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Cleaning waffle irons


How to Clean an Electric Waffle Maker

By

Jessica Harlan

Jessica Harlan

Freelance food writer, trained chef, and kitchen equipment expert Jessica Harlan has written eight cookbooks on topics such as quinoa and ramen.

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Updated on 10/10/19

 The Spruce

Waffles are a welcome breakfast treat on a Sunday morning, but what's not welcome is the task of cleaning the gunked-up waffle maker. All of those crevices in the grid are prime batter traps and it can be frustrating.

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Don't give up on waffles just yet. Cleanup doesn't have to be a pain if you have a few tricks in your arsenal. Before you cook another waffle, commit these tips to memory.

Steps to Getting That Waffle Maker Clean

The trick to cleaning a waffle maker is timing. It should not be hot, but don't put it off or forget to clean it either. Make a habit of cleaning it as soon as it cools down and you should have no problems.

  1. Wait for the waffle maker to cool before cleaning.
  2. Use a dry paper towel or a damp cloth to wipe away crumbs and soak up excess oil drips on the grid plates.
  3. Use a damp cloth to wipe down the exterior.
  4. To remove stubborn, baked-on batter drips, pour a few drops of cooking oil onto the batter. Let it sit a few minutes to soften, then wipe it away with a damp cloth or paper towel.
  5. Removable cooking plates can be gently washed in warm, soapy water, rinsed clean, and air-dried.
  6. Make sure your waffle maker is completely dry before putting it away.

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Don't Forget the Oil in the Grid

After every few uses, you will need to clean up oil that collects in the grid. Follow these simple steps:

  1. Wrap a small piece of paper towel around the pointy end of a chopstick.
  2. Moisten it slightly with white vinegar.
  3. Use it to wipe away the oil and residue within the grid.

5 Tips for Waffle Maker Maintenance

A good waffle maker that you know and trust is a great tool in the kitchen. With a few tips, you can keep it working and looking as good as new.

  1. Always refer to your instruction manual or the manufacturer's website for cleaning tips specific to your waffle maker.
  2. Nonstick waffle makers should only need a light coating of cooking oil before the first time they're used for the day (not before each waffle is made). It's better to use cooking oil either in a refillable spray bottle like a Misto or to brush it on with a pastry brush. Aerosol cooking sprays can leave a gunky residue on the nonstick surface. 
  3. Never submerge an electric waffle maker in water.
  4. Don't use sharp or metal tools to remove the cooked waffles or to scrape off caked-on batter. This may scratch the surface and create future problems with stuck waffles.
  5. If your waffles do begin to stick, make sure that you're greasing the grid with a proper amount of oil. Also, the butter in your batter will play a significant role. The more butter in your recipe, the fewer problems you'll have with stuck waffles.

How to Clean a Waffle Iron

By

Mary Marlowe Leverette

Mary Marlowe Leverette

Mary Marlowe Leverette is one of the industry's most highly-regarded housekeeping and fabric care experts, sharing her knowledge on efficient housekeeping, laundry, and textile conservation. She is also a Master Gardener with over 40 years' experience; writing for over 20 years.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process

Updated on 04/05/23

Reviewed by

Melissa Homer

Reviewed by Melissa Homer

Melissa Homer is a trained cleaning professional, consultant, and educator with a two-decade career spanning commercial and professional residential cleaning.

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The Spruce / Ana Cadena  

Project Overview

There's something magical about that crispy grid on a waffle that captures the pools of sweet syrup and melted butter. Sweet or savory, waffle batter tends to expand and pour out of the waffle iron while it's cooking. Sticky and baked-on batter is just one thing you'll want to clean off of your waffle maker.

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How Often to Clean a Waffle Iron

A waffle iron should be cleaned after every use to remove food particles that can allow bacteria to grow. A more detailed cleaning after several uses will remove any excess oil that can turn rancid and spoil the taste of the next batch of waffles. If you only use your waffle iron occasionally, the deeper cleaning should be done before storing the appliance.

