Black & Decker G48TD Grill and Waffle Baker
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Black & Decker G48TD Grill and Waffle Baker
Customer Review: Great Waffle Iron - a few helpful tips
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm really enjoying my waffle iron. It makes delicious, crispy waffles. We make a huge batch and freeze the leftovers. When we reheat them in the toaster, they come out as crispy as when first made.
I read all the reviews before purchasing and was concerned about the waffles sticking and the teflon coating coming off. My first few batches of waffles were perfect. Then I used the recipe for waffles on the Pioneer baking mix package, and the waffles stuck to both the top and bottom grid and I had a mess. Here is what I learned.
1. Closely follow the directions to season the waffle iron with oil before the first use.
2. Always use a recipe that contains oil in the mix. This seems to keep the batter from sticking. (I've used the recipe on the Bisquick box with great success).
3. Don't spray the grids with nonstick cooking spray with each waffle because it discolors the waffles and it isn't needed as long as you follow rule #1&2.
4. Preheat the waffle iron as directed in the instructions until the ready light goes out (5-8 minutes) before cooking your waffles.
5. Don't rely on the light to go out to let you know when the waffle is done. Instead, set a kitchen timer for 3-1/2 to 4 minutes and remove the waffle then. Hearing the timer go off is better than having to sit there and stare at the light for 4 minutes anyway!
6. If you forget these directions and end up with a sticky mess, do this:
-unplug your waffle iron
-stop up your sink and fill it with hot water, enough to submerge the waffle iron attachments
- using two hot pads, remove each waffle attachment, one at a time, and place it in the hot water. NOTE: If you get your hot pad wet, get a new one. Water will conduct heat through the hot pad to your hands.
- let the attachments soak until the stuck on mess begins to loosen.
- when cool enough to touch, pick up each piece and, using a utensil approved for nonstick surfaces, scrape off the stuck-on batter. It will come off easily.
-VERY IMPORTANT: when you make your next batch of waffles, reseason the attachment as you did when you first got the iron.
As for the teflon coating, mine hasn't had any problems. Another reviewer said you aren't supposed to clean them while they are hot, so I always let mine cool completely before washing. This is also one reason why I used hot water (to match the temperature of the hot attachments) instead of cold when removing the stuck-on gooey mess.
I used the open grill to toast hamburger buns. I didn't think it got very hot. The first time I forgot to preheat it, but the second time I preheated it (closed) and it seemed like it lost heat quickly when open. I think it works best when closed.
Customer Review: American (not Belgian) waffle maker does really well for us
Summary: 4 Stars
We shopped around for a long time looking for a HQ, non-Belgian (American) waffle maker. We went to department stores, Wal-Mart, Target, etc., and it was hard enough to find a decent non-Belgian iron. On top of that, we found most of the waffle makers - American or Belgian - tended to feel cheap or flimsy.
After some reviews online (and a review in the America's Test Kitchen cookbook), we finally settled on the B&D G48TD.
The design's aesthetics are ok. It's not plastic, and it doesn't look cheap in appearance. The metal body shell gets fingerprinted very easily, but it looks really nice right out of the box.
The construction doesn't feel as solid as I'd like. The lid's hinge - which is designed to open 180 degrees to lay wide open and flat as a grill - feels loose by design, leaving me to wonder if it will last. Also, the knob that controls the heat feels cheap when you turn it. Finally, our particular iron doesn't lay perfectly flat on our countertop.
However, with all of that said, the cooking surface plates were solid. They are also easy to clean because you can take them out and wash them by hand. Also, you can gently clean out the rest of the body of the iron (when it's unplugged, of course.) There won't be any grease or crumb buildup over time in this waffle iron in those hard to reach places.
(Note: The most helpful critical review spoke of snaps that hold the cooking plates in place as hitting each other, so they had to be bent. My waffle iron's plate clips had no such problem; no adjustment was necessary.)
The best part about this iron is that it cooked our waffles pretty well. Even though this iron has round heating elements, the square waffles that came out were relatively evenly cooked and light brown.
(Note: Turn the heat up to the top of the "Waffles" zone on the knob. Anything but the highest waffle setting will leave you with uneven or softer waffles.)
Bottom Line: This isn't a commercial-level, $$$$ waffle iron that feels solid as a rock. However, I am generally pleased with its performance and cleanup, so I'm happy with the purchase so far. If it holds up, I'm going to be happy with it over the long haul.
More notes:
Read the manual before using. You may think that using a waffle iron should be a no-brainer, but reading this manual helped, IMO.
I won't be using this as a grill/griddle, so I can't comment on that aspect of this appliance.
Customer Review: Perfect for Paninis
Summary: 4 Stars
I've never owned either panini maker or waffle maker so keep this in mind when reading this review.. it means that I'm not comparing it to other products owned in the past. I'm reviewing this product based on my own requirement and not on anything else.
My requirements and desires for this product were 1) makes a good panini quickly (about once a week for 1 or 2 people, not a family) 2) washable plates 3) inexpensive 4) option for making waffles if ever I wanted to try.
The machine has fulfilled all of the requirements above. As I've only dabbled with the wafflemaking option, I won't rate its performance on waffle-making - strictly on panini-making.
