I'd burn the stink out of it...if I could. Likely that liquid was leaked from washing and had dissolved any grease that had seeped inside.
I'd continue using it....if it doesn't catch fire while you are burning out the smell..;-)

I'd replace it. Life's too short to have to figure out what angle to clean this waffle iron so that it doesn't hold dirty dish soap!

Yuck.

Get a 20% off coupon to Bed Bath and Beyond and buy yourself a non-stick waffle maker with removable plates.

Get a new one. The thing is thermostatically controlled not to overheat. You can't burn the smell away.

Get a non-stick new one. You will be using less fat and butter and be healthier.

dcarch

Consumer Reports apparently doesn't review waffle irons (we subscribe and I looked), but I did find another site that had reviews of various waffle irons. All-Clad was, of course, the highest rated and the priciest at $180. Black and Decker fell in the middle. It sells for $42 on Amazon. And Cuisinart was the cheapest acceptable - $30. The Cuisinart doesn't appear to have removable plates, while the B&D does. For $12 more, I'd go for removable plates.

Get another

Debrak, Good to see you! They've improved a lot of the things that irritated people since you left. If you stay awhile you may find that you get used to and enjoy the new format.

Since the grids are removable, put them in the oven (360°?) to burn off the stink. I agree with Linda about how it happened. It might be mold or bacteria activated by the water. If it doesn't work, you've only lost a few cents of electricity. If it does, you can always save that one for things like tater tots (and plan on sending it away to college/first apartment when your daughter is grown), and get your Belgian waffler for waffles.

You don't need to spend a fortune, but it's worth spending a little for good temperature control. I have a Waring Pro (not "professional" or "commercial", just "Pro" which is about styling (appearance) but still is a residential waffle maker). It does a great job. Mine is probably a decade old, but there are similar units on the market, with some design improvements, in the range of $50-75.

"Ok I will look for a new one with removeable plates"

Actually, look for reversible plates, so that you can make pancakes as well.

dcarch

debrak, I'm glad to see you again too. As Plllog said, once you get used to the new format it might be OK. I won't go so far as to say you'll enjoy it, LOL.

Mmmm. You reminded me that I really need to make some Waffles of Insane Greatness. Or maybe cornmeal waffles with cheese and ham. Or both.

Annie

I'm sorry Debrak! I misread your original post and I thought you'd said the plates on your current one were removable. Skipped right over the "non"! So, of course, you can't put it in the oven. Also, since it wasn't just the plates, it could be inside the housing. I'm not sure you should plug it in if there's a chance of there being water in the electrical part.

And I was imprecise, above. I meant you might enjoy Gardenzzweb. There are some cool features in the new format, but I miss clunky ol' Gardenweb with the HTML and the annoying layers of preview pages and all. But mostly, I miss all the people who took one look at the new and said, "H*ll no!" as they bolted off to Facebook.

Q. This one is a non stick but waffles sometimes still stuck. I always followed the directions of the waffle mix that would say to use cooking spray, oil or butter. Should I not do that? That is why cleaning is so hard.

bbstx & plllog thanks for the recommendations! I will check them out.

dcarch, Yes to reversible!

I have noticed that many people complain about cooking spray causing issues. Normally, basic waffles are just pancake batter that has added oil and less liquid. That always works for me. There was an old post from ann_t in 2013 that talked about waffle iron choices. It might give you some ideas.

Chas - I was also looking around some old posts and realized Debra bought hers about two years ago. Shame it didn't last longer, hope it got some good use in the meantime.

Like Ann, I've seen too reviews for Chef's Choice. They're pricier than most, but nowhere near the most expensive models. I've been hesitant to pull the trigger because I really would prefer removable plates for cleaning. My current Braun is effectively nonstick, but that doesn't prevent burnt oil from lingering. Would love to remove the plates and give them a good wash.

Welcome back, Debra! Always nice so see an old face!

Never wash your waffle iron's grids!!....but also don't use it to make tater tots! ;-)
The best waffle iron I ever had was an ancient round one from an auction, with a little dial on front to tell you when it was hot....and cast iron grids. I cleaned them once as best as I could ,wiped with Crisco and heated until it stopped smoking! After that, nothing ever stuck. A waffle iron with cast iron grids gets seasoned just like a cast iron fry pan.....and don't EVER spray with "cooking spray"...If you must grease, wipe with some oil.

