Many people have heard of or seen a flip waffle maker. They probably have even seen the Hamilton Beach 26031 flip Belgian waffle machine that uses detachable grids that you can clean in a dishwasher.
They probably asked questions like, ‘Are Flip Waffle Makers Better than Non-Flip Waffle Makers?’. The simple answer to this question is yes they are better. Flip waffle makers are better than non-flip waffle makers because they spread the batter more evenly across the plates which will make the waffles fluffier and cook the top and bottom of the waffles more evenly.
The biggest differences between Flip and Non-Flip waffle makers are that a Flip waffle maker allows you to rotate the cooking plates 180 degrees and it has a drip tray to catch any overflowing batter while a Non-Flip waffle maker has fixed cooking plates that do not rotate and it is about 50% cheaper.
The only Flip Belgian waffle makers that use removable plates are the Hamilton Beach 26031 and 26201.
There are no old fashion thin waffle makers that have a flip rotary feature because the interior is dense and does not need to be fluffy like Belgian waffles.
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What is a Flip Waffle Maker?
In 2001, the first flip waffle maker for home use was released to the market by the Waring corporation. It cooked one round Belgian-style waffle at a time.
It was really popular because it allowed the consumer to make a Belgian waffle that was evenly cooked and browned on both the top and bottom.
Like every other non-flip Belgian waffle maker that can bake one round Belgian-style waffle at a time, it came with indicator lights and two round, non-stick cooking plates that were hinged together.
Flip vs Non-Flip
However, there were a couple of differences between these two types of waffle makers. The main differences were that only the flip waffle maker came with cooking plates that were elevated off the surface and only it comes with a handle to rotate the plates 180 degrees. Also only a flip waffle maker comes with a drip tray to catch any overflowing batter.
More Fluffy Waffles
Flipping the cooking plates 180 degrees will spread the batter evenly between both plates so that it fills all of the cavities in the top and bottom plates. This will ensure that the waffle will be perfectly formed and it will be cooked evenly on both sides. It will be really fluffy and you will waste less batter because you won’t have to overfill to get a fluffy waffle as you would with a non-flip waffle maker.
Cooks Faster
Also the 180 degree rotating feature will enable the waffle maker to cook your batter faster. This is because the flip feature allows you to make certain that the top and bottom of the waffle get baked by the bottom plate, which because of gravity does the best job of baking the batter.
Evenly Cooks the Top and Bottom of the Waffle
If you know anything about non-flip waffle makers, then you know that the bottom of the waffle is always cooked much faster and is much browner than the top. This is because the bottom plate makes better contact with the batter than the top plate does.
This occurs because gravity pulls the bottom of the waffle downward which means it will make contact with the bottom cooking plate while the top of the waffle is waiting to expand into the cavities of the top cooking plate. This means that the top cooking plates will not make contact with the top of the waffle and it will have to take longer to properly cook it.
However, if you flip the cooking plates 180 degrees by turning the handle, the toprota of the waffle will now end up on the bottom where gravity will pull it downward and it will make contact with the bottom cooking plate where it is cooked a lot better.
A flip waffle maker will cook a waffle approximately twice as fast as a non-flip waffle maker can. The waffle will be fluffy and it will be more evenly cooked and browned on both sides so your waffle will end up tasting even better.
Disadvantages of Flip Waffle Makers
One of the drawbacks of a flip waffle maker is that it occupies more space than a non-flip waffle maker does. The rotary design of the flip waffle maker means that you cannot store it in a space-saving vertical position like you can with a standard waffle iron. A non-flip has a flat surface on the hinge side which means you can store it upright on the flat side.
So what is the best flip waffle maker?
The highest-rated flip waffle maker is the Cuisinart WAF-F20 double flip Belgian waffle maker. 90% of its Amazon customer reviews rated this waffle maker 5-stars. The housing is made from stainless steel and it is well-built so it has a heavy-duty construction and is really durable so it will work reliably for a very long time. It weighs over 13 pounds so you know that it is a high-quality appliance.
A double flip Belgian waffle maker is a really popular choice for large families because they allow you to make two Belgian waffles at once.
It heats up quickly, cooks evenly, and reheats between waffles fast enough to not end up with soggy waffles in the middle of the batch. My only complaint is that because the nonstick plates aren’t removable, it’s kind of a PITA to clean.
Are there any flip waffle makers with removable plates?
Yes there are two flip waffle makers with removable plates, the Hamilton Beach 26031 and 26201.
Hamilton Beach 26031
The Hamilton Beach 26031 single Belgian flip waffle maker is the only flip waffle maker with removable ceramic plates. Ceramic-coated cooking plates contain no toxic materials so they are a lot safer to cook with than Teflon which has a reputation for emitting toxic fumes when operating at high temperatures.
Hamilton Beach 26201
The Hamilton Beach 26201 double Belgian flip waffle maker is the only double flip waffle maker that comes with removable plates. One problem with this flip waffle maker is that it does not have an adjustable temperature control dial so it only operates at one temperature and you cannot control how dark you want your waffles to be.
