cleaning waffle iron plates

[gredmondson]

I have a 1950s Sunbeam waffle baker that is in good shape except that the plates are practically black. I would like to clean them and then season them. Here is what I have tried: Turning it on high with salt between the plates (didn't work); oven cleaner (yes, I know it says not to use it on aluminum); a household steam cleaner (didn't work); electric pressure washer (didn't work). Right now they are soaking in water and detergent. Short of getting them sandblasted, is there any way to clean them of burned on carbon? Or, should I just forget that they are black, season them, and move on?

 

[mattl]

I've got an old Sunbeam too. It has removable griddles that can be swapped for flat pan style. After I saw Robert's pictures I dug mine out and tried to use it. Big mistake. The oil on the griddle was rancid and smelled bad when heated. I sprayed it with PAM and gave it a go, the birds like waffles too, and ended up with a mess. The batter stuck to the top and bottom and ripped the waffles apart when I opened it. I pulled the waffle grids out and soaked them and gave them a good scrubbing, I haven't tried them yet.

Not sure how to proceed. I have an old aluminum griddle we use every week to fry pancakes and my dad is not the best clean up person. Over the years the bottom was coated in grease and oil and had blackened quite badly. Not to mention it was getting sticky. What I finally did was to put it out on my gas grill, covered it and the entire grill surface with foil and run it on high for 3,4, or 5 hours. (The Weber grill book states this is a way to clean the grill...) The heat buildup burned off the grease and a quick scrub with some Brillo did the job. I had thought about running it through a self cleaning cycle in my oven but opted for the grill as I can control that easier. I didn't think the heat would melt the aluminum but I didn't want to take a chance. Anyway that might be a good way to clean the waffle grids too, haven't needed to try it yet.

So, now I have them clean, How do I season them?

 

[jamiel]

Try paint remover (solvent type). It won't attack the aluminum.

 

[laundromat]

Hey George,
If you have a self cleaning oven place them in and set it for a 3 hr long cycle.I have done that successfully with my old Club aluminum pieces and it worked great.I also did that with some old cast iron skillets.

 

[veg-o-matic]

There's a product called "Greased Lightning" available at supermarkets. Works really well on getting rid of grease and other old crud.

veg

 

[gredmondson]

MattL,jamiel,laundromat, and veg-o-matic: Thanks so much! I now have the waffle plates in the self-cleaning oven. Years ago I saw a Faberware pan that was left on an electric stove with the element on and nothing in the pot. The aluminum bottom melted onto the heating element. I'm trusting it won't get that hot in the oven on the self cleaning cycle. The range (GE) self-cleaning directions did say to remove any aluminum foil. I took out the racks and put the waffle plates on the floor of the oven. I'll post here how it worked. If this is a huge mistake, someone call me (805-720-6178) and tell me!

 

[bpetersxx]

dawn powershot works great too esp on broiler pans

 

[gredmondson]

Well, I just took the waffle iron plates out of the self-cleaning oven (four hour cycle), and they are warped and unusable. The good news is that I have other Sunbeam waffle irons with the same removable plates, so I can use those (but they are still unsightly, too). I'll look for that "Greased Lightning" product. And, I'll post my results here.

 

[mattl]

Hmmm, glad I didn't try that. Truth be told that's is why I used the gas grill, I could check the progress and stop if any problem arose. Sorry to hear about the damage, glad it's not the end of your waffle maker.

So, what is the best way to season the aluminum grids? I know you do it in a slow oven with shortening for cast iron, will this work for aluminum?

 

[panthera]

I have found

That a vegetable oil with a high smoke point when rubbed in and baked for an hour at 175°C (350°F for the non-anal-retentive), cooled and repeated several times produces a decent non-stick surface.
Pam is useless for this purpose, a much better choice would be a natural brush or silicon brush and a light coating of oil before every new batch is poured.
Never put the plates in the dishwasher, apart from the fact that aluminum of that era is easily attacked in the dishwasher, the harsher detergents also remove the seasoning.
I just let them cool, rinse the dribbles off, rub them dry and put them away. I don't oil them as aluminum doesn't rust and the oil just turns sticky and rancid.

 

[tomturbomatic]

I think it might have gone better if you had put them on a shelf and not run such a long cycle. Sorry to hear about the bad results. I had an aluminum pressure cooker lid sag during a self-clean treatment which was a stupid thing to do to the piece in the first place. Did they come clean, at least? If you have access to an oxy-acetylene torch, you could put the grids on a flat concrete surface and, using the wide flame tip move the flame slowly and continuously back and forth across each grid and flatten them. It's a lot more exciting than ironing. Actually that would have cleaned them also. Sorry to sound like a Monday morning quarterback. I am glad that all is not lost. Tom

 

[gredmondson]

Tom, yes the waffle iron plates did come clean (very nicely, in fact), and the warping was just bad enough to make them unusable. I put them into the recycle, so they are now gone. the next set of plates that I am trying to clean has responded a little to Greased Lightning. I am thinking that I won't try to make them perfect (a problem I have when cleaning appliances) because I know that I can make them work after I re-season them.

By the way, being introduced to this threaded discussion site has been a lot of fun, and I have another question I"ll post later.

 

[selectomatic]

Greased Lightning

Greased Lightning works well for a lot of grease and gunk removal (from jukeboxes to T-shirts), but it can damage some paints.

Of course this isn't a problem with waffle-iron plates, but be sure to keep it away from un-tested painted surfaces.

-kevin