Waffles are some of the tastiest treats that you can have. They’re also considered breakfast food, and that means you have a good excuse for eating them fairly often.
If you really love waffles, then you probably try to make them for breakfast at least a few times a month. Many families turn waffle day into a big breakfast event, and it’s common for people to make many waffles at once.
One problem that people run into is that they aren’t able to keep the waffles warm. You might want to be able to keep the waffles warm so that you can come back for seconds if you’re still hungry.
Is there a reliable way to keep the waffles warm? Read on to get some great ideas that should help you to enjoy these delicious treats even more.
Place the Waffles in a Warm Oven
Perhaps the most practical thing that you could do is use the oven. You could heat your oven up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit so that it will keep the waffles warm.
You’re going to need to approach this the right way to get good results, though. If you just shove the waffles in the oven without thinking about things, then they might not do as well as you’d like them to.
Get a baking sheet and lay the waffles on top of that. You want the waffles to be in a single layer so that they will all stay warm.
If you place waffles on top of each other, then this process isn’t going to go well at all. It’ll increase the chance that some of the waffles will be soggy when you go to eat them.
The steam is what could wind up making the waffles soggy. No one likes soggy waffles and you’ll want to do what you can to avoid this.
If you have more waffles than you can fit on one baking sheet, then you’ll want to use multiple baking sheets. Place each baking sheet on its own rack in the oven while you’re keeping the waffles warm.
This should allow you to keep your waffles warm so that they’ll be ready to eat when you want to serve them. It’s a great solution for big family breakfasts or large-scale buffets where you’re serving waffles.
Buy Warming Trays
Buying warming trays is another solid choice that will get the job done. This is what many restaurants will do when they’re trying to keep food items such as waffles warm.
You’ll commonly find these trays in use at buffets because of how convenient they are. You can put food items in the tray and then set them to the right heat setting to keep the food warm.
The good thing about buying warming trays is that they will allow you to keep many types of food warm. These trays could be utilized in many different ways, and they’ll also be great for keeping waffles hot.
Generally, it’ll be best to set the waffles in the tray and set the heat to medium. Keep the tray covered so that everything will stay hot until people need to go grab them.
The most common warming trays these days utilize electricity. However, you can also buy trays that use cooking fuel to remain heated.
If you don’t want to have to spend the money to buy warming trays, then it might be possible to rent some. This is a good idea when you’re trying to make a lot of food for a big occasion such as a wedding or a large party.
Avoid Making the Waffles Too Early
Of course, it might be practical to avoid making the waffles too early. If you get the timing right, then you should be able to serve the waffles right away instead of having to worry about keeping them warm.
Sometimes it’ll be annoying to have to try to keep a bunch of waffles warm. The easiest thing to do is to use your oven as described earlier, but not everyone wants to have to do that.
If you wait and just make the waffles right before they’re going to be eaten, then you won’t have to worry. This shouldn’t be a big problem so long as you don’t make way more waffles than you need.
Generally, having to worry about keeping waffles warm only becomes an issue when you’re making a lot of waffles. If you’re just making enough for you and your family to enjoy breakfast, then you won’t need to be concerned.
You should also know that it’s possible to reheat waffles. So you could just warm them up if you find that they’re getting a bit too cool.
Reheating Waffles
Reheating waffles is something that might be more practical than trying to keep them warm for some people. You might also decide that you can’t eat all of the waffles right away.
You can certainly store the waffles and then eat them at a later time when you’re hungry. When you go to heat the waffles back up, there will be a few options available to you.
The easiest way to heat the waffles back up is to place them in a toaster. As long as the waffles that you made will fit in the toaster, this is going to be simple and fast.
You will need to be careful to avoid burning the waffles, though. Some toasters will toast things way faster than you’d expect them to, and this means that keeping an eye on your waffles is recommended.
This is great for getting the waffles to turn out nice and crispy. Most people have toasters, too, and this means that this will be a practical choice for just about everybody.
Using the microwave is probably the next easiest choice. The downside to doing things this way is that it won’t make the waffles crispy.
It’s easiest to heat waffles up when you do them one at a time. This should also mitigate the risk of making the waffles soggy.
Try heating waffles in the microwave for one minute and thirty seconds. Hopefully, this will be enough to get them hot so that you can enjoy them.
The final reheating option is to just place the waffles back in the oven for a bit. Preheating the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit will do the trick.
Put your waffles on a baking sheet in single layers and heat them up for around ten minutes. If you have a bunch of waffles that you wish to reheat, then this is probably the most practical choice that is available to you.
Advice for Storing Homemade Waffles
Storing homemade waffles needs to be done the right way or you won’t get the chance to reheat them. You can’t simply leave them out and expect them to stay good until you get hungry again.
Once the waffles have cooled down, you’re going to want to store them somewhere safe. This should be done within two hours of making the waffles.
Place the waffles in an airtight container of some kind. If you don’t have a container, then using an airtight plastic food storage bag will work nicely.
The point is to place the waffles in something that will protect them while they’re in the fridge. You put the container or bag in the refrigerator so that they will stay good for a while longer.
Homemade waffles should be able to stay good for two or three days in the fridge. After the third day, you’re definitely going to want to throw the waffles away if you didn’t get the chance to eat them.
If you don’t believe that you will be able to finish the waffles fast enough, then you might want to freeze them instead. Freezing waffles is actually pretty easy when you know what you’re doing.
You’re going to want to lay them out on a baking sheet in a single layer. Next, you’re supposed to place them in the freezer for two hours so that they can solidify.
After this, you need to place the waffles in an airtight container that is also safe to use in the freezer. You could use freezer bags as well if you happen to have some.
Place the waffles in the freezer and remember to write the date on the package somewhere. This helps you to know how long the waffles have been in storage.
They should stay good for up to three months in the freezer. When you reheat the waffles, they should taste just as good as they ever did so long as you keep them safe from moisture.
Final Thoughts
Keeping waffles warm shouldn’t be all that tough when you look into it. You have quite a few options that will work out nicely.
You can simply keep the waffles warm by putting them in the oven. Set the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit and this should be enough to keep them warm.
It’s necessary to keep the waffles on a baking sheet in a single layer. If you need to use multiple baking sheets, then you’ll want to put each sheet on its own rack.
Some people will choose to use warming trays to keep the waffles warm. This is a really easy option that will work out great, but not everyone has warming trays.
You could go out and buy some or you could try to rent some from somewhere. This might not be that practical unless you’re hosting some type of party or event, though.
If you make more waffles than you can finish in time, then you’ll want to store them. Store the waffles in the fridge or freeze them for later.
When you’re ready, it’ll be possible to reheat them in the microwave, toaster, or oven. Enjoy your delicious waffles.
I have a bachelor’s degree in Film/Video/Media Studies, as well as an associates degree in Communications. I began producing videos and musical recordings nearly 15 years ago. I am a guitarist and bassist in Southwest MI and have been in a few different bands since 2009, and in 2012 I began building custom guitars and basses in my home workshop as well. When I’m home, I love spending time with my three pets (a dog, cat, and snake) and gardening in my backyard.