How to Use a Cast Iron Waffle Maker

I love waffles, they’re just my favorite. In my heart, no pancake can compare to the perfect crisp and fluffiness that a waffle has to offer. And don’t give me a Belgian waffle, I like those squares small and crispy! For ten years I used my typical electric non-stick waffle maker, until it finally gave up and died on me. I hesitantly ordered another one of the same kind, full well knowing that it wouldn’t be made the way it once was. Three months in with my new waffle iron, and the non-stick coating burnt and deemed itself highly toxic and useless. In this time, my husband also sends me a mini documentary on YouTube about C8 and Teflon and I decided the price and effort of a cast iron waffle maker was definitely worth it. In reality, spending money on a pan that won’t go bad (if you treat it right) isn’t so bad after all. Now, if it ends up sitting in the depths of the cupboard and never being used then it’s a wasted investment…so I weighed my options and decided that I love waffles enough for it to be worth a shot.

After reading and rereading reviews off of Amazon, I bought this Lehman’s cast iron waffle maker. It's a round waffle maker with those small squares that I prefer and at a fair enough price. The reviews seemed to be a “love it or hate it” response and I had a feeling the disgust for the product was probably due to user malfunction. (I think it’s safe to say that’s the most common issue with cast iron.)

Heads up, I cook with a gas stove so if you have an electric stove you may need to tweak the heat level a bit. Fire stoves do not maintain a specific temperature, they only maintain the size of the flame which is different compared to an electric stovetop which does maintain a specific temperature. So, let’s get to it.

Prepping your waffle iron.

If you bought a cast iron pan of any sort and it says “pre-seasoned”, please, just disregard those words. If you trust that and go on ahead using it without seasoning it yourself, you’re very likely head towards a very messy situation. Especially, with a waffle iron. It just isn’t worth it, go ahead and season the thing.  Some people season their pans in the oven but I just use the stove top, and this is how I did it for my waffle iron.

First, set your waffle iron on the stove top and turn the fire on between high and medium. Let sit for 5 minutes, then generously coat the bottom waffle iron (not the bottom OF the waffle iron, only the insides!) with some high-quality extra virgin olive oil. Let sit on the fire another 4 minutes.

Now, flip the waffle iron over and repeat for the other side that is now on the bottom.

Do you need a waffle recipe before you get started? Check out ours here.

Start cooking.

Every time you pull out your cast-iron waffle pan to cook with, you will need to preheat the pan. If you don’t preheat the pan, it will stick, and y’all that is just such a pain! So, to start, heat your waffle iron on med-high heat for 5 minutes on each side.

Once you’ve completed the preheating, flip it back over to the side you preheated first. Set the heat to medium. Then generously grease both sides of the waffle iron and pour in your batter.

Learning exactly how much you need to pour in may take a few tries. If you fill it up too much it may not develop its nice outer crisp that a waffle ought to have. If you don’t pour in enough, then one side won’t be fully developed. I pour enough batter to cover the bottom.

Once you’ve poured your batter in, close the waffle iron and set yourself a timer for 3 minutes. Then flip, (no peaking! You’ll ruin your waffle) and cook the other side for 2 minutes.

Slowly, and gently open the waffle iron. I give it a little wiggle to help the waffle fall from the iron. Sometimes, it needs a little coaxing with a butter knife, too. Then, flip the waffle iron to help the other side fall out, too.

How’d it go? Smooth sailing? Or did it stick? That’s happened to me before. If it stuck, take heart, try again. Maybe it needs to be seasoned again. Or maybe the iron just needed to be heated more before pouring in the batter.

What to do if it stuck. Scrape it all off with a butter knife. Don’t be tempted to go take the pan to the sink and scrub away. Keep your waffle iron dry and scrape off as much as you can. Blow off all the fine pieces of cooked waffle and wipe it off. Then get it well greased again.

If it came out neat, slap on some butter, pour on some pure maple syrup and enjoy! And keep on cooking more waffles, of course.

When you’re finished cooking, There is no real need to “clean” your waffle iron. The fire itself is keeping this pan hygienic and unnecessarily washing the pan will only hurt the “seasoning” of the pan. If it has excess oil on it, simply take a paper towel to it to take it away. When it does need a wash, use some steel wool, cheap kosher salt, and very hot water to scrub it clean it. Then, set it back on the stove to heat and dry completely so it doesn't rust. Until then just wipe away any crumbs and store away until next time!