Making perfect waffles for breakfast is fun, especially once you find the right waffle maker. Chewy, crispy waffles can be the perfect breakfast even if you’re in a hurry. Unfortunately, there are times when your waffle-making skills may seem less than perfect.
If your waffles are splitting in half, it is usually because you’re using too much batter, or your batter is sticky because you don’t have enough wet ingredients such as milk and eggs, or you do not have a good non-stick waffle maker (or your baking spray is bad), or the waffle maker itself isn’t hot enough. Fortunately, these problems have easy solutions.
Waffles Splitting in Half: Problems and Solutions
When your waffles split in half after you lift the cover of the waffle iron, you sometimes have to throw the waffles out, which is no fun. The good news is that once you learn a few simple tricks, saving your waffles and making them perfect is a lot easier. The problem usually has to do with the grid plates, the batter itself, or the cooking process. All of these problems are easy to solve.
Problems With Your Waffle Iron’s Grid Plates
The grid plates on your waffle maker usually have some type of non-stick coating on it, and it needs a quick spritz of some type of aerosol non-stick spray or some type of oil. Every inch of the plates needs to be covered in order for the waffles to come out just right. Consider the following potential issues when you have waffles that split in half:
- Non-stick coating has deteriorated. There’s little you can do about ineffective non-stick coating if the problem is severe. You can make sure you cover the entire plate with some type of oil, but if that doesn’t work, you might need another waffle maker.
- Grid plates need grease. Even non-stick waffle maker plates need to be coated with some type of oil. The oil is needed in order to keep the plates working the way they should, so make sure you use some type of oil or grease every time you make your waffles.
- Grid plates need cleaning. When the plates have debris stuck in them, it will affect the way your waffles turn out. If your waffles fall apart after you lift the lid of the waffle maker, check the plates to see if they need cleaning.
If you’re not using a baking spray, try using a basting brush to make sure you coat every inch of the plate on the waffle maker. You can use just about anything on the plate, as long as the entire plate is covered and as long as you’re using something that greases up the plate sufficiently. This includes melted butter, vegetable or canola oil, or any other type of grease or oil that won’t ruin the flavor of the waffles.
Problems With Your Waffle Batter
Your waffle batter has to be just right for the waffles to turn out perfectly. Look for the following potential issues with the batter you’re using for your waffles:
- Batter is too thin. It’s easy to put too much milk in the batter or not enough dry ingredients. Make sure both the wet and dry ingredients are in the exact measurements so that the batter is just right.
- Batter is too sticky. This sometimes happens when you don’t use the proper amount of wet ingredients. Again, pay attention to the instructions and make sure all of your ingredients are measured the right way to ensure you don’t end up with sticky batter.
- Too much batter. When pouring the batter over your waffle maker, pour just enough to cover the bottom of the maker and no more. If you pour too much batter, it can ruin the waffles. This is a common mistake when people make waffles.
Problems With Your Cooking Process
While cooking waffles is relatively simple, there are still things you need to remember when nice, fluffy waffles are what you want for breakfast. If you pay attention to the instructions and follow them to the letter, you shouldn’t have any problems with splitting waffles. Nevertheless, make sure you consider the following potential problems when cooking your waffles:
- Waffles are undercooked. Waffle makers often give you an exact cooking time, and many will even make a beeping sound when the time is up. You should never lift the lid of the waffle maker before that beep goes off.
- Waffle iron isn’t hot enough. Always give your waffle maker time to get up to the proper temperature before cooking your waffles. Most waffle makers take a little while to do this, and this is an important step. Don’t be so anxious to cook your waffles that you fail to let the waffle maker heat up to the right temperature.
- Lid opened during cooking. This is obviously a very tempting thing to do, but keep in mind that waffles never take that long to cook. Make sure you leave the lid down the entire time they’re cooking. Otherwise, they won’t be able to cook properly, and it might simply be too late to complete the cooking process at that point.
If your waffles are separating when you open the lid, there is usually a simple solution. Make sure the batter has the consistency of honey or pancake batter and the ingredients are used in the right portions. And you’ll have to spray or coat the waffle maker with oil or baking spray each and every time you make your waffles—not just when you get started. Enjoying a yummy batch of waffles in the morning is a lot easier when you know how to make sure they come out perfect every time.