I've been wanting one of these flip waffle makers ever since I saw T.V. chefs using them. I just thought it was a great idea and turns out, it is! It's super easy to set up and once you figure out how much batter to use, it makes perfectly fluffy waffles. I decided to just use a box waffle mix until I get used to this machine and then I'll start making my own batter.
When it first arrived, we took it out of the box, saw the Drip Tray was already in place underneath, and plugged it in. The red light came on to indicate that the power was on. After a few minutes, the green light came on, indicating that the plates were preheated and ready to go. At this time, you unlock the Cool-Touch Handles and open up one side. Then the directions say to put about ¾ of a cup of batter in the center of the cooking plates. But we found that it was best (for us) to use a heaping cupful of batter to get a FULL waffle. Then we closed that side, locked it with the Handle Lock, counted to 10 seconds and rotated the machine over to the other side where we did the same thing. The instructions say to cook about 3-4 minutes (or for crispier waffles, wait another 1-2 minutes), but we found that it takes a little longer to get even browning.
Also, don't open up the waffle maker as you are cooking because the instructions say it could cause the waffle to stick or cook poorly. I have to admit that I did open up the waffle maker a couple of times with one or two of the waffles, but only after they had been cooking several minutes and I didn't seem to notice any sticking or anything.
Something else we noticed while cooking only one waffle, is that it's best to “FLIP” or Rotate that one waffle every couple of minutes. I don't know why, but when we didn't flip/rotate, one side didn't ever seem to get brown. Also, I do have to agree with one poster who said that it really doesn't ever seem to crisp up the waffles no matter how long you leave them in. This is probably caused by all the “steaming” that goes on from the heat of the plates. I never had any batter drip onto the Drip Tray, but there was some water that dripped down onto the tray and down the front of the handle that came from the steam.
As far as cleaning, the first side of plates wiped down really well with no trouble. But the second side had a sticky coating that I had quite a bit of trouble getting off. I ended up using soap and water with a scrubbing sponge. I think, but don't quote me on this, that it might have been caused when I cooked the last waffle by itself and the other side had been coated pretty good with oil (applied with a brush). Since you can't tell this waffle maker to only heat up the one side you might be using, both sides get hot and I think this might have caused the oil to become sticky like those spray on oils from the cans. The next time I only have one waffle left to cook after using both sides, I will remember to wipe down the side I'm not using so that I don't get left with that mess again.
Overall I really do like this Black & Decker flip waffle maker and intend to get quite a bit of use out of it!
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