Hamilton Beach Belgian Waffle Maker

Update: Changed to 5 stars. Still using after 4 years and still makes wonderful waffles!! I've been making homemade waffles for over 20 years. I needed a new one. This one heats up in about 4 minutes initially and cooks waffles in about 2 minutes and one batch after another. I can set my timer for 2 minutes each batch (1/2 cup batter per square) and they are done right each time. No need to spray or put any shortening already non-stick. I have used for several months. No issues with sticking and easy damp cloth cleanup. Not super deep Belgian waffles, but somewhere in between which I like. Very nice waffle maker and reliable so far.

LOVE this waffle maker!! Nothing sticks! My fresh milled waffles did amazing and it’s just the easiest thing to pull out and then stow away. Compact and made well. The waffles do cook from the middle of the pan outward, I think they brown well, I don’t love a crunchy waffle but these can get there easily. It heats quickly and holds the temp well. Plates aren’t removable but it’s not an issue because everything comes off clean!

I use this to make waffles to freeze for my kids for breakfast. It works very well. You can make four at once which is way more efficient than making one at a time like I used to. It saves money over buying frozen waffles from the grocery store.

My seven year old niece's passion for waffles started before kindergarten. She would eat waffles for every meal if allowed. A graduate now of second grade, she's spending the first month of summer vacation with us. It was with her in mind that I broke out the old waffle iron, to show her "real" waffles don't come from the freezer and they aren't cooked in a toaster. They come from homemade batter. Fresh off of the iron, they're hot enough to melt cold pats of butter. They don't need to swim in that "gee I wish I was maple" syrup; only a drizzle of the real deal makes them heaven. To say that her first homemade waffles were a hit would be a major misunderstatement. I slid the plate in front of her and she dove in; about two bites in, she stopped chewing. For a couple of seconds she sat with her mouth open and her eyes glazed; then, she smacked her lips and chewed through both waffles like a chainsaw through kindling. I had created a monster. The old waffle iron made one little round waffle at a time, way too cumbersome, plus it's one of those you have to turn over halfway through to cook both sides (I said it was old). It required a lot more attention than I'm capable of before a few cups of coffee and I couldn't see using it every morning for the next month. Online at Amazon.com, I found this Hamilton Beach 26020 Belgian Style Waffle Baker. Anticipating washing it first, I was disappointed to realize that the plates don't come out. I went over them with a dishcloth, moist with hot, soapy water and then a second wet cloth, a couple of times, to rinse. Any disappointment vanished the next morning. So simple! It heated up while I stirred oil and egg into my batter mix. The first waffle was a mess; totally my fault. The second time around, after cleaning it out, I followed directions. After spraying it evenly with Pam, top and bottom, I poured the batter into the middle of each waffle square and pulled down the top. The timer hadn't gone off when the smell led me to believe the waffle was done; when I went to slowly lift the lid, it resisted a little, so I let it go the full time before trying again. The iron opened and the waffle would have slid right out except one corner stuck until I pushed from the side with a spatula. It came out as one large waffle, undamaged, looking golden brown. I divided it into four and confirmed it was fully cooked. Placing two to a plate, I joined my niece at the table. After an almost ceremonial application of butter and syrup to every square, she bit in and declared them "even better" than what I'd cooked on the old iron (although I think that had more to do with getting two at once). I too enjoyed eating mine while I told her of a magical dinner that combines fried chicken and waffles and watched her eyes glaze over again. If I had a chance to recommend changes, I'd ask that the iron be made with removeable plates; other than that, for the price, I have no complaints and would buy this again for myself or as a gift.

This is exactly what I wanted. It makes 4 big belgian waffles and has easy to read green light when its ready. There were cheaper waffle makes but they were available in droves on the second hand market. I've learned the hard way that buying cheap won't be good in the long run. This is a beautiful appliance that will serve me well.

