Frozen waffles can be a great way to start the day, but did you know there's a better
cooking method than the toaster or microwave? Keep watching for all the mistakes with frozen
waffles you should avoid.
Look, we've all been there, so we get it. Everyone has those busy mornings when rushing out of the
house seems like a monumental task akin to trying to find a seat in a college town IHOP at midnight.
You don't always have time to grab breakfast, let alone turn on the toaster. But if you can
avoid this frozen waffle sin, you'll probably save yourself from a depressing breakfast you'll
want to forget about. Frozen waffles, when microwaved, turn exceptionally wet and gummy.
You're not going to get the crisp edges you want, and your waffle is going to break apart under the
stress of even the smallest amount of butter. If our tastes are any indication, the vast
majority of waffle-eaters are going to want to avoid this sad, sad fate. Unless the toaster,
oven, air fryer, and stove have stopped working, you shouldn't ever dream of
microwaving your frozen waffles.
Frozen waffles may not feel or taste homemade, but they can produce a kind of breakfast that
you'd ideally sit at the table to eat, unlike a breakfast Hot Pocket-like product that's obviously
meant to be eaten on the go. After all, if you're going to be smothering your waffles in butter and
syrup, you probably don't want to try to eat them while you're speeding down the highway.
But you may not realize you can easily turn the frozen waffles into a to-go snack
anytime you're craving something sweet. Insider gave us the idea of cutting our
frozen waffles into strips so we can easily take them on the go wherever we're headed. Of course,
you can always eat them plain, but if you have a small dish you can put syrup and butter into
it for a sort of dippable situation. It may seem like a dubious way to eat your waffles,
but trust us—it's actually really fun. This is a great option for kids who aren't fantastic at
wielding a fork and a knife yet.
When it comes to frozen foods, you'll often have to think about thawing. For example,
if you have a frozen chicken breast in the freezer, you're not going to want to take it
out and immediately put it in the oven. This will result in an over- or under-cooked chicken breast
that could be either unsafe or completely unappetizing. Therefore, when it comes to
other frozen foods, like frozen waffles, you may assume that thawing is your best bet for getting
the perfect crisp on your sweet breakfast treat. "Sticky stacks of golden syrupy deliciousness!"
But, that's just not the case. In fact, Insider notes that thawing your waffles
is actually a really bad idea. That's because thawing frozen waffles causes them to get soggy,
which is the last thing you want. Instead, you'll want to cook your waffles as soon as you take them
out of the freezer. Since frozen waffles are already cooked, you're just trying to heat them
up, not cook them all the way through again.
If you're not supposed to put your frozen waffle in the toaster or microwave, then where exactly
should it go? Well, let us start by saying that putting a frozen waffle in the toaster isn't a
terrible idea. Will it come out nice and crispy? Yes. Will it satisfy your breakfast cravings?
Probably. But if you're looking for the absolute best way to cook frozen waffles,
if you want to mistake it for restaurant-quality, kind of, then take it from Yahoo! News:
Cook your frozen waffle on the stove. While the stovetop method does take longer than
the other methods of cooking a frozen waffle, it's by far the most delicious. Tyler the Creator came
up with this method, and we think it's genius. Before you cook the waffle, spread butter on
both sides. Then, turn the stove to medium high and cook on both sides until the waffle becomes
nice and golden brown. Then, sprinkle some cinnamon on top, if that's your kind of thing.
When you pre-butter your waffles, they soak up all of that fatty goodness, leading to a delicious
breakfast you can't get any other way.
Of course, you may not always have the time and attention to cook a frozen waffle on the stove.
After all, if you have that much time, you may as well try to make a waffle from scratch instead.
If you want a cooking solution that's easier than the stovetop but more interesting than
the toaster or microwave, it may well be time to bust out your air fryer. Ah, the air fryer:
It's the must-have kitchen appliance of the moment, and a worthy competitor to the Instant
Pot. Trendy as they may be, we don't think we're going to see air fryers going away anytime soon.
If you have one, why not give it a go with your frozen waffles? Waffles come out super crispy
with this method, and you're definitely not going to have to worry about the soggy factor. Plus,
it's kind of a set-it-and-forget it thing.
There are a lot of mistakes you can make when cooking frozen waffles that make your
waffle taste a lot worse than it should, but there are also mistakes that simply
cause you to miss out on how transcendent the perfect frozen waffle can truly be.
One of those mistakes? Forgetting to pre-butter your waffle. Listen,
even if you're not following Tyler the Creator's advice and cooking your waffle on the stove,
we think this is an important step, even if you cook your waffle in the microwave.
“We must have waffles.” That's because the butter adds some extra flavor
to an otherwise pretty plain breakfast. It can be difficult to take a waffle dripping with butter on
the go, so you may have to leave it out. But when you butter your waffle ahead of time, you won't
have that problem because it will have already soaked into the starch. Of course, pre-buttering
doesn't work with all methods. If you have a bread slot toaster, this will make a big mess. But if
your chosen cooking methods can take a little bit of fat, pre-buttering your frozen waffle will take
you a long way on the road to deliciousness.
