Is bigger always better?
Does a high price always equal higher quality?
Home appliances suffer from this bias; how else can you explain the prices at Williams Sonoma versus prices on Amazon for products that do the same thing?
One of the reasons I was drawn to the Black+Decker WMB500 is that it’s ridiculously cheap. Give up 5 of Starbucks Tall Caffe Mochas and you can have this delivered to your home.
Can an appliance this cheap really do anything?
Well…..it depends. But if you love waffles but don’t want to splash Williams Sonoma cash, I think the B+D WMB500 just might be the gadget for you.
Description
Black+Decker calls the WMB500 a Belgian-style waffle maker, and I know many waffle connoisseurs will disagree with this classification.
B+D (as they are now known) base their classification on size. The WMB500 is 8 inches in diameter and doesn’t look anything like the heavy duty, self-serve models at the breakfast bar of your favorite hotel.
But the WMB500 makes waffles with grooves deep enough to hold honey, blueberries or any toppings you desire. While its grids are not as deep as a ‘real Belgian iron’, I think any waffles with pockets deeper than an Eggo, is just fine. If you can get a golden brown, well-done waffle that you can sprinkle toppers on, does size really matter?
The WMB500 is a non-flip model that makes waffles around 7.25 inches in diameter and and about 1” tall, so no thin Eggos here. At 8” round with a chrome body and black plastic sides, this waffle maker will look great on any kitchen counter.
Flip it open, you’ll see a grid with dividers high enough to easily separate your waffle into 4 sections. Think about it, you can have four sections with four different toppings. Just imagine one topped with whipped cream, one with blueberries, one with honey, and one with a dollop of fat-free yogurt (because diet, right?)
The grids have a non-stick coating that allows waffles slide off easily and also makes cleaning up stress-free.
At first glance, the WMB500 appears to be the epitome of a minimalist appliance.
But can something so simple actually make waffles?
Controls
Now, if it’s important to you to have extras like a timer, audible or light indicators, the WMB500 isn’t for you.
Remember that comment I made abut being minimalist? Well, this waffle maker doesn’t even have a variable temperature control.
No temperature control means those who like golden-brown, crispy waffles will find the WMB500 a hassle to use. The same goes for anyone who needs to make both dark brown and light golden waffles in every batch.
Minimalist. To a Fault
The top of the WMB500 is bare save for one red light placed on top of the black hinges. This light is the only indicator on the WMB500 and it cycles on and off while the waffle maker is in use.
This waffle maker hasn’t got an off/on switch, this light is the only indicator you have. And that brings me to my first gripe with this gadget.
Black+Decker assume that while I’m preparing waffles (amongst other things), I’ll enjoy staring at the machine, waiting for a light to:
- Turn on when I plug the appliance,
- Wait for the light go out indicating that it’s hot enough to pour batter in,
- Wait for it to turn back on after I pour batter in,
- Then watch for it to turn off for a 4th time indicating the waffle is done.
Really, B+D?
Rant aside, it is kinda important to pour the batter in only when the grids are hot enough. Failure to do so will lead to making an under-done waffle. Think crisp on one side but soggy in the center.
Yuck!
The manufacturer suggests users watch for steam rising from the front and sides of the waffle maker as an indicator of doneness. But this still requires just…… staring……… at a waffle maker.
C’mon, B+D, would it have been so hard to include something that beeps or chimes when the waffle is ready?
In addition to the limited alert options, I find that the red light isn’t even a good indicator of when the waffle is done. The waffle almost always come out just a little under-done, if you use the light as a guide.
My workaround is to leave the waffles in the closed Black+Decker WMB500 for at least another 90 seconds.
And this brings me to gripe number 2; with the indicator light not being reliable, you’d have to open the waffle maker before realizing that the waffle is under-cooked. This check will cause some heat to dissipate, leaving you with a longer cooking time and a less-than-perfect waffle.
So heed my warning and fight the temptation to peek inside.
So the WMB500 has only 1 indicator light (I’ve named it the Mini Cyclops), but how easy is it to actually make waffles with it?
Let’s find out.
Ease of Use
My 2 gripes aside, using the WMB500 is pretty easy, even if you’ve never used a waffle maker before. You just have to follow a few steps to get to your perfect waffle.
