If you are a fan of your waffle maker, you might have run into some information telling you to avoid using the cooking spray as a means to lubricate your pan — in part, that is because cooking spray tends to leave behind a greasy residue that is pretty hard to move when it comes to cleaning the pan. Avoid using cooking sprays on the waffle iron because they may cause a buildup, instead, opt for cooking oil. You can use cooking sprays to coat your waffle iron with a uniform oil layer.
Use spray-on oils, rather than nonstick sprays that are blown up, to coat your butter prior to baking the waffles. Yes, waffle irons are nonstick, but you still need to smear these pans with either a cooking spray or brush with some neutral oil. Applying any sort of fat before cooking the waffles only makes your waffle iron plates harder to clean afterwards. If you have ever used an aerosol cooking spray to clean a waffle iron, just as you do when you grease up your pan to bake, you might notice that there is a brown, gooey residue.
Oily substances found around your kitchen, such as cooking spray, small amounts of cooking oil, or even butter, can all be helpful for cleaning up any sticky waffle iron. To prevent the waffles from sticking to your waffle iron, it is essential to use sufficient oil, or another fat such as butter, in your mixture. Ultimately, if you want a buttery waffle, you should probably simply throw a little oil on once your waffles are cooked and onto the plate. If you do not want to use butter at all, then using the fat is still essential, otherwise, your waffles will not only stick to the waffle maker, they will be limp and lackluster, missing that crispy crust waffles are known for.
You can use either oil or fat, but you will want to have something in there to ensure your dough is not sticky enough to cling to the waffle maker. If your waffles are starting to stick, be sure you are using an appropriate amount of oil to grease your grill. If you do not have cooking spray, you can put a little oil in the pan, then use a silicone basting brush to spread oil evenly across the whole surface of your waffle makers grill.
The best way to grease a waffle maker is with a soft brush, like a silicone basting brush or pastry brush. A soft brush will slip between the grills with ease, leaving each area of your waffle iron properly unsticky, without having to spend time working butter or oil into crevices. You will still have to clean your waffle iron, but it will not be nearly as difficult, nor will you have to contend with multiple layers of glued-on grease. Much like cleaning the George Foreman grill, which has removable plates, cleaning the waffle iron, which has removable plates, is fairly straightforward, straightforward, and follows a similar process.
Waffle irons have a nonstick coating on their plates, which easily scratches if you use the wrong kind of cleaner. If you find the bits from the waffles are crusted (we get it, not many people can resist the allure of fresh baked waffles), you will want to use either a waffle iron scraper or waffle iron scraper to help remove debris from your waffle plates.
Use proper tools Many waffle irons are made with non-stick coatings on their griddles, making it easier to remove your waffle mix after baking. If you are using a non-stick Teflon or ceramic waffle maker, but it seems like you are getting a lot of the waffle batter stuck on the surface, do not jump too quickly to the conclusion that you have a need for lubrication in your waffle maker.
Electric waffle makers collect butter and oil in the crevices, and because you cannot soak them in water or use soap on a non-stick surface, it takes time to clean up the cooking residue. Using it will provide a nice, even coating of oil, with no residual to burn off or stain the waffle maker.
When your pan is warm, but off, place a damp cloth on top of the nonstick surface; then, shut the lid, allowing it to sizzle and splatter. Spread a medium-thick coat of cooking oil, preferably Crisco, on the whole, nonstick grill surface with a pastry brush, then allow to rest an hour. To protect the cast iron, even more, rub some cooking oil all over the grilling surface using a pastry brush.
To clean your burned cast iron, spread tablespoons of coarse salt on your grill, then use an old toothbrush to scrape away any gunk. Simply rub oil over the greasy surfaces, then wipe off the residue with a clean paper towel or dishcloth. You can also spray small amounts of cooking oil on the sticky bits of waffle, then leave for a minute. The only time you will want to add oil or butter before making your waffles is if you are looking for an added flavor boost.
The best approach is to use spray one time when starting the waffles, then refrain from using it again throughout your waffle-making sessions. As we mentioned before, cooking sprays build up over time on the waffle grill and can leave a tacky coating.
Make a paste of one part water and one part all-purpose flour, allow your pan to fully heat up, oil as if it were cooking normal waffles, and bake the sacrifice waffles, picking up all browned or burned bits.
How to Clean Your Cast-Iron Waffle Maker
To clean a cast-iron waffle maker (like the one you used when you went camping), you are going to want to pick up some Crisco. Among its many other awesome features, the ceramic, non-stick plates not only help keep waffles from sticking to the plates while they are baking, but they are also incredibly easy to clean once you are done baking and eating.