Can You Use Non-Stick Cooking Spray On A Waffle Maker?

There’s nothing quite like waking up to the delightful aroma of freshly made waffles, their golden-brown perfection eagerly waiting to be savored.

A waffle maker is undoubtedly a cherished appliance in many households, making it possible to whip up these delicious treats with ease.

To ensure a smooth cooking experience and easily release the waffles from the iron, a non-stick surface is essential. But have you ever wondered if you can use non-stick cooking spray on your waffle maker?

Waffle makers with non-stick coatings should never be sprayed with cooking spray since it will leave residue. Your waffle maker will become less non-stick the more you use cooking spray.

As you continue to apply the cooking spray, your non-stick surface will deteriorate, which will result in your waffles sticking. Let’s go over each point in detail.

It is inevitable that cooking spray will accumulate on nonstick surfaces and eventually become tacky, resulting in a useless nonstick coating. 

If the spray build-up has not ruined your pan, you can brush oil lightly over its surface instead. Additionally, don’t remove the waffle too soon from the pan; if it isn’t fully cooked, it will stick.

Can You Use Non-Stick Cooking Sprays On A Waffle Iron?

The use of cooking spray with a non-stick waffle iron is not recommended. As the non-stick cooking spray adheres to the surface, a hard and tacky layer gradually forms.

When heated on waffle iron grid plates, non-stick cooking sprays contain soy lecithin, which rapidly forms a hard and tacky layer when heated.

You may find that your waffles stick more often as you continue to apply the spray, which is never good for any kitchen appliance!

If the residue from the cooking spray is left on the waffle iron for long enough, it will eventually ruin the nonstick coating, making it unusable.

Either you throw away the waffle iron or you do some serious deep cleaning. Just avoid using these sprays altogether if you don’t want that to happen.

When Should I Use Cooking Spray On A Waffle Iron?

Use the spray sparingly if your waffle iron has a non-stick coating. If you use too much, the waffles will brown unevenly and become soggy.

Waffles won’t stick to the non stick surface most of the time. Hit it lightly with some spray if you’re having trouble getting one out.

Waffle makers without a nonstick surface will require you to use the spray more often. As with cast iron skillets, the purpose of this seasoning is to prepare the waffle iron for use.

With time, oil will build up on the iron surface, making it nonstick. This can be accomplished by preheating the iron and spraying it thoroughly. Allow the oil to cool before closing the iron and turning it off.

Waffles will not stick to the oily surface since it forms a coating on it. Give the waffles a light spray if they don’t release during normal cooking.

The surface of the iron will become nonstick as more oil is deposited on it. You can scrape it off with a soft brush, so clean off crumbs and re-season the iron if any of the coating is removed.

Don’t overspray. There is only so much oil that the iron can hold at a time, so any excess will just be wasted. The waffle will be ruined if you spray too much oil on it before dropping it.

As a final note, I recommend against using pan release sprays sold at grocery stores to season waffle irons. The oil breaks down very quickly and doesn’t seem to be properly formulated.

Vegeline is a product I recommend. The regular stuff works fine, too, but there is a product specifically for waffle irons.

What Can I Use Instead Of Non-Stick Cooking Spray?

For waffle irons, vegetable oil or butter are the best alternatives to non-stick cooking spray. Despite the fact that the waffles won’t stick, you can still make your favorite breakfast treat.

A waffle iron won’t become greasy from butter since it is a natural fat. Waffle irons can also be greased with vegetable oil, which behaves similarly to butter. Olive oil is another option.

Some studies have shown that it is healthier than butter or vegetable oils and leaves no residue on the waffle iron. Coconut oil may be a better option if you don’t like olive oil’s taste or smell.

There are some health benefits to it, and it can be a great alternative to dairy products like butter if you’re allergic or intolerant to them.

How Do I Remove Cooking Spray From My Waffle Maker?

Here are some easy ways to remove cooking spray from your waffle maker. 

Using Baking Soda

Using baking soda to clean waffle grids is a good option if you need to remove a more stubborn coating of cooking spray. Apply a small amount of the paste to the grid plate after mixing baking soda and water.

Softly brush the paste into the grooves of the cooking spray layer. It would be best to use a soft toothbrush.

It is lightly abrasive, so the baking powder paste won’t damage the waffle maker when it removes baked-on spray.

Repeat until you’ve done the whole grid plate by applying more baking soda paste, cleaning, and repeating until you’ve done the whole thing.

Use a warm damp microfiber cloth to clean off any remaining paste. Before storing the waffle maker, let it completely dry.

Use A Damp Cloth

Make sure your waffle maker is clean by wiping it off with a damp cloth if it is coated with cooking spray. When plain water isn’t enough to lift off the spray, you may need to add warm water and soap to the mix.

Use An Oil-Free Batter

Use an oil-free batter to absorb and lift the residue when the cooking spray is badly coated with non-stick cooking spray that has now baked on.

With this method, you can easily clean hard-to-reach nooks and crannies without having to brush with baking soda. Unfortunately, it wastes a lot of food ingredients.

1 tablespoon of baking powder, 3 tablespoons of water, and 1/4 cup of flour are mixed in a bowl. The batter should be smooth and thick when it is ladled over the waffle maker’s heated grids.

Allow the batter to cook in the waffle maker by closing the lid. With the baking soda, the batter expands into any difficult-to-reach parts of the grid plates after heating in the waffle maker.

Cooking spray residue and other leftovers from the last time the waffle maker was used will be encapsulated and absorbed by it.

The batter should be discarded once it has been cooked in the waffle maker. The waffle maker grids should be rinsed several times if necessary to remove all sticky residue.

How Do I Grease A Waffle Iron Correctly?

For greasing your non-stick waffle maker, use vegetable oil, butter, or one of the other alternatives I mentioned, but not a non-stick cooking spray. You should avoid using this type of product when making waffles because it can be a wonderful way to cook in the right situation.

Melted butter or vegetable oil should be applied to the waffle maker plates using a basting brush. Since your waffle batter recipe already contains fats from oil, egg yolks, and milk, you only need to brush it lightly before each use.

Final Words

The majority of waffle irons on the market today are non stick because they are coated with Teflon or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). You can cook any dish with this type of nonstick.

Teflon-coated waffle irons don’t require butter or baking spray. You will have a much harder time cleaning your waffle iron plates if you apply grease before cooking your waffles.