Follow Martha Stewart's Tip For The Crispiest Waffles Ever
Homemade waffles are a real treat for breakfast — or served up as part of a supper – thanks to their gridded pockets. These surface dents, which make them better than pancakes in my opinion, are made for holding syrup, jam, butter, whipped cream, or whatever topping takes your fancy. One major bummer, though, is when your homemade waffles, fresh off the iron, get soggy. Luckily, lifestyle icon Martha Stewart has a hack for that.
In the video seen below, she removes a waffle from the iron and then gently tosses it back and forth between her hands to get rid of the steam. The "crispness of those edges is retained," she explains, as she palms the waffle from one hand to the other for about 10 seconds. It works because instead of just setting it down on a flat surface (or on top of a waffle stack), where the steam gets trapped underneath, the movement helps to dissipate the steam from the surface. This means the waffle will stay as crispy as when you pulled it off the iron.
@marthastewart Soggy waffles no more! #waffles #wafflemaker #brunchtok #tiktokpartner
What you put in your batter matters
You don't need a high-end waffle iron to get great results, but you do need a great batter that will set you up for crispiness. Another pro tip is that if your batter recipe calls for buttermilk, try swapping out about half with regular milk. Buttermilk makes for thicker waffles, but using some regular milk lightens up the density and can help your iron really crisp the surface.
Sugar also plays an important role in getting waffles nice and crusty. You don't have to rely on the basic granulated stuff. Try playing around with brown sugar or even maple syrup, and enjoy the added depth of flavor, as well as the delightful caramelization, that these two sweet powerhouses can bring.
Finally, there's the age-old debate: To whip your egg whites to stiff peaks or not. We're going to err on the side of not, since waffles get cooked in a compressed chamber, and the whole point of whipping egg whites is to add lift. There's literally no way for the egg whites to rise under a waffle iron lid. Waffles also aren't the only thing you can use your waffle iron to make. Once you're a waffle pro, you'll be reheating pizza and making crispy omelets in no time.