Throughout elementary school, my weekday breakfast was almost always a toasted frozen waffle topped with peanut butter. Sometimes we had pancake syrup on top. Sometimes it was sliced bananas. Sometimes it was both.
In my efforts to stick with less processed foods, it has been a long time since I had a frozen waffle. Last week, I set about making my own, experimenting until I found the method that gave the reheated waffles the best flavor and texture.
Methodology:
I froze two waffles for each of these six methods:
- Individually wrapped in foil before freezing.
- Individually wrapped in foil, then placed together in a plastic bag before freezing.
- Individually sealed in plastic bags before freezing.
- Individually wrapping in wax paper, then placed together in a plastic bag before freezing.
- Frozen in a single layer on a cookie sheet, then transferred to a plastic bag.
- Frozen all in the same plastic bag.
36 hours later, we reheated the waffles in our toaster oven set to “Medium Toast.”
Let the taste testing begin!
The waffles wrapped in foil + plastic bag (method 2) were mushier than those wrapped only in foil (method 1).
The waffles sealed in individual freezer bags had a taste and texture very similar to those of fresh waffles (method 3).
The waffles that were wrapped in wax paper and frozen in a plastic bag (method 4) were comparable to those wrapped only in foil.
The waffles that were frozen on the cookie sheet before being transferred to the bag (method 5) were similar in taste and texture to the fresh waffles, though they were not quite as good as the waffles from method 3.
The waffles that were all frozen in the same bag (method 6) stuck together, and were crumbly when reheated.
Conclusions:
For taste and texture, the waffles were ranked as follows:
- (Best) Method 3: Individually sealed in plastic bags before freezing.
- Method 5: Frozen in a single layer on a cookie sheet, then transferred to a plastic bag.
- Method 4: Individually wrapping in wax paper, then placed together in a plastic bag before freezing.
- Method 1: Individually wrapped in foil before freezing.
- Method 2: Individually wrapped in foil, then placed together in a plastic bag before freezing.
- (Worst) Method 6: Frozen all in the same plastic bag.
However, there was not a large difference between waffles frozen in individual bags and those frozen on a cookie sheet. Because the cookie sheet method requires fewer freezer bags and is therefore more environmentally-friendly, I will likely use a cookie sheet for freezing my waffles.
Edited to note: All waffles were completely cooled before being packaged and frozen.
Do you let the waffles cool long after you cook them and before you freeze them?
Yes, they were completely cool. I should have mentioned that!
I love this experiment!
You are too cute! I recently bought a waffle maker, so I’ll be sure to use method #3!