Before you start whipping up batter, before even turning on the appliance for the first time, you have to condition the cooking surfaces.
Conditioning your WMB500
Conditioning (also known as seasoning) isn’t as complex as it sounds. Appliances and pans with non-stick surfaces require seasoning, especially before the first use. Seasoning helps prevent food from sticking to the surface. It also helps prevent the non-stick coating from wearing off over time.
To do this, simply coat the surface with a light layer of cooking oil before first use. You can apply the oil by wiping it on with a paper towel or using a small basting brush I find using a brush helps you get into all the corners of the grids.
Be sure to wipe the top and bottom grids.
Leave for a minute then wipe the surfaces again with a dry paper towel to remove any excess oil. Even after this step, the first waffle you make will absorb any remaining oil, giving it a greasy appearance. You want to throw this first waffle away.
Now, you’ll notice that the instructions call for seasoning with cooking oil and not non-stick cooking spray.
In a world where cooking sprays like PAM are more convenient and “healthier”, you may wonder “Why?”
Why You Shouldn’t use Cooking Spray on Non-stick Surfaces
The choice of using cooking oil rather than the more common cooking spray is due to some of the ingredients in cooking spray. For example, the popular PAM is mainly thinned-out canola oil, but it also contains lecithin (an emulsifying agent), a propellant and dimethyl silicone as an anti-foaming agent.
Additives in cooking sprays, especially lecithin, cause a build-up of residue on the non-stick surface. With the continuous use of cooking spray on a non-stick surface, the nasty, brownish gummy residue formed counteracts the non-stick nature, causing everything to stick.
So, avoid making a sticky mess and follow instructions and use cooking oil instead.
You can use any cooking oil; whether it’s canola, olive, avocado, any cooking oil you have on your shelves.
One more caveat; even with cooking oil, it’s still possible to mess up the seasoning process.
Simply pouring glugs of oil into the appliance will lead to it becoming sticky. Use less by:
- dripping one teaspoon into each lower grid and use a paper towel to wipe it across both lower and upper grids.
- drizzle one teaspoon of oil on a paper towel and wipe across the grids.
- dip a basting brush in oil once and brush that quantity across all four grids.
Leave for a minute and now you’re ready to bake waffles.
Using the WMB500
Plug the appliance and the red ready light will come on, indicating that the unit is warming up to the proper cooking temperature.
After about 5 minutes, the light will go out, indicating the waffle maker is hot enough to use. Don’t forget, we are going to make that one throwaway waffle that helps absorb any oil left in the waffle maker.
Now it’s time to pour in the batter; which brings me to my third issue with the WMB500.
How Much Batter is Too Much Batter
First-time waffle makers (welcome y’all!), will read the included instructions and follow them to the letter.
The manual recommends using 2/3 cup (160 ml) of batter, but that recommendation is based on the recipe in the manual.
But what if you don’t want to make regular waffles and want to try gluten-free or paleo waffles? These require a substitution of ingredients, which will affect how the batter behaves.
Following the manual and using 2/3 cup (160 ml) of your preferred recipe, can lead to overflowing and a very messy kitchen counter-top.
I recommend users (especially when trying new recipes or using a waffle maker for the first time), use a little less. I’d say try around 120ml (½ cup) of batter and see what size of waffle you get.
As you make more waffles and experiment with different recipes, you’ll discover what quantities work best for different ingredients.
Trust me, overflowing batter is one thing you DO NOT want to have with any waffle maker. With the WMB500, it’s pretty irritating (see section on ease of cleaning below for more)
Pour your batter in the center of the waffle maker and use the edges of a plastic spatula to spread the batter towards the edges.
Close the lid but don’t shut it firmly. The hinges of this waffle maker are designed to have a little ‘give’ as the batter needs room to expand as it cooks. The steam generated also needs a way to escape.
Crispy or Fluffy? It’s All in the Timing
In about 3 minutes, the red indicator light should go out. But in my opinion, the light goes off too early leaving me with barely golden waffles. I like to leave it in for another full 90 seconds as I like my waffles brown and crispy.
With other waffle makers, an adjustable temperature control can be used to get crispy waffles in the same 3 minutes. But with the WMB500, the only way to get close to that is to leave the waffle in the maker for up to 2 minutes after the light has gone out.
