Dash Mini Maker Griddle Review

Performance Comparison

Credit: Laura Casner

Impressive Cooking Performance

Our favorite part of the Mini Maker Griddle is how well it cooks. One might expect a small and inexpensive appliance to make sacrifices in cooking performance, but the Mini Maker Griddle manages to buck that assumption. Waffle after waffle, it cooked things evenly and thoroughly in our testing. It also generally avoids burning and scorching. Even when we left waffles on the griddle for a few minutes longer than we meant to, we just got a deeper level of browning instead of burning.

The tiny waffles are evenly cooked and scrumptious.

Credit: Laura Casner

A Plethora of Recipes and Possibilities

Waffles aren't the only things you can cook on a waffle iron, and the Mini Maker Griddle makes experimenting with those alternative recipes both easy and fun. First off, the Mini Maker Griddle comes with a recipe book to broaden your waffle horizons. Secondly, a bit of community has sprung up surrounding this waffle maker, which has led to a multitude of recipes being available online. Finally, the smaller, four inch waffle that this maker produces is better for most recipes (or even making waffle sandwiches) than a full-sized waffle maker would be. For instance, as delicious as a cheesy hashbrown waffle is, a giant eight inch one can feel a bit excessive.

In general, batter messes are kept to a minimum.

Credit: Laura Casner

Perhaps most importantly, we found this iron's even and consistent cooking translated to whatever foodstuff we threw at it. Whether it was batter, tater tots, eggs and cheese, or dough, the Mini Maker Griddle cooked everything all the way through without burning the surface or edges.

Minimal Mess

Though the batter overflow basin of the Mini Maker Griddle is quite shallow and somewhat ineffective, we found that most spills came out of the front of the machine. Because the machine is so small, it was easy to move it and quickly take care of these messes. Because the griddle is small, it can be easy to overload batter if you're used to a bigger machine, but you quickly get a gauge for how much batter should go in.

Simple Operation

You use this machine simply by plugging it in and waiting for the preheat light to turn on. Once it's on, the griddle is up to temperature, and you can start cooking. You can't do things like set the exact heat level or set a timer on the machine, so you'll have to keep track of cooking time on your own.

Value

The Mini Maker Griddle is one of the least expensive models we've tested, providing a lot of functionality and creative opportunities for a very low price. As long as the four inch waffle it makes is sufficient for your tastes and needs, it is a great value.

Conclusion