Is there a way to keep chocolate chips from melting in chocolate-chip waffles?

Question

My memory might be playing tricks on me, but I swear I've had chocolate chip waffles (or maybe pancakes) where the chocolate chips were still somewhat hard - in other words, not completely melted. Every time I try, even if waiting for the batter to start cooking before adding the chips, they always seem to melt completely. Waiting for the chips to harden would also mean the waffles get cold. Any solution?

Asked by eterps

Answer

Although I can't fathom why you would want unmelted chocolate chips in your waffle or pancakes, some things you can try is:

• Using darker chocolate. Dark chocolate will has a slightly higher melting point than milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate. And since pancakes and waffles are usually eaten with syrup and other sweet toppings, it shouldn't be a problem that the chocolate is less sweet.
• Use cold chocolate chips. Leave the chocolate chips in the refrigerator prior to making the pancake/waffles.

Answered by Jay

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How can I keep my waffle iron relatively clean when making waffles?

Question

I do not make waffles overly frequently, but when I do I tend to make a mess of my waffle iron. I use a ladle to place waffle batter in the middle of my waffle iron. On accident I occasionally overfill the iron so that when it is closed batter runs out the sides. The obvious answer is use less batter, but then I tend to use too little. To complicate matters I rarely use the same waffle batter recipe and some tend to make a larger mess than others.

Aside from eyeballing is there a good ratio of batter amount to iron size I should be using? Is there a way to easily cleanup a waffle iron after use that does not take a long time?

Answer

Replace your ladle with a ice cream scoop.

You will be able to control the amount of dough for each waffle much easier. For my waffle iron and scoop I use two scoops.

An additional advantage over a ladle, is that the dough releases much easier from a scoop - which reduces the probability of making a mess.

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Do you season a cast iron waffle pan before using?

Question

I just bought a cast iron waffle pan. I've seen conflicting advice about whether it should be seasoned. I have several old cast iron pans and my instinct would be to season it but I've also read that in a waffle pan the seasoning will get gummy and the waffles will stick to the pan. Some sites recommend just brushing the pan right before pouring the batter in. What are your thoughts?

Answer

I see no reason that a cast iron waffle pan should be treated differently in regards to seasoning than other cast iron. Since it won't be cooking anything with significant fat in it naturally, if anything it may be more important! Seasoning is both for non-stick reason and non-oxidizing reasons.

Season it well on your own, then use it with some fat (of some kind) very lightly brushed on to keep it well. Only brushing right before use will keep one good likely, but would take a long, long time to naturally season since a large portion of the fat will immediately get used by the food.

Cast iron gets gummy if you either 1) season with a spray like Pam consistently or 2) don't cook your seasoning long enough and/or high enough. Use a fat, bacon fat, would be great here and season away - properly. In regards to seasoning, I recommend checking out this question, as its unneeded to replicate detailed information elsewhere in the site.

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