Waffling

Two weeks ago: I love my new waffle maker!

Four days later: I hate my cheap, piece of junk, waffle maker!

I guess you could say I'm waffling about my waffle maker. My previous post was about Kodiak Power Cakes, a wonderful pancake mix that has extra protein and fiber. The box advertises that it's a flapjack and waffle mix. I like flapjacks fine, but I just love me some waffles, and I couldn't wait to try some Kodiak ones.

One problem. My waffle maker is in Utah. Since I will eventually be living with that appliance again one day, I decided not to splurge, and just get the most basic, inexpensive model here in Saint Charles. That may have been my first mistake.

Lo, and behold, the first time I made waffles, they came out beautifully. Light golden nooks and crannies that held my syrup perfectly. I loved my Kodiak waffles, and my cute, little waffle maker. 

The next time I wanted waffles, I decided to make a big batch, and freeze them for quick breakfasts. I went the extra mile, and pulled out my hand mixer, beating the egg whites until stiff peaks formed. I gently folded the waffle batter into the egg whites. These waffles were going to be light and crispy, just the way I like them.

Except for one thing. The batter stuck to the waffle maker. I was reminded of Bridger and the AWFUL WAFFLE story. It's a sad story of a special waffle breakfast gone wrong, with very similar results. 

Ugh. I scraped and pulled and peeled, until all of the crispy bits were removed from the iron, and tried again. That waffle stuck, too. And the next batch, and the next. 

Hey, you have to admit I'm nothing, if not persistent. I finally gave up, and pulled out a frying pan, and poured some batter into it. While consulting with friends as to what I was doing wrong with my waffles, I even managed to burn the pancake.

It was suggested that the waffle maker needed to be seasoned. I knew about seasoning cast iron pots and pans, but Teflon? It was worth a shot. I removed all of the waffle crumbs, and wiped the Teflon surface with a dry paper towel. I coated the top and bottom griddles with oil. Then I heated up the waffle maker, and let the oil do its thing. Just for the heck of it, since I had a bit of batter left, I tried one more time, and just to be safe, I sprayed the iron with cooking oil before pouring the batter.

VOILA! Perfect waffles, once again.

I love my waffle maker once more. Yes, I waffled once again. I will just have to make sure I never use soap and water to clean it, and keep it well-oiled in between uses. 

Making awful waffles is hopefully a thing of the past. I'm looking forward to waffling on a regular basis now.