Your Burger Should Be Getting The Waffle Iron Treatment

The waffle iron is an efficient tool that can be used for more than just the breakfast favorite. If you don't mind the grooves, you've opened up a whole new world of foods  — like burger patties. A waffle iron is quite similar to a grill. The result is not smashed as flat as a smash burger, but it still gets plenty of browning and a unique grid of sear marks.

This hack is also a time-saver. There's no need to flip the burger when the waffle iron cooks both sides at once. Just avoid the common mistakes everyone makes when cooking with a waffle iron, and be sure to preheat and grease the iron. After less than five minutes, crack the iron open, choose whether or not to add a slice of cheese, and plop it straight on a toasted bun.

Speaking of buns, everyone loves a warm burger bun. Does this mean you can toast it in the waffle iron, too? Absolutely. Toasting burger buns in the waffle iron levels up your waffle-burger game.

Besides burgers, there are many fun things you can make in a waffle iron. Think of anything that can fit into the waffle iron's circular shape. Sticking with the breakfast theme, the waffle iron works wonders for hashbrowns. With a fair amount of oil and a good amount of time (we love hashbrowns as crispy as possible), they will be perfect in texture and flavor.

A bit more outside the box is the coffee, a hybrid of a croissant and a waffle. It's made from croissant dough, but structurally, it's a waffle since it is cooked in a waffle iron. Frozen croissant doughs that you can thaw work great for this creation.

And then, there's the crispy fried rice waffle, an amazing way to give life back to day-old fried rice. Just tightly pack the rice onto a greased iron and let it crisp until unified into one giant fried rice waffle. Top your rice waffle with sriracha and kewpie mayo, and toss on some freshly chopped scallions for a gorgeous and innovative meal!