With that said, fluffy golden waffles in 3 minutes is pretty quick.
I know some users watch for steam escaping. but I’d rather use a timer. So I sprung for this kitchen timer, The Habor Digital Kitchen Timer. The Habor Digital Timer is a simple timer with large rubber buttons and a clear readout. Don’t be afraid to set this and walk away, its unmistakable loud beeping will alert you when the allotted time is up.
I simply set it just after pouring the batter in and I’m free to do other things. I can even leave the kitchen, as the beep is loud enough to be heard in other parts of my home.
Note: Because the steam escapes from the front of the waffle maker, the handles can get hot. The design of the handle means steam seems to catch under and around the handle making it hot to touch, especially if touched unawares. So be careful when reaching to open this waffle maker, or just pop these mittens on before you do.
With your scrumptious waffles done, pick them out using a plastic, silicon, or wooden utensil. Using a metal fork will scratch the coating of the grid. Over time, these ‘tiny’ scratches will accumulate oily residue and you’ll soon have multiple spots on the appliance where your batter starts to stick.
Are these the Best Tongs for Waffles?
Avoid scratching and scraping of the non-stick surface by using wooden spoons or heatproof silicone spatulas. I use the OXO Good Grips Tongs with the silicone tips. I find it doesn’t scratch my non-stick cookware, the stainless steel frame makes it pretty light and the slim profile makes for easy storage.
However if I was to buy a new set of tongs today, I’d be eyeing the Norpro Grip-EZ and it’s not just because of the sweet-looking claw on one end (OK, maybe).
These Norpro tongs make having a spatula and a fork redundant by combining them into one. The prongs on the fork fit into waffle pockets ensuring you extract your waffles whole and without breaking them. And with stay-cool handles, what’s not to love? Did I mention that they’re cheaper than the OXO Grip tongs?
Avoid This Common Waffle Making Mistake
I really love waffles because of the wide range of treats you can make simply by switching out the toppings. So whilst on a ‘healthy waffle eating’ kick, I mixed fruit in the batter then poured that mix into the waffle maker. As bits of fruit touched the hot waffle grid (which they will), they just stuck to the surface.
A waste of blueberries and a pain to clean.
Don’t put fruit in the batter wait till your waffle is done then sprinkle away.
But you ignore me and this happens, allow the appliance to cool before scraping the burnt-on food with a silicone/wooden utensil. (See more cleanup tips in Ease of Cleaning).
If you find your waffles sticking to the cooking surface, it means you still have some residue (from the manufacturer) on the plate. All you have to do is to re-season the plates by applying a little cooking oil to the cooking surface.
All done waffling? As there is no on/off switch, simply unplug the waffle maker. Again, allow the unit to cool before you start to clean it.
See? Told you it was a breeze to use.
Stress-less Cleaning
The entire selling point of a non-stick surface is the ease of cleaning. And the Teflon(?) surface of the WMB500 doesn’t disappoint.
The WMB500 doesn’t have removable plates, but you don’t need to remove them to clean up.
Do :
- The non-stick surface is easy to clean with just a few wipes with a paper towel.
- Use a damp cloth or a sponge to wipe away any oil residue from the plates, top and bottom.
Don’t :
- Immerse the waffle maker or run water directly on the grids.
- Use steel wool or other abrasive cleaners to clean the gadget.
Simple enough, right? These rules are enough to get your WMB500 clean, most of the time.
If you’ve had an overflow, cleanup gets a little trickier.
In the section above, I mentioned the steam escaping from the waffle maker making the handle hot. This is because the WMB500 has a number of gaps and grooves in the handle. These grooves serve no practical purpose but any overflowing batter seems to find its way inside there.
With a handle divided into small subsections by dividers, a small “well” where the tamper-proof screw is and other crevices all around the hinge, there are many places for batter to get into.
With a little (OK, a lot of) patience, you can get the batter out of most of these corners with a knife or bottle brush, but some bits are so hard to reach that you’ll be tempted to give up.
But don’t.
If you don’t clean properly, you may notice a sour smell the next time you use the waffle. So try your best and reach in there, with a Q-tip or pins if you have to and get those three spaces cleaned out.
