You've Been Cleaning Your Waffle Maker Wrong This Whole Time
Few things in the world come as close to perfection as freshly cooked waffles with maple syrup. Their origins lie in ancient Greece and can be traced back to a food item called 'obleios' that took advantage of hot iron metal to heat up batter and produce flat cakes (via the Smithsonian Magazine). Of course, these were very different from the waffles we've grown to love and appreciate today.
Since then, these wondrous desserts have evolved greatly, taking on several shapes, forms, and flavors. As the Guardian's Felicity Cloake notes, waffles are closely associated with festivities and can be found in the chirpiest of spaces such as fairs, fetes, and large celebratory occasions. Or you know, you could simply go to your nearest breakfast place for a plate of freshly made waffles. Or better yet, you could get yourself one of those fancy waffle makers in the market and get to work customizing your waffles with all the flavors you've ever dreamed of.
As heavenly as homemade waffles sound, there is definitely one catch that can make things trickier for most of us: cleaning the waffle maker after we're done making our delicious waffles. It can be a real chore trying to get rid of all those stuck-on bits. It shouldn't be this hard, right? Fortunately, there are a few ways out that will make this task less nightmarish.
Don't delay cleaning your waffle maker for too long
According to Chowhound, the trick to cleaning your waffle iron is to start the cleaning process not long after you've made your waffles. Basically, aim to begin when your device is still nice and warm (right after you shut it off) because it makes the whole cleaning process easier as you're less likely to deal with food remnants that are simply stuck there and are refusing to budge. Uh-oh. Another hack worth checking out is using a bit of oil to clean the parts of the batter that are hard to remove. Take cooking oil and pour it on the parts that are hard to remove. Leave it all alone for five minutes and then get to work with a paper towel or a suitable sponge to get your job done (via Oster).
Once you've handled the insides of the waffle maker, you can use a cloth to clean the outside of the device when it has cooled off enough. And oh, if you're dealing with an especially large mess, you may want to remove the plates (if that's an option) and clean them in the sink when everything has cooled down. In most other situations, the oil hack and getting to work while your device is still warm should work well. Good luck.