Classic and the Holstein Housewares HH-09125016B Mini waffle maker? Check out this comparison.
Specifications
Design
The Cuisinart WMR-CA offers a great design and build quality, boasting a glossy metal top lid. The waffle plates are coated with a layer of Teflon non-stick, which has proven itself to work quite effectively during our cooking tests. We’ve never had to deal with sticky waffles or batter residues throughout the review phase.
Although simplistic, its control panel is very simple to use.
Considering the affordability of this model, we didn’t expect it to have a very premium design from the get-go. The design assessment confirmed it. The waffle maker has a cheap-feeling plastic housing, so it definitely won’t be the most good-looking model you’ll have come across. Despite the mediocre appearance, the build quality is very good: the lid hinges are solid, and the waffle plates are well-built.
Like many other mini models, the Holstein waffle maker lacks a control panel.
Usability Comparison
Unlike its easy-to-use control panel, the control panel of the WMR-CA can be difficult to deal with for some people due to the dim indicator lights. They can be very hard to see under bright lighting.
The Cuisinart WMR-CA did decently well during safety tests. Most of the surfaces on the waffle maker are cool to the touch, even after several cooking sessions.
The Holstein 4-inch Waffle Maker is user-friendly. Much of the operation is simplified due to the lack of a control panel.
Once the indicator light at the top shuts off, pour in your batter and wait until your waffle is cooked to your liking. Due to its compact size, all of the surfaces on the waffle maker become piping hot after a few cooking sessions, so make sure to wear oven mitts while handling it. It’s because of this reason that the Holstein doesn’t score very well in our safety tests.
Cleaning the waffle maker after cooking is easy. The plastic housing doesn’t grip aggressively onto the dried batter, and the waffle plates’ non-stick coating ensures that it’s a mess-less affair.
Performance Test
The WMR-CA mostly fell short of expectations, struggling to produce anything but unsatisfyingly burnt and flavorless waffles in our tests with the self-mixed waffle recipe. Its performance ratings were thankfully redeemed in later tests with pre-mixed Birch Benders mix, where it pulled out all the stops and amazed us with surprisingly tasty results.
Though our chef was satisfied with the waffle's quality and noted it as “decent”, it didn’t stand out from the other mini models in our test.
Overall Scores
Pros & Cons
- Affordable
- Did a great job in our test with Birch Benders mix
- Fast cooking time
- Compact and lightweight design makes it easy to store
- Highly affordable
- Compact size and lightweight
- Handling is simple and smooth
- Acceptable build quality
- Excellent cleanability rating
- Poor performance on self-mixed recipe
- Heating element is too strong and can easily burn waffles
- Dim indicator lights
- Mediocre cooking performance with our self-mixed recipe
- Cheap-looking design
- Lacks a control panel
- Safety rating is very low
Conclusion
The Cuisinart WMR-CA Classic is very popular amongst the classic-style waffle makers. Compared to the more popular Belgian-style waffle makers out there, the likes of the Cuisinart WMR-CA bake diner-style waffles that are thinner and have smaller pockets.
While they aren’t as filling as Belgian waffles, classic-style waffles cook much faster. The Cuisinart WMR-CA, for example, took less than 3 minutes to deliver a cooked waffle in our performance tests.
The Holstein Housewares HH-09125016B is a mini waffle maker. Built as compact and lightweight as possible, this waffle maker is no larger than a softball. The size makes it highly attractive for travelers and campers as it can easily fit inside a backpack to make fresh waffles on the go.
You can also use the Holstein Mini at home to bake snacks. The 4-inch waffles it makes are excellent for this purpose.
Behind the Comparison
Matthew Lee is a writer and editor for HealthyKitchen101. With over 8 years working for various outlets and agencies, specializing in tech review and other subjects of note, such as current affairs.
Tuyet Pham is an award-winning Saigonese chef passionate about delicious and healthful foods. At HealthyKitchen101, she develops recipes and collaborates with our Research, Testing, and Review lab to evaluate the performance of cooking appliances. Her assessments add a strong authoritative voice to our product scoring process.
Lap is Head of the Research, Testing, and Review Team (RTR Team) at HealthyKitchen101.com, where he directs and supervises the testing of kitchen gadgets and appliances.
