If you're buying a pizzelle maker for the first time you should think about how big you want your pizzelle cookies to be. I like to make mine into ice cream bowls as well as eat them as cookies, so I have to have the larger 5-inch cookies. I also do a lot of cooking with small kids and grown-ups who don't cook much, so I made sure that my pizelle maker a Steam Guard feature, so there would be fewer burns. And lastly I need to cook a lot of pizzelles quickly, so my pizzelle maker maintains a constant heat so I don't have to wait for the pizzelle maker to warm up between batches. It seems these days that most pizzelle makers come with non-stick cooking plates. But it's always good to check that they indeed are. If not you could find your pizzelles sticking to the appliance, which is very frustrating!

To bake great pizzelles you need the right batter and a pizzelle maker. Basic pizzelle batter in my house is usually: 3 eggs, 3/4 C. Sugar, 3/4 C. Butter or Oil, 1 1/2 C. Flour, and 1 Tsp. Baking Powder. From this pizzelle batter you get about 2 dozen really large pizelles and 3 dozen smaller ones. And I'm sure if you went next door to my equally Italian neighbor, she would give you a different recipe! So you have to keep experimenting until you find the pizelle recipe you and your family can't live without. And I say this is a noble and fabulous tasting quest to enjoy together!

Bake 2 pizzelles ever 30 seconds with the VillaWare V3600-NS Prego Nonstick Pizzelle Baker. It's a great way to introduce kids to cooking and you can do it safely with this pizelle baker because it has a Steam Guard to protect little hands. There's an automatic thermostat with ready light and the non-stick surface ensures a quick clean up. Each pizzelle is imprinted with the traditional Italian fiore design. The VillaWare Prego Pizzelle Baker is a convenient size at 4 inches tall and a counter footprint of 15 inches by 12 inches. It can be stored either upright or on its side. The 5-inch pizzelles are the perfect size to make one-scoop ice cream bowls.

The most exciting feature of the Chef's Choice 835 Pizzelle Pro Express Bake is that this electric pizzelle baker maintains its heat, so that you don't have to wait for it to come back up to the right temperature to make your next batch of pizzelles. It also lets you specific how brown or crunchy or soft you want your pizzelles to be. Pizzelle baking really can't get much easier that that! The heat up and ready lights keep you smoothly on your quest of making the perfect pizzelle. So you can basically make 3 pizzelles every 45 to 60 seconds, depending how thick and baked you want them to be. The baking plates are non-stick and there's an overflow channel if you put too much batter in the pizzelle baker. The Chef's Choice Pizzelle Pro also comes with recipes, a batter spoon, and a wooden cannoli-dowl.

Although it doesn't affect the taste of a pizzelle at all, a traditionally perfect pizzelle should have a floral design on one side and a basket-weave design on the other. And the CucinaPro Nonstick Pizzelle maker has two beautiful designs to impress the most critical Italian gourmet bakers. On the more practical side it can make two 5-inch pizzelle at a time. Extra-thick cooking plates ensure that the heat is evenly distributed which results in perfectly cooked pizzelles. The Steam Guard feature protects your hands and makes cooking with children easier and safer. Non-stick cooking plates ensure that your pizzelles come off in one piece and that your pizzelle maker cleans easily.

The Cuisinart WM-PZ2 Pizzelle Press makes two 4-inch pizzelles. Which is great if you like to make flat pizzelle cookies or filled pizzelle cookies flat. But if you like to turn them into cones or make dessert baskets out of them, you might find this model a bit limiting. But it does have a nice locking feature to ensure that the pizelles bake evenly. It also has 5 different cooking settings. So if you do like your pizzelles flat and many people do, this would be a great choice. There are red and green indicator lights which show when the pizzelle press is ready for more batter. The non-stick cooking plates ensure that your pizzelles come off in one piece and clean up is quick and easy.

Sometimes life is too busy to make everything from scratch. And some of us lets face it, just can't get our arms around recipes. Then for goodness sakes use a mix. Then you and your family can still enjoy the homemade taste of pizelles. And I think this is more important, you can enjoy the fun of cooking together. Children really do enjoy food more if they've helped cook it.