I did follow, to the letter, the “Before use” instructions and have, just one time, used Pam.

As far as cleaning? I have used a good, soft brush and rinse the waffle maker. No, you cannot put it all the way in water but it can be rinsed in hot water. I have absolutely NO complaints and further, recommend the product.

When the grids are open for filling with batter, the upper grid overhangs the lower, requiring all sorts of contortions to get the batter into the corners without burning one’s knuckles. Once the grid is filled and you flip the baking platform over, much of the batter spurts and dribbles out onto the drip tray. The grids are barely deep enough to require the flip, but even if you choose not to, the upper grid doesn’t exert enough pressure to prevent a case of the batter squirts.

One gets the nagging suspicion that an executive at Toastmaster was approached by a shady character with the prototype who said “Looks just like the Krups and you can sell it for half the price!” Half the price is no bargain.

After a few uses for our weekly waffle day at work, we gave up and acquired a Presto FlipSide Waffle Maker instead. Presto has nailed the Belgian waffle with a simpler design that appears to be more sturdy than any other flipping household waffle maker.

My recommendation may be a bit more convincing if you knew how often i use my waffle maker – actually, just about every day. There are few things i can eat, and waffles are my (very much appreciated) replacement for bread. I’ve used many waffle makers over the years, and love the Belgian style. I’ve owned a few other brands – notably, the VillaWare flip waffler, and feel that the waffles the Toastmaster makes are as good, while the price for the device is much lower (typically $40 instead of $80).

More importantly, though, i’ve gone through upwards of six of the VillaWare belgian-flip model over two years, with each warranty replacement lasting less than three months! When the last one failed the second time i used it, i finally got sick of trading it in and picked up this toastmaster model. The toastmaster wafflers i’ve used, including this model, just last and last and last. That’s a big deal, especially after my experience with the VillaWare model.