Perfect waffles

Being thicker, Belgian waffles, we find that two are about the same as four of the traditional size. We use a timer to cook them, because the "ready" light is indeed just a temperature sensor that lets us know when to begin cooking, not when to stop. Also, one can watch the steam, lift the lid to check, or use other approaches in the absence of a timer. Meanwhile, this cooker has good heat, and the waffles can be browned as much as desired. True, there is a slightly visible circular pattern in the finished waffle that reveals where the heating element is located, but it is a small difference in darkness, and not at all a problem of part of the waffle being overcooked while part is still raw -- the finished waffle is entirely cooked and quite consistent throughout. Also, a quick wipe, quite rapid cooling, close before or after cooling, wrap cord, and put away is all very easy and trouble free. The outside of the cooker seems to cool faster than our older, all steel model. If I needed a new waffle iron after this one, I would hope to find this same model still available. It is simply capable and handy, and we like it.

I regret not returning this during the first 30 days. It works OK, but there are probably better choices available. I should note that this was my first experience with non-stick. I've always used cast iron and was using a cast iron waffle iron that had been in my family since World War II, but for health reasons I wanted to cut back on oil so I ordered this and some non-stick fry pans. The irony about this non-stick waffle maker is that it's not really non-stick! I wanted to avoid using oil in my cooking, but I ended with a waffle iron that requires a spray, which is oil. It's especially puzzling that the instructions call for using nonstick spray because the instructions for the Circulon Contempo nonstick frying pans that I bought at the same time say not to use nonstick spray. In fact using nonstick spray voids the warranty on the fry pans. So why is it required on this waffle maker? It does a decent job of making waffles, although as other reviewers have noted, it cooks unevenly. It's also more of a nuisance to clean than my nearly 75 year old waffle cast iron waffle maker. Waffles stick less in the cast iron and the cast iron has fewer tight spaces to clean than on the Hamilton Beach. The waffles are exactly 3/4" thick, which is the maximum thickness I'd want. Some reviewers have complained about the lack of an indicator for when the waffles are finished cooking, but it's really not necessary. Just watch the steam. When steam begins to thin, the waffles are done. Overall, it's not bad waffle iron. It does the job. It's my first experience with a non-stick waffle iron, so I don't know how it compares with others. I'm on the fence between buying another non-stck waffle maker or returning to cast iron, which to my surprise is easier to clean than this waffle maker.

Si están esperando una señal para comprar una wafflera, mi reseña es esta señal! Cumplió mis expectativas al 100! Me habían recomendado mucho esta wafflera por el tema de que no se pega y es totalmente cierto. Sólo tienes que rociar un poco de aceite tipo Pam y obtendrás waffles perfectos. Me encanta que salen 4, así tienes desayuno para todos en minutos. Se tarda 6 minutos en salir una tanda. Mi único tip es que la mezcla sí debe de cubrir toda la placa para que salgan cuadrados, de lo contrario, salen redondos jajajajajaja (como podrán ver en las fotos que puse). Con esta wafflera no hay pretexto para no desayunar rico, es más, hasta si quieres sorprender a alguien invitándolo a desayunar a tu casa, con esto quedas de lujo! De verdad la recomiendo al 100, excelente relación calidad-precio ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐💯

The return process is tedious and I am confused. I expected that it should be collected from the delivery address but instead I have to do the mailing and pay for it?!?!?!

I initially purchased a Cuisinart 4-plate Belgian waffle maker (WAF-200C) on Amazon. 1. The product arrived without the hinge pin. The top and bottom plates are not connected. 2. The rubber feet on the bottom are missing. 3. The lid handle is plastic, not steel, as stated in the description and photo, and it breaks frequently, as I read in customer reviews. Cuisinart no longer guarantees quality! Then I bought a Hamilton Beach 4-Slice (26020MNC). I was pleased with this waffle maker, both in appearance and ease of use. I haven't used it much yet (I just bought it recently), but the waffles turned out well-done and pop off the plates very easily. It matches the description. I hope it will serve me well and for a long time, like all the other kitchen appliances I've purchased from this manufacturer.

I say this sincerely, we have tried a number of waffle-makers before landing on this one in the past. We used it weekly as part of our sunday morning brunch routine for years. The locking clasp broke so we needed to replace our old product with a new one..., which Amazon carries! Extremely well made, the product heats evenly is easy to unstick with a very light brushing of oil and take only about 3 minutes to make a batch of waffles. A must have in your kitchen. This product is excellent value for money.

Me fascinó la Waflera práctica, fácil de usar y salen 4 waffles de buen tamaño en 5 minutos bien doraditos. Gracias