Cleaning a True Waffle Iron

Waffle makers and waffle irons tend to be interchangeable terms. But if you have a true non-electric waffle iron, it should be cleaned just as you would a cast iron grill or piece of cookware.

Equipment / Tools

Materials

The Spruce / Ana Cadena 

  1. Unplug and Allow to Cool

    Never attempt to clean a hot waffle iron. Allow it to cool completely and unplug the appliance to prevent any accidents.

    Washing Removable Plates

    If your waffle maker has removable plates like the George Foreman Evolve Grill, unplug the machine and allow it to cool. Wash the plates in warm, soapy water or place them in the dishwasher if recommended by the manufacturer. Follow the same tips for cleaning the outside and removing build-up for the plates as recommended below.

    The Spruce / Ana Cadena 

  2. Brush Away Food Particles

    Once the waffle iron is cool, use a dry paper towel or a soft-bristled brush to remove any stuck-on food particles or crumbs.

    The Spruce / Ana Cadena 

    Soften Burnt Batter

    If some batter is baked-on, dab it with a couple of drops of cooking oil. The oil will soften the hard batter after a few minutes and make it easy to wipe away.

  3. Wipe Away Excess Oil From the Grid Plates

    If you can see excess oil, use a paper towel to absorb and wipe away the excess. Fold the paper towel into a square and use the point to get into each crevice. You can also use a paper towel wrapped around a chopstick to follow along each grid line.

    The Spruce / Ana Cadena  

  4. Prepare a Cleaning Solution

    Mix two cups of warm water and a few drops of dishwashing liquid. Wet a microfiber cloth or non-abrasive sponge with the solution and wring it out so it is not dripping. A dishwashing brush is another great option to clean the inside of the iron. The uneven surface can be difficult to navigate with towels and sponges, so a brush makes it much faster and easier. Good dish brushes are designed not to scratch non-stick surfaces, so work well on a waffle iron.

    The Spruce / Ana Cadena 

  5. Clean the Surface Grids

    Use the microfiber cloth to wipe down the grid surface making sure you get in-between each grid line. Rinse out the cloth in clean water and finish by wiping down the grids to remove any soapy residue.

    The Spruce / Ana Cadena  

  6. Clean the Outside of the Appliance

    Use the same cleaning solution to wipe down the exterior of the waffle maker. Follow-up with a rinsing wipe.

    The Spruce / Ana Cadena  

  7. Dry the Appliance

    Use a soft cloth to completely dry the inside and outside of the appliance. Never store a damp waffle maker.

    The Spruce / Ana Cadena  

  8. Deep Clean the Waffle Maker

    Even if you have cleaned the waffle iron after every use, surfaces can still become sticky and need a deeper cleaning. Mix a paste of baking soda and a few drops of hydrogen peroxide (it may bubble slightly). Use a paper towel or pastry brush to coat the grid surfaces and even the outside of the appliance if it feels oily or sticky.

    Allow the paste to remain on the surfaces for an hour or longer. The paste may turn brown as it absorbs excess oil. Then use a damp microfiber cloth to wipe away the paste and the gunk. Use toothpicks to remove any build-up caught in seams or crevices.

    Allow the waffle maker to dry before storing it.

    The Spruce / Ana Cadena 

Tips to Keep Your Waffle Maker Clean Longer

How to Clean 7 Small Kitchen Appliances

How to properly clean your waffle iron | Decorate

Who doesn't love a good fresh waffle? Many people don't want to pay for waffles at the cafeteria because they prefer to do it in their own home with a waffle iron. Anyone who has tried them knows how good they are and how easy they are to make. But cleaning the waffle iron well is another matter.

Whether your favorite waffles are sweet or savory, one of the keys to better tasting and looking waffles is a clean waffle iron (you don't like waffles that stick to the machine and come out in chunks).

