heat it. wipe it off with a very thickly wadded up paper towel. after it is cool, wipe it down with vegetable oil to recondition it.

this if the plates are not removable. if they are removable, take them off, wash by hand, not in a dishwasher, then recondition with several coats of vegetable oil afterward.

most waffle irons I have seen are cast iron, not Teflon coated, and when well seasoned with vegetable oil become pretty much non stick. but if you clean off all the oil, they will then stick badly until they get a new buildup.

my problem is this...someone of the young people in my house burned a waffle and put the waffle iron away with the burned waffle still in it...so next time I got it out, it was of course covered with those wormy insects who feel it is their sworn duty to clean up such messes...I threw out the iron. now I can't find one with small squares, only the fat, big squared Belgian waffle things. anybody know where I can get a small squared thin traditional waffle maker, preferably insect free, on a severely restricted budget (think $20-$25)

night writer

I clean my grill like that too! Works like a charm!

They are too cheap. throw it away and get a new one. :)

Shiloh

The Toastmaster 2-Section does not have the deep squares. We've got that one and it bakes the "regular" waffles that I remember from my childhood.

Stay away from "Belgian Waffle" makers. Those are the ones with the deep squares that bake thicker waffles.

Knit Wit

My mom made waffles once, and we enjoyed them and the rest of our day. Months later, she went to make waffles again, and she had left an uncooked waffle in the waffle maker---blechh!! She let me take that one for art. I had this idea of making a planter for some low-growing mossy plant (never materialized.

As for cheap, old-fashioned waffle irons, my mom always buys them at the thrift stores. We haven't had any electrical fires or anything, so I'd recommend that route.

dorx anonymous of dem xx men

But what if you make Homer's recipe for Out of This World Moon Waffles?

Waffle batter, caramel, and liquid smoke.

Good luck cleaning THAT off!

Mariette - who has so far dissuaded the Simpson's fans in her household from attempting this