Black+Decker WMB500 Dimensons
Measuring 8 x 3.5 x 11.5 inches, the B+D WMB500 is pretty compact. Around the size of a dinner plate and weighing 4.7 pounds, the WMB500 isn’t heavy so if you have to store it on an high shelf, lifting it up there won’t be a problem.
It’s actually one of the smallest and lightest Belgian-style waffle makers you can buy today, just a shade lighter than the Presto Flipside.
Storage – Compact and Tidy.
Kudos to B+D for making storing the WMB500 pretty straightforward. The hinge area doubles as a cord wrap, allowing compact storage of the unit.
It kinda helps that the cord is only 24 inches long (a little short, in my opinion).
Since it stands upright (around 11” high), it gives it an even slimmer profile, slim enough to slide into your cupboard beside that box of waffle mix. Talk about compact storage..
Construction – Solidly Built Or Flimsy Appliance?
Looking at the exterior, the WMB500 looks pricier than it is. Its chrome exterior with the black trim allows it fit any kitchen décor. The lack of buttons or multiple lights almost give it an austere look.
Weighing around 4.7 pounds, it may even feel flimsy to some users, especially if they’re used to the older, heavier waffle irons.
B+D label their handles ‘cool-touch’, but that isn’t always the case as I’ve mentioned above. Steam from the waffles tends to heat up these handles.
Cord – Around the back is the 2 foot electrical power-supply cord, which I think is too short, and apparently B+D thinks so too. They try to justify the length by including this line in the manual; “….the cord of this appliance was selected to reduce the possibility of tangling in or tripping over a longer cord…”
Its 2 foot cord is the shortest in this price range and I get it that the entire appliance is supposed to be compact and small-kitchen-friendly. But what if you have a little more counter top space to play with? A 2 foot cord inconveniently tethers you to the nearest power outlet. This may work for you if you have limited counter space, but I think another 4 inches (at least) would have been ideal.
Interior : Popping the lid open, you’re greeted by a black non-stick interior that B+D won’t confirm or deny if it’s Teflon. They simply say the coating is stable, inert, non-reactive, non-toxic and are PFOA-free. The non-stick coating does work, if you season it before use.
Turning the waffle maker around, on top of the hinges, beside the oh-so-versatile indicator light, is a screw. B+D claim this is a tamper-resistant screw to prevent to the removal of the outer cover. They insist all repairs should be done by authorized service personnel.
So Is This the Perfect, No-frills Waffle maker?
By now, it would appear that B+D has made a simple and perfect waffle maker, right?
Not so fast.
With the WMB500, it depends.
While looking up deals for the WMB500, I found that until a few years ago, many (I mean, many) users complained about the durability of the hinges. It appears that in many units sold between 2010 and 2015, the hinges were extremely weak.
And I mean extremely. Some users complained of a hinge breaking within hours of taking the waffle maker out of the box. Others managed to use theirs for a few months before the hinges gave way. Just look at the reviews on the B+D site.
But Why Do The Hinges Break so Easily?
The top and bottom half of the WMB500 are held in place by a pin running through. At either end of this pin are black plastic plugs/caps with two half-inch long clip arms. They act as ‘bookends’ for the pin and should keep it protected and in place. The problem is that these plugs are made of plastic.
Can you spot the obvious issue?
These plastic clip arms are thin and by being in such close proximity to the hot cooking surface, they just don’t last for many uses.
When a clip arm weakens and breaks off, the plug can’t stay in the hinge slot any more and falls out. In some cases, users even found that both clip arms snap, popping the plug out of the slot.
With no cap to hold the hinge pin in place, it (and the lid) starts to wobble.
If this happens on just one side, the waffle iron can still be used, though it’s not safe to do so. However, for many users, both plugs on either side snapped at the same time or within days of each other. This renders the machine useless. I mean, just look at these reviews from 2010 through to 2012.
The situation was further complicated by the lack of a suitable replacement. While B+D did send out replacements, these were often of the same build quality as the original plugs. They also melted/broke within a short space of time.
These days, if you want a sturdier pin, you can find a 3D-printed ONE on Etsy for $15!!
That’s almost the price of the appliance itself!
