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4.5
I ought this so I could make large batches up when I have time and freeze them for the busy or lazy morning. They freeze well. I put them in a gallon freezer bag with wax or parchment paper between them. Just microwave them 30 to 60 seconds, depending on the amount your reheating. I have seen reviews that says it's hard to clean but I use a cooking spray before every 2-3 batches and have never had anything stick in it ever. I use a pancake pen, also found here on Amazon, to fill the wells about 1/3 full and rarely have them bake over the sides onto the plates. I have used commercial pancake or waffle mix but also have used Jiffy blueberry muffin mix in this. I don't recommend using fresh fruit in the mix as they are typical water filled, which effects the consistency and might lead to an overfilling issue. The jiffy mis has the dehydrated bits of blueberry and works well. I never have to wait between batches to refill, just keep going. Most mixes I have used take about 3.5-4 minutes to cook but you can easily open the top to check them.Pros - ease of use, small in size compared to normal waffle makers, easy to clean and let's face it...fun for kids to dunk in syrup and eat!Cons - no timer (but I make hits in the kitchen so a timer on the stove and microwave makes this very easy to use instead)Overall this maker is great and my entire family love these waffles.At first, I thought to myself that these would be the easy way out of buying myself a fancy waffle iron. And boy was I right! I haven't stopped using this since we bought ours about 1 month ago. I have yet to do this, but the idea behind the purchase was to add a chicken strip atop the waffle batter just before closing the lid... but I'm confident they'll be the best chicken and waffles I've ever had. A quick note about how it cooks: The center 3 will make perfect golden brown waffle sticks, though the outer 2 will not cook as quickly. They WILL cook, however they'll take just slightly longer. My guess is that the heating element is centered, which would explain what's causing the uneven cooking. After the center 3 are done, I would just move the outer ones to the center. However, I've just abandoned using the outer 2 all together, and stick with the center 3. It only takes a couple minutes to cook, and it's not like I'm feeding an army that needs waffles every minute... so the slight defect is of little consequence to me.I got this to make waffle sticks for a brunch I hosted. We didn't end up using it for that, but have used it several times since then and I wish we had!! The size is perfect for the brunch purpose--I would probably put them on a 6" skewer and serve them with a small cup of syrup and a dollop of whipped cream.They are also for freezing for snacks later. We freeze 4 in a package and put them in the toaster for a quick breakfast or snack.The only reason I deducted a star is because there is no on/off mechanism--just plug it in and go. It is a little awkward waiting for the green light to come on to ensure the waffles get cooked through. Other than that, I'm very happy with this waffle maker!This is the second one of these that I have owned. The first one was a gift from my aunt as a housewarming gift. I used it for 3 years religiously to make handheld Belgium waffles for my boys. Then one day as I was grabbing the unit from an upper cabinet it fell and broke into pieces - it is just plastic. My younger son drove me crazy asking for the replacement until I replaced it (took a couple of months). Anyway it is a great little unit and does what it states it will do - nothing over the top but it produces 5 handheld Belgium waffles that my little boys just adore. Spray it with some Pam first and the waffles come out perfect. Top with whipped cream and be the most popular cook in the kitchen!This product works very well.I didn't like the small measuring scoop that came with it, so I used a small ice cream scoop (maybe 2 tbsp) to perfectly fill each stick.I used my phone as a timer as there is not one on the machine.The "fork" that came with the product is perfect for getting each stick out.My only complaint is that this product is extremely difficult to clean - I welcome suggestions!I love it! It is so cute and I use it especially when my little ones are visiting.When I pack breakfast for my son, it is so easy to put it in a little containerand stack it as opposed to the bigger waffles which is harder to pack. Becareful though because when it drips a little to the side, it can be difficultto clean. Enjoy!While I thoroughly have enjoyed the fantastic tasting waffles this machine spurts out, I just recently found a new use for this little jewel. I recently purchased a brand of frozen fish sticks (starts with a GOR) that recommends not microwaving them. They were right. They came out soggy and terrible tasting too. Don't have an oven to cook them in where I live, so I thought I'd try cooking them in my waffle stick maker. 5 sticks fit perfectly in the maker. I heated up the unit. Closed the lid on the fish sticks, and cooked them for about 2-1/2 minutes. They came out crispy and great tasting. Give this a tryMessier and more time consuming than a regular waffle iron and all the sticks don't cook at the same rate. Also, as some other reviewers mentioned, the orange paint comes off if waffle batter drips out the edges. For those reasons, wouldn't use this every time I make waffles, but it's a fun novelty and the kids love the sticks. Would purchase again.