Warm up - it takes around 10 minutes for this machine to pre-heat the metal plates. Once the machine is pre-heated it is quite hot which makes for quick work of panini making. However note that the exterior metal of the machine also gets very hot and you must take care not to touch anywhere except the black plastic parts after the machine has been turned on. Because of this, I would caution parents not to have small children anywhere near this device when it's on.
Additionally, as other reviewers have noted, the plates are fastened to the device by metal clips and could have been constructed better. I would have been more comfortable if the clips held the plates snugger. Although I've never had an experience of the plates coming declipped, the wiggle room of the clips does contribute to nervousness and caution that although may be wholly psychological is not especially welcome.
Panini-Making - Once the griddle is heated, the sandwich is inserted and pressed. The B&D machine performs quickly, evenly heating sandwiches and leaving a tasty crust layer.
What I like best about it is that when some of the fillings spill out of the sandwich and onto the grill (leaving what one would expect to be a gooey mess), it's actually quite easy to clean. I just let the plates cool and by then, the "goo" which sometimes contains hard to remove cheese - comes right off without much effort.
All and all, the machine has met all of my requirements and I am happy with it.
So, in a nutshell:
Pros: Easy to clean, portable, does a good job making paninis. Like the looks of it. Removable plates. Gets hot.
Cons: Clips holding plates could be stiffer. Exterior of machine gets hot. Not best for household with small children.
Customer Review: Great Waffles...Finally! A solid review found here.
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great waffle maker!! Every time we make waffles, they flip right out just like they're supposed to. We haven't had any of them get stuck or had any of the disasters/frustrations that we've had with other waffle irons. It's actually easy to make a waffle again. Can you imagine!? I think the reason why is that the Teflon is good and it gets hot, evenly.
After you get it, my recommendation would be to FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS that comes with it. Just before preheating, brush on some vegetable oil like it says to do. (I guess you can use spray but we've found the oil at first works best.) After that, you won't need anything at all for the other batches. Also, be sure not to mess up the Teflon coating by washing it while it's still hot (let it cool off completely) or by using utensils that will scratch it up, like metal forks and scrubbers. If you take care of this sensitive Teflon, it will take care of you. I think it says not to put it in the dishwasher so you probably don't want to. Both plates, top and bottom, are completely removable and they're really easy to clean with a basic sponge...don't use the scrubby side of the sponge though...you won't need to anyway.
We've made waffles several times already and they've been perfect every time. It DOES get really hot but that's a good thing. We've also flipped it over to the grill side and that's great too. We've made quesadillas, grilled cheese sandwiches, and burgers. For burgers, it has a trench like thing around the border of the grill that the fat collects in. You'll need a little cup or something to catch it where it supposed to drip out.
If you really want it to "drain the fat away" fast like a Forman type grill, just put something under the back left leg to tilt it a bit. Don't put something under the leg that could catch fire though....again, say it with me, "It gets really hot!" We've been placing it on our stove top when we use it...if you have sensitive counter tops, do that too.
If you make a sandwich, keep the grill open and flip the sandwich as needed. Otherwise, your sandwich will get really flat. I think that's it -- It really is one of our better purchases lately and so we take good care of it. Oh, and adding a nice amount of vanilla extract to your waffle batter makes them delicious!! (wife said to throw that in) Happy Waffle'n!
Customer Review: Makes great waffles if you grease it and measure the batter right!
Summary: 4 Stars
I really like this waffle iron. This is pretty goofy, but I actually bought it 7 or 8 years ago when I was in high school because it looked just like my mom's and grandma's and I was afraid it wouldn't be around anymore once I lived on my own. Looks like I didn't need to worry!
My waffle iron has been getting regular use now for about 4 years. It's been great since the beginning. To keep the waffles from sticking, I suggest heating it up, pouring some vegetable oil in a bowl, and using a pastry brush to generously grease both sides of the iron. You should do this after each waffle. I don't wash my grids (I only ever cook waffles and pancakes on it) so I don't know how it works if you do, but as time has gone on I don't need to grease the iron as much and can make a few waffles without needing to oil it. Also if your waffle does happen to stick some, I suggest slowly lifting the lid so as not to tear the waffle in half and using a wooden spatula or wooden spoon to gently coax it off whichever plate it's sticking to. On the rare times a waffle has stuck, I do this and it comes of fine without leaving cooked on waffle bits.
Another thing that I haven't seen mentioned: use a 1 cup measuring scoop (the nesting kind for dry ingredients) to scoop up your batter and pour it right in the center. 1 cup fills the iron perfectly without overflowing.
My reason for not giving the iron 5 stars is that I get the distinct feeling it isn't made as well as the old waffle irons. The pieces do not feel as sturdy, though they do the job. My iron has been great so far, but I would be surprised if I'm using the same one 10 years from now. My mom and grandma have had the same waffle irons for decades.
All in all, we really like this iron. My husband prefers his waffles very limp and white and I like mine golden and crisp, and this iron does a great job with both, producing evenly cooked waffles. I just make his waffle, then crank up the heat and make mine. Everyone's happy :)