We rigorously tested 20 waffle makers, including both Belgian-style and American-style irons, to find you the ones that make the best waffles.
, a waffle iron may be the best tool to make things like grilled cheese: The divots become extra crisp, with cheese oozing out and forming a crackling, while the peaks remain soft and chewy. The nonstick surface ensures no bits of stuffing or bread are left behind. The results of this test followed the trend of the previous ones, with our high-end picks edging out the rest.
Most waffle makers also come with a timer or indicator light to tell you the waffle is ready. But in almost all instances, the waffles require more time than the indicators suggest, rendering the feature unhelpful at best and misleading at worst.Electric waffle irons are available in flip and stationary models. Proponents of flip waffle makers suggest that they heat more evenly by better distributing the batter throughout the plates.
One waffle maker was even oriented vertically, requiring you to pour the batter through a chute at the top.There was one area in which the flip proved useful, which was creating full waffles with batter that flowed from edge to edge without overflowing the iron. With a stationary model, you’re left to depend on just the weight of the top plate to spread out the batter, which often requires you to overfill it to reach the edges, particularly with square waffles.
The features we found particularly useful were removable plates and drip trays for easy cleanup, as well as cord storage and locking handles, which allow for upright storage.Our winners consistently made the best waffles, ones that browned evenly and quickly and turned out crisp and light. They also had useful features that made them easy to use, clean, and store.