A plain old regular waffle is a great option, especially if you pre-butter. But if you really
know your waffle stuff, you know it doesn't always appear on a plate alone. Take, for example,
the very famous dish of chicken and waffles. This dish proves that a salty-sweet combination
involving waffles is bound to be delicious. But you may not always have the energy to
throw together chicken and waffles, which is probably the case if you're using the frozen ones.
That doesn't mean you can't get some savory to add to your sweet when it comes to your frozen waffle.
In fact, a frozen waffle is an excellent invitation to make a waffle sandwich.
Imagine stacking up all your favorite breakfast items and stacking them into a waffle—yeah,
it sounds amazing. Add whatever you like, from sausage to bacon to eggs to even hot sauce.
And of course, don't forget the butter ... and plenty of it. When it all comes together, you'll
see that the waffle breakfast sandwich is truly one of the most delicious breakfasts of all time.
It may seem like you can keep
anything in the freezer for as long as you need it, and it won't go bad. And while the food may
not exactly spoil, it doesn't mean you're going to end up with a desirable meal once you heat it up
after it's been in your freezer for over a year. Waffles may seem like an exception to this rule,
but Insider assures us that they're really not. New York chef Gianna Stanley told Insider,
"The official expiration date may be years away, but frozen waffles taste best when eaten within
three months of opening the box. The longer the waffles sit in your freezer, the more
bland they'll taste when you eventually eat them." So, they won't go bad and make you sick, per se,
but if you truly want to enjoy your frozen waffles how they were meant to be enjoyed,
don't leave them sitting there for months before you gobble them up.
As you've surely already realized, waffles
are generally regarded as a breakfast food. And it fits in with the idea of American breakfast
tending toward the sweeter side. But we're here to tell you that you don't have to eat your
frozen waffles for breakfast. That's right—you can branch out and have them any time of day.
"Guys, what's all this?" "Toaster waffles!"
Of course, there's always the iconic chicken and waffles, which is an entrée served at brunches and
dinners alike. But you don't have to stop there. What about waffles for dessert? More and more,
dessert spots are serving delectable dessert waffles topped with fruit,
chocolate, whipped cream, sprinkles, and sweet sauces. After all,
a waffle is basically just a cake anyway. If you're looking for a super-easy dessert
to throw together at the last minute, you may just want to grab those waffles you have in your
freezer and get creative.
This one is more a matter of personal taste than anything, so don't take it to heart if you're a
die-hard whole-grain frozen waffle fan. But in our opinion, whole-grain frozen waffles are an
abomination. First of all, whole-grain foods often aren't that great after you freeze them.
They don't have the same smooth texture you might expect from other varieties of waffles,
so you're left with a hard, gritty waffle that's somehow soggy and too hard.
Additionally, the taste isn't fantastic either. Look, we know that frozen waffles aren't exactly
at the height of culinary luxury, but at least you have an ultra-processed concoction
of barely-nameable ingredients that tricks your taste buds into thinking you're eating something
that's actually enjoyable. With whole-grain frozen waffles, you don't even have that.
And it's not just us: Eggo customers seem to agree with us as well. On the Eggo website,
the whole-grain thick and fluffy waffles get just three out of five stars, which is among the lowest
ratings of any of the company's waffle products. Our advice? Just pass up any whole-grain frozen
waffles you see, and you'll be better off.
Sometimes, you just have to keep it simple with butter and syrup, and that combination is pretty
much always going to hit the spot. If you want to keep it even simpler, you can do just butter
or just syrup. While that can be nice when you just need to get out the door, occasionally,
you want more excitement in your life. "I like making little houses out of waffles."
And just because you're eating frozen waffles and not homemade doesn't mean you shouldn't
indulge and add in a few extra toppings when you want your meal to feel extra special.
For example, you can make your meal feel just a little bit healthier with the addition of some
frozen or cooked berries. Who doesn't love a fresh addition to a sweet treat? If you're
eating your waffles for dessert, you can also indulge in some chocolate syrup or chocolate
chips for something that feels special. Sprinkles, whipped cream, and even some cinnamon and nutmeg
can also make a big difference. Why keep things boring when you can take an average, everyday
meal and take it up a notch? Trust us, you're not going to regret putting in a little extra effort.
You may think that you can
store frozen waffles anywhere in your freezer, but that's actually a mistake if you want to
make sure you're keeping your waffles as fresh as possible. According to Insider, you'll always
want to keep your frozen waffles at the very back of the freezer whenever possible. Why? It
all has to do with how easily your waffles could thaw out. If you keep them in the freezer door,
they're more likely to thaw out little by little when you keep opening the door. This can result
in textural changes and even freezer burn, which can drastically affect the taste of your waffles.
So try to keep those bad boys tucked into the very back where they won't defrost every time you get
yourself some ice. This can also help keep you from eating too many of them all at once—don't
worry, we're guilty of over-indulging in easily-accessible frozen waffles too.
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