Author: Tosh Lubek Published: 30th April 2021
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If you’re a big fan of your waffle iron, you may have come across information that tells you not to use cooking sprays as a way of greasing the plates – partly because cooking sprays tend to leave a greasy residue that’s quite tricky to shift when it comes to cleaning the iron. However, do you know how to grease a waffle iron without spray?
The best way to grease a waffle iron is to use a soft brush, such as a silicone basting brush or a pastry brush. This will get between the grids easily, leaving every area of the waffle iron suitably non-stick, without having to spend ages working the oil or butter into the cracks.
What Kind of Tool Should I Use?
The most important thing is that whatever you use is soft. You don’t want to scratch the non-stick coating, and any harsh tool will do so; choose a tool that is pliable and gentle.
Brushes are great because they get into all the edges of the waffle maker without you having to spend a long time working the tool in and wriggling it around.
You can very easily buy silicone pastry brushes that will apply the grease with just a few flicks of the wrist. They have plenty of bristles for getting in all the edges and cracks of the waffle maker, and they are very soft; they won’t scratch the non-stick coating at all.
You could also consider a natural fiber brush. These can be purchased inexpensively online as well, and because the bristles are thinner, they may do an even better job of distributing the grease, especially if you’re using a thicker grease such as butter.
A natural fiber brush will hold more oil, too, since it has more fibers and therefore more wicking power. They aren’t as commonly seen as the silicone brushes, but will give you better coverage with less work, and they should easily be soft enough to use on your waffle maker.
Grease Your Waffle Batter to Avoid Sticking
If you’re having trouble with your waffle maker sticking and you don’t want to directly grease the waffle maker, another solution is to add some grease to your batter – this will help to keep it non-stick without having to pile the grease into the waffle maker.
You do not have to add huge quantities to make a difference, but often, more is better. If you don’t have enough fat, your waffles may stick and get spoiled, so it’s better to be generous, and not end up with burnt-on waffle batter that you have to try and scrape off without scraping off the coating.
Putting the grease into the mixture instead of into the waffle maker reduces the chances of you scratching its coating and can also reduce the amount of build-up on the waffle maker’s plates. You won’t have to do as much cleaning, and you should still find that your waffles lift out easily.
You can use either oil or fat, but you need something to make sure the batter isn’t so sticky that it clings to the waffle maker.
What Kind of Grease to Choose for Waffle Making?
It doesn’t seem to matter which oil or fat you choose in order to make the batter non-stick, so select your favorite. You do want to make sure that the oil has a high smoke point so it doesn’t ruin the flavor of your waffles.
Many vegetable oils are considered acceptable, especially those with a neutral flavor. Canola oil is also a good option. If you want something that will flavor your waffles, think about what toppings you’re going to be using, and don’t pair avocado oil with ice cream unless you like that combination.
If you’re using a hard fat like butter or ghee, you will need to soften it before adding it to your batter, or it won’t combine properly, and you’ll end up with lumps, which will turn into pockets of grease when you try and cook the batter.
Making sure the hard fat is soft will also be important if you want to brush it directly onto the waffle maker’s plates instead; it’s much easier to get melted or nearly-melted butter into all those crevices than to try and squash down hard lumps. While the butter will melt when the iron gets hot, it may not be distributed evenly.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you now understand how to grease a waffle iron without spray. It can be done easily enough, or you can avoid putting grease directly on the plates by combining it with your batter instead.
You will still need to clean the waffle iron, but it won’t be nearly as tricky to clean, and you won’t be dealing with several layers of glued-on grease.
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Tosh learned how to cook while watching his Polish Mom at home. He also worked in a family-owned restaurant while a student and learned much from the chefs. Cooking has always interested him, especially the hearty Polish recipes he learned from his mother. He has helped create and appeared on cookery shows on radio stations in Scotland.
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