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Friday, September 2, 2011

Toaster Waffles

Toaster waffles have a tendency to taste like cardboard with sugar added. I usually don't buy them, unless I'm really craving that toaster waffle taste (which is pretty rare, maybe every other year or so). However, I have been severely bummed that I can't have my normal waffle excursion to the waffle place in town every weekend. I used to go down there, usually on Sunday, and get either and egg sandwich or a waffle.

So, I've been craving waffles lately (gee, I don't know why) and I came across one that said "Gluten-Free" on the package in big, bold letters. In smaller letters, but still on the front, it said "Egg-Free and Dairy-Free" so I decided to give it a try.

If regular toaster waffles taste like cardboard, this stuff tastes like granulated cardboard pressed back into a waffle shape. It was very granular and didn't hold together. It didn't taste and feel like a waffle should, even compared to other toaster waffles. I chose to do my first taste test with just butter and syrup, as it is a classic. It did have a nice crispy crust that I liked, but that is it.

I'm going to try them with some fruit and yogurt on top instead of butter and syrup to see if that makes a difference.

I think I'm going to add a waffle iron to my wish list so I can try to make my own toaster waffles at home, omitting the egg from the ingredients. They might taste better that way...

Trial and Error

So, I've been testing my new-found allergy to eggs, just to see what I react to... So far, baked goods don't usually make me react - things like cookies and cakes, as long as they don't have too many eggs. However, straight scrambled eggs tend to make my skin hyper-sensitive. It feels very itchy, but the act of scratching causes more pain, rather than alleviating the itch... Based on previous tests, I figured that anything that had the egg protein basically pulverized wouldn't make me react very much and anything that was primarily egg-based, like custard products, would make me react like the scrambled eggs.

Today, I was bored and hungry and I went in search of food. I tried a restaurant that does a fairly decent soup/sandwich lunch special, but the parking lot was full. I didn't feel like paying for parking in the garage across from the restaurant, so I headed back towards my house while figuring out what I wanted to eat. I settled on a local diner that Aaron and I like to go to. Once there, I didn't really feel like eating the lunch items, so I ordered off the breakfast menu. In defiance of my allergy (and because I was curious), I ordered French Toast. I used to enjoy the French Toast at this restaurant before my allergy was known.

Uh, yeah, that was not such a great idea. I didn't have the same skin sensitivity reaction as when I eat straight eggs, but my stomach wasn't too keen on the idea of eating such an egg-y product. I couldn't finish the plate (something I wouldn't have been able to conceive of before) and I felt rather nauseous afterward. So much so that I didn't have an appetite for dinner until around 10:00 PM this evening (even after a 3-mile hike in the mountains). I guess my aversion to eating eggs has made it more difficult to eat egg-y foods... Hopefully, this means that I will STOP craving eggs...