Cleaning My Waffle Iron

[MartialArtist]

I have a really nice Belgian waffle iron that I have used for years making wheat-flour waffles. Now that I'm gluten-free, I don't want to have to replace that one if I can help it but I want to be able to make the thick waffles like that (I found a recipe and made them in that for family and used a cheap regular one I picked up at Walmart (got what I paid for) to test out gluten-free waffles for me. They all said they tasted just like before, so it's a winner of a recipe but it's obviously made for a Belgian waffler, not a thin one.)

I'm one of the "lucky" ones who doesn't have digestive symptoms to speak of from gluten. Because of that, I"m not going to suffer in obvious ways if I missed something in a deep cleaning of the waffler, so I am going to have to be extra careful and thorough in that process so I don't gluten myself without even knowing it! Any tips on things to check for and/or how to do this best?

[JNBunnie1]

I have a really nice Belgian waffle iron that I have used for years making wheat-flour waffles. Now that I'm gluten-free, I don't want to have to replace that one if I can help it but I want to be able to make the thick waffles like that (I found a recipe and made them in that for family and used a cheap regular one I picked up at Walmart (got what I paid for) to test out gluten-free waffles for me. They all said they tasted just like before, so it's a winner of a recipe but it's obviously made for a Belgian waffler, not a thin one.)

I'm one of the "lucky" ones who doesn't have digestive symptoms to speak of from gluten. Because of that, I"m not going to suffer in obvious ways if I missed something in a deep cleaning of the waffler, so I am going to have to be extra careful and thorough in that process so I don't gluten myself without even knowing it! Any tips on things to check for and/or how to do this best?

Um, clean the crap out of it and make a few batches of gluten-free waffles for the fam before you eat any?

[sa1937]

I have a really nice Belgian waffle iron that I have used for years making wheat-flour waffles. Now that I'm gluten-free, I don't want to have to replace that one if I can help it but I want to be able to make the thick waffles like that (I found a recipe and made them in that for family and used a cheap regular one I picked up at Walmart (got what I paid for) to test out gluten-free waffles for me. They all said they tasted just like before, so it's a winner of a recipe but it's obviously made for a Belgian waffler, not a thin one.)

I'm one of the "lucky" ones who doesn't have digestive symptoms to speak of from gluten. Because of that, I"m not going to suffer in obvious ways if I missed something in a deep cleaning of the waffler, so I am going to have to be extra careful and thorough in that process so I don't gluten myself without even knowing it! Any tips on things to check for and/or how to do this best?

I'm in the same boat only my Belgian waffle iron has never been used much. I plan to use a new toothbrush and scrub the dickens out of it. It cost too much to donate to Goodwill.

[Jestgar]

I'd go with what the Bunnie says.

[MartialArtist]

Sounds like a plan, sorta... I have further discovered today that the brand (Vitantonio) is out of business so it is not replaceable with a duplicate. The ones that you flip (like they have in hotel breakfast buffet rooms) are the most highly rated now, but I'm not sure I want one that will take up that much space.

Buy my concern, not fully understanding what I'm fighting against here, is that there could be particles of gluten trapped within the layers of baked-on Pam and oil on the thing and that unless I scrub it down to initial condition, it's a hazard to me. Is that the case or do we even know whether it is or isn't? I mean I get that if there are crumbs on the counter from wheat bread, I have to clean the counter before working on it. But how small a particle is really a problem and what is the likelihood that a particle stuck in the sticky oil "seasoning" layers is going to actually cross contaminate my waffles?

Should I just forget trying to use this one, give it to a relative who can use it, and find a small-ish, good one to replace it with? Is it even worth the effort?

[Jestgar]

If it were something I really liked, I'd go to the trouble of trying to clean it.

[psawyer]

If it were something I really liked, I'd go to the trouble of trying to clean it.

Me too. Yes, there is a chance that there is some gluten stuck in a deposit on the grid. Repeated thorough scrubbing should get it. Even if some remains, it is a finite and ever-diminishing small amount. I didn't even know about this concern when I started the diet almost ten years ago. We didn't throw anything out, and I am here and healthy today.

[sa1937]

Sounds like a plan, sorta... I have further discovered today that the brand (Vitantonio) is out of business so it is not replaceable with a duplicate. The ones that you flip (like they have in hotel breakfast buffet rooms) are the most highly rated now, but I'm not sure I want one that will take up that much space.

Should I just forget trying to use this one, give it to a relative who can use it, and find a small-ish, good one to replace it with? Is it even worth the effort?

I have a Vitantonio, too, and I know they are no longer in business. It was quite expensive back then from Chef's Catalog (sometime in the 90's). The last thing I need is another honking big appliance taking up room (exception is the new KitchenAid mixer I just ordered). I'm going to take my chances of just thoroughly cleaning it. Surprisingly the Vitantonio that I absolute had to have, has probably not been used more than a handful of times, if that.

[MartialArtist]

Thanks. It's encouraging that more knowledgeable folks (from experience if nothing else!) don't think I'm a complete fool for even trying. I will scrub it good, make a few batches, and hope for the best.

The recipe I have found that I love requires separating eggs, so it's not a quick-and-easy weekday meal at this point anyway, so it's not likely that I'll use it more than once every couple of weeks. Plus I always eat the last ones b/c I feed everyone else first, so hopefully any traces of gluten will absorb into THEIR waffles!