Oils, grease, butter, olive oil, coconut oil sprays, and batter can build up on your Waffle maker over time if you do not clean it after each waffle baking process. Olive oil and spays are the worse for greasy buildup. Cleaning grease buildup on waffle makers can be an overwhelming chore.

Grease buildup on waffle irons can cause bacteria to grow and you don’t want to eat that in your next batch of waffles.

Bits of cooked on waffle batter will turn to carbon and that acts as an insulator that will slow your cooking time making your waffle machine ineffective. As your cooking time slows down due to debris buildup, the electrical components inside will overheat causing the maker to stop working or short out.

Maintenance after cooking done for the day will keep carbon flakes that taste bad off your freshly made waffles.

Waffles on a plate freshly made are popular breakfast items at home and restaurants.

Chicken and waffles are now available at fast-food and sit-down restaurants for a quick meal and no clean-up by the diners.

However, to make your own crispy fried tender and moist inside chicken, use an air fryer with 70% less grease and not much to clean up.

The NuWave^® 6-quart air fryer is inexpensive and has a basket divider to make two items at the same time digitally controlled.

Waffle Iron Plates or Grids Degreasing

The manufacturers of waffle makers tell buyers that the plates/grids should be cleaned after each use. It’s easier to do each time rather than waiting until the buildup is so thick it’s next to impossible to clean—yet it is cleanable.

The lattice pattern of the plates, also called grids, are easy to brush away crumbs on non-stick coated aluminum. Use an old non-abrasive tooth brush after the unit has been unplugged and cooled off for a few hours.

To remove sticky grease from waffle makers, turn the unit off, unplug and let cool. Then use 3-4 sheets of wet paper towels between the grids and close the lid.

Never use carbon-buildup cleaner and never use metal to clean with. Doing so can damage the grids severely making the coating to chip and flake off into your food. If needed, use nylon utensils for cleaning grease off waffle makers.

Read your instruction manual to see if your unit needs to be preseasoned and do as it tells you.

Cast-iron waffle irons used on open camp fires or a gas stove must be preseasoned. To do that, remove the plates and cover with cooking oil or shortening.

Put the plates on a cookie sheet cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven at 350-degrees F. for about a half-hour. Turn off the oven and let the plates cool inside it for an hour or more until you can touch them with bare hands.

The entire electric waffle iron maker cannot go into the oven! You will ruin the plastic handles and electronics inside!

When cleaning greasy cast iron plates, do not use soap. It will remove the seasoning oil and you’ll need to re-season again. As time goes by, you will need to re-season again, but why do it every time you clean?

Food Grade Degreaser for Cleaning Waffle Irons

Use 409 Degreaser, or similar, if your waffle unit is horribly covered with grease and hard batter. Typically, a brush will work.

Wipe the housing, lid, and handles after each time waffles are made. Wipe with a damp sponge or cloth in dishwashing detergent hot water. Rinse, and towel dry.

Clean spillovers as they occur and clean more thoroughly after having your waffles. The spots usually will be greasy and while not harmful, look terrible.

Spills that enter the housing, the inside components, can damage the workings and cause your unit to stop working.

GP66 Green Miracle Cleaner is an excellent cleaner for removing grease on waffle makers. Both products are available on Amazon.com

Waffle makers manufactured today will give you quality food for many years.

Useful Tip

Use a nylon scrubbing pad to remove stubborn dried on batter bits, since it won’t scratch the waffle iron with more cleaning ability to scrub more effectively than with a cloth.

You might need to replace your waffle maker. Today’s heating elements and thermostats last longer when you keep your waffle iron clean.

How to clean a waffle iron video.

How to restore vintage cast-iron waffle irons video.

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