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Dominion Electric Corporation Wafflemaker Manual

Jerry Stratton, August 21, 2019

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I have never been a fan of single-purpose kitchen tools. They take up space and are only used on that rare occasion when their purpose comes into play. Waffle irons are no different. If I want a waffle, I figured, I could just go out and have someone else make me one. Why would I want to use space in my kitchen for an appliance I’m literally only going to use when I want to make waffles?

Then I saw this beautiful old waffle-maker at the local antique mall, for $5, marked “works” and I couldn’t resist. It makes small waffles—about 4 ½ by 5 ¼ inches, just right for a moderate breakfast—and two at a time. It’s the perfect waffle maker.

There was only one problem: each side uses its own plug, and the waffle maker only came with one cord with one plug. This meant only making one waffle at a time. So I started haunting eBay for an extra cord.1 I discovered that there are a lot of these waffle makers out there, and sellers have a very inflated sense of what they’re worth. They usually list for far more than $5 (especially with shipping added in) and they literally never sell.

As I started to use the waffle maker, I discovered another problem. It seems like a simple thing to use a waffle maker, but in practice it isn’t. Do I need to grease the iron? That seemed to make more of a mess than people would be willing to put up with. The gauge on the top of the irons goes from low, to bake, to hot. Which do I wait for when making waffles? It seems like I’d want it to be hot, but then what is bake for?

At which point I noticed something else about the Dominion waffle irons on eBay. None of them come with manuals or instructions. A detailed search of the Internet and there are no reproductions of the manual either.

Dominion waffle iron 1350: The Dominion Electric Corporation twin waffle iron, model 1350.; waffles; Dominion Electric Corporation; antiques

Dominion Model 1350 twin waffle irons

The only Dominion waffle maker I’ve ever seen bid on, I bid on. Because it came with the manual (and it was only about $20 with shipping). Even then, with photos of the manual, doing a search on the title of the manual still comes up with nothing. Since it’s a short manual, and it has very useful information, I figured I’d reproduce it. The full title is Directions for Operating Waffle Iron and Tested Recipes (PDF File, 80.4 KB).

The short answers to my questions are, use bake for making waffles; hot means the iron is overheating. And grease the iron once to season it, after which it shouldn’t need reseasoning unless the iron overheats (or, presumably, you wash it with soapy water). Bake waffles for 4-5 minutes.

And it helped. The waffles no longer stick to the top grid; they’re crisper; and it isn’t nearly as messy making them.

These instructions came with the Dominion Electric Corporation Model 1315A round waffle maker, but they are clearly generic instructions for any Dominion iron at least for the period the manual was written.2

I’ve made it available in two forms: a simple PDF (PDF File, 80.4 KB) that reproduces the text in a more readable form, and a PDF of scans of the original (PDF File, 1.6 MB).

Chicken and homemade waffles: Chicken and waffles, waffles made on a Dominion 1350 twin waffle iron.; fried chicken; waffles

Because nothing says “moderate” like chicken and waffles.

Instructions for Waffle Irons

The following instructions apply to automatic, non-automatic, twin or single waffle irons. The automatic waffle iron is equipped with a thermostatic control and a signal light which glows until baking temperature is reached and again until waffle is baked. The non-automatic waffle iron has an indicator in which the pointer moves toward the “bake” zone and also indicates “hot”, at which point the waffle iron is overheated. Note: The first time the waffle iron is heated, it may smoke a trifle. This is due to newness and will not occur again.

To Operate:

Automatic—Connect only to alternating current of 110-120 volt.

Non-automatic—Connect to either alternating current or direct current of 110-120 volt.

Preheat:

Automatic—Set control knob midway between lighter and darker and preheat, with grids closed until signal light stops glowing.

Non-automatic—Preheat, with grids closed, until pointer of indicator reaches the “bake” zone.

Care of grids:

Season—Before using waffle iron the first time, preheat to baking temperature then brush both grids thoroughly with cooking oil or melted unsalted shortening. Discard the first waffle as it will absorb any excess grease. It should not be necessary to treat the grids again unless the film of oil is destroyed by overheating. If waffles begin to stick, clean the grids and season again. See “Causes For Sticking.” While waffle iron is still warm, remove crumbs and wipe grids with a dry cloth or paper toweling. Never leave waffle iron connected for any length of time without baking, as this will cause the grids to darken.

Cleaning:

When finished baking waffles, disconnect waffler and allow to cool with grids open. Clean the outside with a damp cloth then polish with a dry soft cloth. Never immerse appliance in water, as this will ruin the heating element. If waffles stick, use wire brush to clean.

Light waffle on the waffle iron: Light waffles from America’s Bicentennial Kitchen on a Dominion Waffle Iron.; waffles

Amazing how much better things are after reading the instructions.

Baking:

Automatic—Follow foregoing instructions to “Preheat”. Pour batter until it spreads to about 1 inch from edge of grid. Close cover. Signal light will glow until waffle is finished. If the first waffle is not of the desired brownness, adjust control knob toward lighter or darker according to your preference.

Non-automatic—Preheat, then pour batter to within 1 inch from edge of the grid. Close cover and bake until steaming stops. (About 4 or 5 min.)

Twin waffle irons—Proceed as for single unit waffle irons. Occasionally when only one waffle is desired, or only enough batter remains for one waffle, bake on the right hand side unit. Keep the left hand side unit open during the baking, so it will not overheat.

Some causes for sticking

  1. Allowing the iron to become overheated or stand preheated too long before pouring the batter. This burns out the coating of fat on the grids and will cause sticking. If this is the case, pretreat as for a new waffle iron.
  2. Starting to bake before the iron is hot enough. Iron is at a correct temperature when a drop of water will roll around on the grid.
  3. Attempting to lift cover before waffle is done. Wait until steaming has stopped.
  4. Insufficient shortening in the batter. Two or more tablespoons of shortening are required for each cup of flour.

Download the PDF for Dominion Electric Corporation “Directions for Operating Waffle Iron & Tested Recipes”. (PDF File, 80.4 KB)

Which means I now have two waffle makers, when I never expected to have even one. In my defense, the Model 1315A is a round iron, and having started to pay attention to waffle recipes, one interesting idea is waffle cakes made with multiple round waffles.

  1. In fact, judging from what I’ve seen on eBay, it originally came with a single cord with two female plugs, though this may have varied from model to model and year to year.

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  2. Note that the manual itself does not mention Dominion. But it came with an insert of the exact same size and form that is a Dominion warranty.

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  1. <- Bread slice guide
  2. Roast beef sandwich day ->