Now, I did say the bulk of these incidents were from around 2010 to 2014, and it appears B+D has solved the problem. But even recently, a few users still find that the hinges on their WMB500 broke after only a few uses. To me, this sounds like the same issue from 5 years ago; maybe a wholesaler bought a batch of old stock and is reselling them?
This makes buying this waffle maker a roll of the dice, as you can’t tell if you’re getting one from the “fixed” batch or from the old, easily-broken batch. And this flaw might be a deal breaker if you wanted to buy the WMB500.
But I think there is one way around this: when buying the WMB500, ensure that the seller is Black+Decker. On Amazon, look under the name of the product and see what the sellers name is. If its B+D, you are covered by a solid 2 year warranty in case of any issues.
Note that this warranty is only valid if you’re in the United States and Canada.
Accessories & Attachments – What Attachments?
The WMB500 is as basic as you can get. Seriously, it ships with just a users guide with instructions on use and care. It also contains a pretty basic recipe for waffle batter.
Pros
Now, it may seem like I don’t like this waffle maker but it does have its place. It’s really affordable, it makes waffles quickly, and it’s just right for three distinct groups of waffle lovers (see My Verdict below)
Cons
Personally, I don’t like the idea of having to watch a light or steam to tell if my waffles are ready. An audible indicator would have made more sense.
Keeping up with the sequence of the indicator light was sooo irritating. Was it on for ready or was it off? Having to flip through a manual just to find this info is annoying, or is it just me?
B+D, calling something ‘cool-touch’ when it gets hot enough to make you jump, is definitely not cool.
Then there’s the issue of finding a recent model with a better hinge design to buy.
Did Users Like the Black+Decker WMB500 Belgian Waffle Maker?
Reactions vary across board; more recent reviewers found the WMB500 to be an OK-for-the-price waffle maker and I tend to agree. However reviewers from a few years ago (especially those who trusted the Black+Decker name) were left outraged and disappointed by how easily the hinge broke, rendering the machine useless.
Who wouldn’t be?
How Much is a B+D WMB500 Waffle Maker?
Depending on where you are buying from the B+D WMB500 from, you can pay anything from $17 to $34. This goes back to my observation about resellers buying old stock and selling on Amazon.
Buyer Beware!
Buy from B+D on Amazon to ensure you’re getting the best price for a new appliance and so you’re covered by their warranty.
My Thoughts
What did I expect from such an inexpensive waffle maker?
Not much, but the WMB500 still surprised me.
It’s a waffle maker that won’t break the bank yet it can make waffles that actually have pockets; waffles that are bigger than anything in the frozen section of your local supermarket.
With the WMB500, there are no bells and whistles; it’s made to be simple to use.
If you like waffles and like things being simple, get this.
I didn’t like a number of things, but here are my workarounds for them:
- Season sensibly by using only 1tsp of oil, not splashing a gallon in.
- Use any cooking oil; coconut, avocado, sunflower oil, any cooking oil.
- Prevent batter overflowing (and the long clean-up) by starting off with only ½ a cup of your batter.
- Want crisp waffles? Leave them in for longer than the recommended 3 minutes. I say 5.
- While a built-in timer would have been nice, you can still keep from burning your waffles by using this Habor Digital Kitchen timer.
- Don’t burn your fingers when reaching for that handle; use these mittens.
- Don’t scrape the non-stick coating; try the OXO Good Grips or the ‘clawy’ Norpro Grip EZ spatula.
- To keep the non-stick coating, season after every other use, remember all you have to do is wipe the grids with oil and leave it.
While it may not be the first choice purchase for waffle snobs that only eat golden extra-crispy waffles (like yours truly), the WMB500 proves that a cheaper options can work.
Yes, it’s not the best waffle maker for under $50 but it’s still an ideal waffle maker for:
- folks who don’t make tons of waffles,
- people who are tired of eating frozen, supermarket waffles,
- first-time waffle makers who want to try their hand at making them,
- folks that just don’t want to deal with a big, heavy waffle maker.
When you think about it, bigger isn’t always better, and pricier definitely doesn’t equal better quality.
On the flip side, a cheap appliance can work; with the WMB500 you just have to get one of the newer models. If you want to try your hand at making waffles or make them infrequently, the Black+Decker WMB500 is an affordable waffle maker to help you on the path to the wonderful world of waffles.