Belgian Waffle Maker with Removable Nonstick Plates

Makes the most perfect delicous waffles! I am buying a 2nd one because I love this one so much! ( to have at my cabin!) Makes delicous waffles that are soft and crispy at the same time! OMG the best around! Buy this! Oh and I also love that the plates are removable to make for easy cleaning!

After doing much research on non-stick coatings, I settled on a waffle maker with a ceramic surface. I have birds, and non-stick coatings can give off fumes that are deadly to birds. However, having never had an appliance with a ceramic coating, I couldn't judge the fairness of the negative reviews and that made me hesitant to order. In the end, I decided to just go for it, trusting that with my years of cooking and baking I could probably make this work. Turns out, I needn't have worried. This is a great waffle maker. I purposely waited until I'd used this appliance a number of times, so I could write an informed review. First, the ceramic coating is fantastic. After many batches of crispy, brown waffles, I've never had one stick. Cleanup is a breeze. Second, there's no need to eliminate oil in your recipe or do anything special with preparing the grids. My waffle recipe uses a half cup of vegetable oil and it works just fine. I preheat the waffle maker while I'm mixing the batter. Once it’s hot, I brush the grids with a very small amount of oil - and I do mean small. I just dab the brush in the oil. If you have oil running down the grids as you brush them, you're using too much. (Note #1: I rarely have to re-oil the grids after the first time. Note #2: I don't use cooking spray, it damages non-stick finishes). Third, I use the waffle maker on the #3 setting to ensure it gets hot enough to crisp the waffle. I spoon about 3/4 cup of batter onto the hot grids, close the waffle maker and flip it. Wait until most of the steam stops coming out (the green ready light usually comes on about then), then flip it back and open it. The waffles are always nicely browned and crispy. Lastly, I’m careful about maintaining the appliance. When I'm finished, I never put the grids in the dishwasher. Dishwasher detergent is very harsh. It takes only a couple of minutes to wash the grids by hand with soapy water, dry them, and put them back in the waffle maker. Mine still look and work like new. I hope this helps anyone who might be on the fence about whether or not to take a chance on this appliance.

Waffles come out very well. Clean up is easy with removable plates.

I debated waffle makers for a long time. In the end, I decided the most important feature for me as that the plates could be completely removed for thorough washing. I've had a small one that wasn't, and it took longer to try to wipe it clean than it took to make waffles! I was never satisfied with the results. The plates on this one come off and on very easily and clean beautifully. I've used a non stick spray and without and am pleased either way. Some reviewers said they found the drip tray useless, but I quite like it. It catches overfill dripes and is extremely easy to wash. Nothing sticks to it. I like that the unit can be stored vertically to save room. It makes BIG waffles. It takes longer than I expected though. I guess since it is "Belgian" I associated it with those huge units you see in restuarants and at hotels that offer breakfast items including "make your own waffles". Those are very hot and very fast. This is not that size or professional grade. If you are feeding a family, you will need to start the waffles early and keep them warm until enough are made so that everyone gets one at the same time. OR, I've read that some make the waffles in advance and freeze them. You can set a timer, once you figure out how long it takes to get the waffle the way you like it, and then do other things only having to come back when the timer sounds. You can make as many as you want without having the hungry family waiting and fighting over the 1st waffles. After they cook, you can freeze them and then thaw overnight and reheat in the oven or toaster. This unit has a red and green light to indicate when it is hot enough to begin cooking, but other than that, I didn't find I could guage anything by that light. We like our waffles crispy. So, I put the knob on the darkest setting and it still takes 7 minutes or so using whole wheat flour batter. A lighter batter might cook faster. So, until you see what works for your family, you have to just keep checking the waffle every couple of minutes rather than trusting the green light. It will cycle back and forth between red and green and it has very little to do with when I determine the waffle is cripsy enough. I have only one complaint with this item. The back edge of the plate (the side farthest from the handle) does not seem to get as hot as the rest of the plate. So, when I decide the waffle is brown enough to remove, that edge is always less cooked and cripsy. This would only be an issue if you like your waffles soft and less brown because you'll have to make sure that edge is actually not raw still. Overall, I think this a grood product and a great price. Very happy.