What you need for non-stick:

1. A small brush that you can brush on a very thin layer of oil or butter. All you need is a drop of oil or butter when the iron is hot.

2. Get a wooden popsicle stick and trim it small enough to fit inside the narrow groves of the plates. You can use the stick to lift the waffle out. Easy.

Works on my $5 waffle iron from Goodwill, which is far from non-stick.

dcarch

I clean my non stick irons with soapy water and letting it steam clean, then rinsing under running water.

If it's really non stick ( as in well seasoned cast iron) you should never have to clean it but for popping off little bits of overflowed batter....just stay away from using it to cook tater tots!!

The tator tots in the waffle iron is one of the life hacks you see on facebook. The idea was to make a "waffle/roll" for a hamburger out of tator tots. Looked better online than IRL. They do taste really good in the waffle iron but don't hold together.

The grid gets greasy and gets tiny bits of food in it that seem impossible to clean. I keep chopsticks around just for cleaning jobs like this but it wasn't working. I really think the tator tots did it in with way too much grease. DD keeps making them for lunch in the iron instead of using the oven.

Right now some life stuff came up but hopefully by next week I can start searching for a new waffle iron. Maybe keep the old one if the kids want to do the tots in it but then they have to clean it.

Thank you for the recommendations and the link posted above. I will check it out.

Yeah I know...I saw it too....and immediately thought....wow that will make a mess in your waffle iron!! LOL!

Next time you see something you shouldn't cook in a waffle iron, please message me!!!☺

I can't imagine not cleaning something non stick. I wash all my non stick pans and think a waffle iron is no different. A drop of soap in 1/4 cup of water poured into a waffle iron, heated, rinsed with hot water and dried on it's side removes reside and leaves it clean.

I wash my non stick pans....but I cook eggs and sautee mushrooms in butter and cook cream sauces and sautee chicken breasts in them....but I only cook waffles in my waffle iron....never ever tater tots!! And particularly never cook scrambled eggs nor cheese burgers...nope never!! Your drop of soap will never clean up the cheese burger mess!

Debrak, just happened to see this. Some folks (including you) may not want to hear this, but I have the All-Clad waffle iron (the square Belgian version). It was a gift from DH and the kids, and I was made at DH for spending all that money on it -- until we used it. The first time we used it, I forgave him and said goodbye to the waffle maker with removable plates I had before. I have a basic square griddle I make pancakes, grilled cheese, quesadillas and such on, so for me, a great waffle iron is a worth single-purpose appliance. I won't carry on about it, but if you are interested, Williams-Sonoma and Sur la Table both have 20% off promotions right now -- as well as the BB&B option.

One important thing about non-stick is that they need to be seasoned regularly to maintain the non-stick. Of course you wash them but you season it when you're going to use it. A simple wipe with oil on a warmed pan, then wipe it out if you want. Not needed if you are cooking bacon or something since that will season it for you. (Bacon is a miracle food you know.) And the cooking sprays are the worst thing you can do to any pan for that matter. I learned that the hard way. You can always tell the people on YouTube who use cooking sprays. They have the gross, crusty pans that look like they've never been washed. After I saw that on some of my pans, I thought to myself, if that's what it's doing to the pans, what on earth is it doing to my innards? It's just as easy to get a spray bottle and some oil. And cheaper too.

lascatx:, as I found out yesterday: the coupons mentioned have big exclusions for just about everything without a Sur la Table label. I don't know about Williams-Sonoma's coupon. ;-(((

Oh, sorry about that. If it's something you want to keep an eye out for, there are sometimes special deals with those two stores and something like that waffle maker might be a special deal between now and Christmas or near Mother's Day. My friend got an All-Clad slow cooker when BB&B was clearing them out -- got a clearance price and was able to use a 20% off coupon too. I don't seem to be that lucky knowing she loved the slow cooker helped pave the way for my wafle iron, so I at least got an indirect benefit. Sign up for their emails if you don't get them now and at least watch until the holidays.

BB&B frequently has a 20% off coupon in Traditional Home magazine.