On Food and Cooking

Today the difference between wafers and
waffles is a matter of texture. Wafers are thin,
dry, crisp, and when high in sugar are dense,
almost hard. The most familiar wafer is the
ice cream cone; there are also French cookies
called gaufres that are similar to very thin,
crisp tuiles. Waffles came to the United States
from Holland in the 18th century and are
thicker, lighter, and more delicate thanks to
leavening by either yeast or a baking powder,
which interrupts the cooked structure with gas
bubbles. They’re served fresh and hot, their
honeycomb structure filled with butter or
syrup.
Modern waffle recipes are often essentially
a lean pancake batter cooked in a waffle iron
instead of on a griddle, and they often produce
a disappointing result that is more leathery
than crisp. Crispness requires a high
proportion of fat, sugar, or both: otherwise the
batter essentially steams rather than fries, the
flour proteins and starch absorb too much