This Hamilton Beach Flip Belgian Waffle Maker is capable of making some excellent waffles--every bit as good as the kind many people enjoy at the continental breakfast line at some hotels, with the only difference being that this waffle maker does not have an automated timer that beeps when the waffle is ready. Instead, you dial in the desired temp setting (I set mine on 1, the second-lowest option), pour on the batter, close the lid and rotate the handle to turn the griddles over, then wait approximately five minutes until the steaming tapers off. Lift the lid and VOILA! You have an exquisite waffle! Obviously, the taste and cook time of the waffles depends on the recipe for the batter you use. I find that mixes which include eggs make the fluffiest most authentic tasting kind, but if you look around you can find a good one that does not require you to whip/beat the egg whites, which is tiring and time-consuming. There are also some good instant mixes out there. I noticed other reviewers commenting that some of these do not heat properly. I did not have that problem. Mine gets piping/steaming hot and has given me no trouble. It takes about 5-7 minutes to initially warm up, at which point a green "Ready" light illuminates. After every 2 waffles you cook, it's good to let it re-heat for a moment because if you keep pouring on the batter in rapid succession, it will overwhelm the heating element, causing it to take noticeably longer to re-heat and cook the third waffle (and will cook that waffle inconsistently as a result). Not a big deal. The only quibble I have here is that this waffle maker doesn't feel particularly durable. It works fine, but only time will tell if it holds up. For $22 on a lightning deal, I think it was an outstanding value regardless. One last point: These waffles are quite large. Many folks will be satisfied to split one in half with a significant other. Otherwise, you had better be hungry if you're going to eat a whole one yourself. [UPDATE 12/18/2017: One year later and this waffle maker is still going strong! I love it! I've used it at least 50 times this year, probably quite a bit more than that, and all the waffles have come out great!]

I purchased this item for use at my beach house, in spite of many reviews that stated the product would not heat up sufficiently. The waffle iron arrived as promised and works like a charm. Removable, dishwasher safe grids are fantastic. Folding handle helps with storage. My family was so impressed that another one was purchased for use at our primary residence. The 2nd waffle iron DID NOT HEAT TO NEEDED TEMPERATURE (as indicated by many other reviews). A call to Hamilton Beach customer support was no help. I was advised to pre-heat and cook longer. Still did not finish waffles. I turned on the waffle maker with the grids removed, and realized that the heating elements were not turning red. Another call to Hamilton Beach was no help at all. Due to a family vacation, I waited too long to return the 2nd none-functioning waffle maker. But I still love the 1st working unit. I purchased a 3rd Waffle Iron. When it arrived and was fresh of the delivery truck, I unboxed the unit, removed the grids and plugged the unit in. The heating elements glowed a reassuring red and generated lots of heat. Bottom line is that the product is outstanding if you get one that works. Do the "red heating element visual test" as soon as your product arrives. If you got a good one congrats, if not, send that puppy back and request a replacement, repeat as needed. My batting average is .666 (2 for 3). I love this product's design and the waffles that it makes. Just make sure the one that is delivered can heat up to the desired temperature...

I really like this one! Waffles are my thing and I make them 1-2x/week faithfully. I like having removable plates but did not want to purchase the same brand I owned previously which had removable plates. After a lot of searching and considering, I went with HB for the ceramic, removable plates. I've used it a couple of times and love it. Waffles are perfect, plates remove and clean up with ease. I hand wash after each use and give a quick spray of oil prior to use. I have not had an issue with sticking--waffles lift right out. If you are having a time deciding like I was, move this one to the top of the list if it sounds like this will suit your needs!

Here's an update to go with the pic of stuck-on waffle---- After three or four weeks of constant use, I finally took off the plates and put them in the dishwasher. Upon taking them out of the dishwasher, I stuck them in the waffle maker and began using them. Big mistake. It stuck tight. I should have sprayed them with oil first. I believe the directions say you don't have to use oil on them except the first time but I didn't find that to be true. I sprayed them once but they continued to stick. So I had to use spray every other waffle and I definitely had to spray when I had a sugary ingredient like chocolate chips. So I won't be putting them in the dishwasher again. Just being able to remove them and clean them is good enough for me. Something with almost 2,500 reviews really doesn't need another one but here goes anyway. I have never owned a waffle iron. Didn't see the point but another vacation this year with a waffle iron in the hotel lobby for the complimentary breakfast made me do it. Glad I did. My teenagers love it. I love the throw in dishwasher part although I haven't. We've been using it at least every other day. Since reading about the orange peeling off from another review after a year or so, I probably won't ever actually put it in the dishwasher. I won't be mad either if it doesn't last more than a year after so much use. It also wasn't a $100 purchase so I think if it lasts 6 months I'm good. It will probably be on sale for Black Friday anyway. Our first set of waffles were perfect. The only recipe I had called for eggs but we didn't have any so I looked on Pinterest for an eggless recipe. Found - 2 cups flour, 2 tsp sugar, 4 tsp baking powder, 4 tbl melted butter, 2 tbl water, 2 tsp vanilla, 2 cups milk and 2 tbl oil. Like I said, perfect. Light fluffy kind of crispy on outside. Started adding choc. chips, nutmeg, pecans, apples, blueberries, etc. in subsequent batches. Still perfect. Just the right thickness to hold extras. We ran out of flour so tried Hungry Jack pancake complete mix and it was edible. Just tasted like pancakes, only thicker. Won't do that again. UPDATE LESS THAN A YEAR FROM PURCHASE-MAJOR DOWNGRADE FROM 5 STARS Just overheated this morning and handle melted off. Just used it yesterday and made one waffle before unplugging it to make more waffle mix. Plugged it back up to reheat. Less than 10 minutes later see pics