Okaaay, I've tried my very small batch only three came out looking edible and those had little spots on them from the "stuff" I apparently didn't get rid of.

Here's a new question... seems one side of the pizzelle maker (top and bottom of one side) has "stuff" on it and I'd like to get it silver/metal like the other side is (well, mostly).

The pizzelle using the side with "stuff" in the grooves came out not-so-good, while the other side came out better and the decorative plate remains mostly silver but not perfectly clean. Maybe more elbow grease is needed? I'd be tempted to use OVEN CLEANER but then everything would taste of oven cleaner.

Maybe I should just get a new one. :O)

Smiles,
Sooz

If you heat that hot enough to cook a pizzelle, any beasties will be dead and gone.
The non silver area is likely dirty. As to whether to use oven cleaner or not, depends on what it's made of. If it's cast iron, oven cleaner is fine....if it's aluminum....don't use it.
As far as "everything tasting like oven cleaner".....nonsense!! rinse the cleaner off and no problem!
I would find the brand and then do a search to find what the metal is.
No need to get a new pizzelle maker as long as the old one heats.
You might try heating it, oiling it well and baking a slice of soft white bread. Repeat until the slice looks just toasted and not "dirty".
Linda C

For an appliance that old, you never know. Electrical components can deteriorate and leakage can happen. Insulation can crack and crumble.

You may want to get an electric power tester like the one linked below from HD, Radioshack or Amazon.com. It is only $3 or $4.

You touch one end of the tester on the appliance, and another end to a metal plumbing pipe. If the light goes on, your appliance is leaking and dangerous.

dcarch

Here is a link that might be useful:

Sooz, until recently I had the family's non electric pizzelle maker. To clean the grooves, do heat it up good first, then use a chopstick that has been sharpened with a pencil sharpener. Great for getting those hard to get to places. While it's unplugged you might also be able to use an old steak knife or some such that you don't mind destroying. Just be careful.

DCArch is right of course. Those old appliances can give a shock or worse so would be good to check it out, but must admit I've used many an old toaster or waffle iron from the thirties and forties.

Good luck.

coconut, I've also used many old appliances from the forties or older, with no ill effects. Well, there is that slight twitch, but no one notices much, LOL.

Except I have an old egg cooker I found in Dad's pole barn, it's white ceramic and looks like a chicken sitting on a nest, I think it was to boil eggs because it has a metal insert that holds 4 eggs upright. With an electric component in the bottom, I'm scared to add water and try to do anything1

Annie

Posted by annie1992 " coconut, I've also used many old appliances from the forties or older, with no ill effects. Well, there is that slight twitch, but no one notices much, LOL------"

Old appliances are very durable and are generally safe to use. However, over 30,000 homes are burnt down and 300 people killed each year from electrical problems.

1. Vintage electric cooking devices most likely are not properly grounded or double insulated.

2. Old wiring may use cloth and paper for insulation, which can age, crack and fray.

3. The bi-metal thermostat may be worn and fused together, causing over heating.

4. At some point in the past, aluminum had been used for wiring, which can cause fire. Aluminum wiring has been outlawed.

5. There is a very good chance that some insulation inside may be asbestos, which also has been outlawed.

dcarch

Wish I hadn't let my old pizzelle maker go. I really would have liked to have made some from Lou's recipe. I think he's the King of Pizzelles.

dcarch - Reminds me of a vintage hot lather machine I bought years ago. Plug it in one way and it seems to be fine. Flip the plug and you get shocked if you touch it and a ground (like the faucet) at the same time. I retired it when my son was born. Figured it wasn't the safest thing to have next to the bathroom sink. Wonder if the fix could be as simple as rewiring it with a directional plug. Or, preferably with a grounded cord.

Thanks, everyone, for the helpful input! I've been using coconut's suggestion of sharpened chop sticks and between that and my fingernail, it's coming clean. I checked out the prices online for the same kind I have--it's still being made--and that was enough for my frugal self to decide I can spend the time on cleaning out every single little groove! :O)

Smiles,
Sooz

dcarch, then I'm really going to scare you, because the old farmhouse that I just bought on the farm where I grew up still has electrical wiring and plugs that are older than I am. No breaker boxes there, it's the old screw in type fuses and they blow regularly, LOL.

Since the place also needs a new septic system and has termites and is in such bad shape that I can't get an insurance company to insure it, it'd be a shame if it burned down adn I didn't have to pay to have it demolished. (wink) Of course, it won't happen, that wiring has worked for 75 years at a minimum, so I'm assuming it'll keep on working.

Annie