| Thread Number: 41288
late 20's early 30's Universal waffle iron question |
[Down to Last] |  |
|
|
Post# 610287 , Reply# 1 7/14/2012 at 23:16 (339 days old) by rp2813  (SF Bay Area) |
||
  | ||
| Post# 610288 , Reply# 2 7/14/2012 at 23:19 (339 days old) by stan (Napa CA) | ||
|
Bon Ami ? | ||
|
Post# 610291 , Reply# 3 7/14/2012 at 23:44 (339 days old) by Launderess (La Pomme Grande) |
||
 Even Bon Ami, that is unless you wish to risk getting water inside the unit from rinsing, or fancy scouring powder dust on your waffles.
Know one is going to get noise for saying this but IIRC such waffle iron grid were not meant to be cleaned once seasoned. And old suggestion was to soak thick paper towel or cloth in ammonia and place between the grids, leave overnight and in the AM wipe the plates clean with a damp cloth. For any stubborn bits you can gently scrub with a soft brush. | ||
| Post# 610294 , Reply# 4 7/15/2012 at 00:27 (339 days old) by arbilab (Ft Worth TX (Ridglea)) | ||
|
At most, abrade the chunks off with a light wire brush. A "shiny" waffle iron won't work AT ALL. | ||
| Post# 610340 , Reply# 7 7/15/2012 at 08:09 (339 days old) by crevicetool (Snellville Ga.) | ||
 | ||
| Post# 610341 , Reply# 8 7/15/2012 at 08:10 (339 days old) by crevicetool (Snellville Ga.) | ||
|
| ||
| Post# 610342 , Reply# 9 7/15/2012 at 08:12 (339 days old) by crevicetool (Snellville Ga.) | ||
|
| ||
| Post# 610343 , Reply# 10 7/15/2012 at 08:14 (339 days old) by Northwesty (Renton, WA) | ||
|
I'd say make a batch of throw-away waffles and see if it doesn't clean up in the process. See if the stuff doesn't loosen up with a little help between waffles. | ||
|
Post# 610344 , Reply# 11 7/15/2012 at 08:17 (339 days old) by vintagekitchen (columbia ky) |
||
 I know I sometimes go to extremes, but when a friend found her grandmother's waffle iron while sorting the estate, we did some major cleaning. It was truly filthy, years and years of baked on crud and burnt waffle bits. I was of a mind that it wasnt worth saving, but she begged me to get it clean enough to use, so she could use it, since one of her best childhood memories was weekend breakfasts with her grandmother.
So, to get to the point, after studying the situation, and a few failed cleaning attempts, I decided to pull out the heavy guns. Remembering how my grandmother would annually clean the crud from the outside of her iron skillets by burning them in the embers of a fire, and then re-seasoning them, I attempted a similar method. I first removed the bakelite handles to prevent damaging them, (just a screw in each handle), then lit a blowtorch. Set the torch as low as it would go, and began using it on the grids, working in small sections, keeping it in constant motion to prevent overheating and melting/cracking/warping the aluminum plates. After going over the entire surface of both grids, I let it cool slightly, then went at it with a stiff brush. It came spotless, just like brand new. I then coated the grids with melted lard (granny always said nothing seasons pans better than lard), set it on a med-low heat setting, closed it, and left it for 2 hours to absorb the lard. Then I turned it off and let it cool overnight. I repeated the lard step 2 more times, and then presented her with the waffle iron. She says it is perfect, and never ever sticks. Of course I instructed her to treat it like cast iron, no soap, ever, and to clean it with a damp pastry brush after each use. | ||
|
|
Comes to the Rescue!
|