These days, the terms waffle iron and waffle iron are used interchangeably. p. Technically, a waffle iron is made of cast iron, not electric, and is used to make waffles directly over a stove or campfire. A waffle iron is a small appliance with fixed or removable plates. If you have a real waffle iron, it should be cleaned like a cast iron grill or kitchen utensils.

Index

How often to clean the waffle iron

The waffle iron should be cleaned after each use. This will remove food particles that can promote bacterial growth. . A more thorough cleaning after a few uses will remove excess oil that can go rancid and ruin the taste of the next batch of wafers. If you use the waffle maker only occasionally, you should clean it more thoroughly before storing the appliance.

What you need

How to clean a non-removable waffle iron

How to clean the waffle iron with removable plates

If your waffle iron has removable plates, unplug the machine and let it cool down. Wash the plates in warm soapy water or put them in the dishwasher if recommended by the manufacturer. Follow the same tips to clean the exterior and remove plaque as recommended above.


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How to wash and clean the waffle iron from carbon deposits?

If we are talking about an old cast iron waffle iron for baking waffles on a regular stove, which you inherited from your mother, then you can apply the same cleaning methods to it as for old frying pans. After all, the waffle iron is actually two pans with handles connected to each other. On one of them we place the dough for waffles, and on the other we press it on top. Then we bake the dough on the stove, turning the waffle iron on one side or the other. Cleaning this waffle maker is easy. Just put it in a container of water and wait an hour or two. Care for such a waffle iron should be the same as for a regular frying pan made of a similar material, that is, clean and wash according to the manufacturer's recommendations after each use of the dishes. If you do this constantly, then soot on the waffle iron will not accumulate. But if time is lost, and the soot is still collected, then a problem arises: how to return the product to its original appearance and a clean, suitable for baking, inner working surface. With a thick layer of soot and fat, this is not at all easy to do. Will have to make an effort. Of course, it is easier to get rid of soot with the help of industrial chemicals that you can always buy at the store. But, despite the fact that they are able to quickly dissolve old fat, they should not be used in this case. Harmful inorganic acids and chemicals, which are necessarily part of these products, will not completely wash off the inner surface of the waffle iron, no matter how hard you try. Because of this, the remnants of harmful "chemistry" enter our body with food and, like a time bomb, gradually poison it.

Traditional cleaning methods

For kitchen utensils, including waffle irons, use other, environmentally friendly cleaning methods. I propose to recall the folk ways that our grandmothers used. Suitable for cleaning dishes from soot:

The following method of getting rid of carbon deposits is widely practiced: take a container large enough to place a waffle iron or other kitchen items that require cleaning from carbon deposits (frying pans, braziers, baking dishes, etc.) Fill with water so as to cover all objects fully. Add a generous handful of soda and a bottle or two of silicate glue to the water. There are also recipes where laundry soap is also used. All this should boil over low heat. The boiling time depends on the age of the deposits and the thickness of the soot layer. It may take several hours. During this procedure, turn on the hood or open a window, as vapors with a heavy, unpleasant odor will be released during the boiling of the solution. I'm sure a lot of people don't like this method. But that is not all. If there is a lot of soot, it will not dissolve completely, but will only soften. Even after prolonged boiling, additional efforts will be required to completely remove the black layer of burning from the dishes. Moreover, you can use a steel washcloth or a knife only to clean the outside and sides of the waffle iron. And its inner surface cannot be scratched. Here you need to work with a not very stiff brush. For example, a soft toothbrush works well for cleaning a checkered or honeycomb work surface. This work is painstaking and laborious. If you don't have the patience for this job, part with your old, antediluvian waffle iron. Buy yourself a new, modern electric waffle iron.

Caring for the electric waffle iron

Many models of electric waffle irons have a non-stick coating on the work surfaces. With proper care of the device, carbon deposits have no chance. Simply, after using the appliance, sweep away all the crumbs with a soft brush and wipe the warm surface with a paper towel or napkin that absorbs grease. Soften the sticky dough residues with vegetable oil. If the work surfaces are removable, maintenance of the appliance is even easier.

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