frozen waffles vs homemade

acccdac

Sun, Dec 15 2013, 2:46 pm

I am putting this in organization because for me this is an issue of time, space, cleanliness and organization. It is not an issue of healthy (preservatives) or money.

I usually have about 4 boxes of waffles at a time in my freezer, because we can go through 2 boxes a week easily during breakfast.

Breakfast/morning routine in this house is a 20-30 minutes process in which we get up, get dressed, make breakfast. On morning that we take carpool, breakfast goes in the car with us and on the mornings that we dont take, the kids usually have time to eat it at the table.

I am running out of freezer space which means I dont always have a box in the freezer and the kids want it for breakfast verses eating cereal or toast.

I was wondering that maybe I'm better off buying the waffle/pancake mix (or make homemade) that I can prepare and leave in the fridge in a pitcher for up to 4 days and then in the morning, just pour it into a waffle maker.

My concerns with this issue is now the storage of the contraption (I LOVE contraptions its just the storing that can be an issue) and the cleaning of the waffle maker, along with does it take long for it to bake on the waffle maker, do I need to be standing in front of it the whole time (verses getting the younger kids dressed)?

do I buy the machine and create a little more work for myself but worthwhile work?

granolamom

Sun, Dec 15 2013, 3:56 pm

we have a waffle maker. its not hard at all to clean, I pretty much just wipe it down. I make the waffle batter at night, my older kids can make their own waffles in the morning. easier than pancakes because they dont need to use the stove.
the waffles bake really quickly but you do need to be standing there or they will burn. there's an indicator light on mine that lets you know when its ready (you set level of done-ness) and you need to take it out when the light is on. my guess is that frozen is probably easier.
I do homemade because its so much cheaper. for you, it would boil down to where you need the space. waffle mix takes up space in the fridge (and if you want it to last four days, you'd need alot) and the waffle maker takes up cabinet space. if your need for freezer space is greatest, then yeah, buy the waffle maker. they arent very expensive and you can use it if you ever go on vacation.
hth

bubbebia

Sun, Dec 15 2013, 4:02 pm

DH is the waffle/pancake maker in our family but waffles/pancakes are strictly Sunday activities as no one has time during the week to do it. What he does is to make a double batch and freezes the extras so that during the week all we have to do is pop them in the microwave or the toaster oven. Make it a family affair so the kids can help with the mixing and pouring.

yo'ma

Sun, Dec 15 2013, 5:08 pm

I make my own and never bought ready made, but do you take the waffles out of the box? It would take up much less room. I also, like a previous poster said, make double the amount of waffles and freeze, but homemade and ready made take up same amount of room. I don't think you have to watch it, just set a loud timer. My old waffle maker took 3 minutes to cook and my new one 5.

greenfire

Sun, Dec 15 2013, 5:15 pm

if you have room in the fridge for the week - you can leave them in the fridge vs freezer or a batter in a bottle as you said might work for the week

& don't buy a batter ... all it contains is a mixture of flour/baking powder/sugar/salt - something you can put together in a minute ... even the boxed mixes call for milk/egg & mixing so you're not saving there

FranticFrummie

Sun, Dec 15 2013, 7:11 pm

I love my waffle maker. I bought the kind where you can flip the griddles over, and have it either flat or waffle style. That way you can make pancakes, beef fry, hamburgers, waffles, veggie patties (assuming that your waffle and pancake batter are parve - use soy milk.)

You can make crunchy, low fat latkes by spraying the waffle side well with pan spay, and then putting your batter in there to cook. DH like it better than latkes cooked in a pan full of oil.

If you get the kind like I have, where the griddles lift out, you can wash them in the dishwasher, or at least more easily by hand if you use a stiff brush.

bamamama

Sun, Dec 15 2013, 8:26 pm

I wouldn't leave batter for a few days. Something makes it turn brown and unappetizing. My pancake recipe says to use immediately and I always get rid of leftover batter (and pancake batter is very similar to waffle batter). If you wanted to go the homemade route for space considerations, I'd mix the dry ingredients and store them in a container in the cupboard then I would take out a measured amount and add the oil, egg, and milk that morning. Might be more hassle than you want.

greenfire

Sun, Dec 15 2013, 8:35 pm

bamamama wrote:

why waste them ... make the pancakes and store those ...

either way they do sell batter in a bottle ... do those also say use right away - I wonder

Barbara

Sun, Dec 15 2013, 8:54 pm

greenfire wrote:

bamamama wrote:

why waste them ... make the pancakes and store those ...

either way they do sell batter in a bottle ... do those also say use right away - I wonder

They probably have a preservative.

Rutabaga

Sun, Dec 15 2013, 9:05 pm

1. Keep 1 box of frozen waffles in the freezer (in case you run out), but keep 1-2 boxes in the fridge. You go through them quickly enough that they should keep.

2. Try to get your kids to eat other breakfast foods. If they don't like cereal or toast, then what about yogurt or granola bars or muffins or oatmeal or french toast or farina or pizza bagels or pita pizzas or pretty much anything else that's quick and easy and doesn't take up much freezer space?

busydev

Sun, Dec 15 2013, 9:38 pm

we have made a double ir triple batch of pancake batter and stored what we had left in a washed out large ketchup bottle in the freezer which we would then defrost as needed and squirt in the pan for perfect sized fresh pancakes.

you can always try batter in the fridge and see what it looks like the next morning.
also to consider-how many waffles does a maker make at once vs how many do you fit in the toaster every morning? that can also add time of you need 2-3 shifts.

bamamama

Mon, Dec 16 2013, 12:54 am

greenfire wrote:

bamamama wrote:

why waste them ... make the pancakes and store those ...

either way they do sell batter in a bottle ... do those also say use right away - I wonder

My experience with those is that they are dry ingredients and you add water and shake it up...but I haven't been in the grocery store much in the US in the past 8 years. And, yeah, if she would make multiple batches of waffles, that would solve the freshness problem...but not the storage problem.

OP, have you considered a chest freezer? They aren't that expensive. We actually have a standing freezer downstairs and find it to be indispensable - I can stock up when meat, etc is on sale.