2. What is the lifespan of an Ampi® waffle maker ?

Some of our customers use their waffle maker for over 30 years. If the machine is well maintained, it can last for decades without a hitch.

3. Why use a waffle maker in cast iron rather than a household appliance?

By reading Ampi® article “Features and benefits of a commercial waffle maker“, you will understand the advantages of a cast iron waffle maker rather than a household waffle maker.

4. Why do we only sell electric waffle makers and no gas model?

We only manufacture and sell electric waffle makers for several reasons :

• Today, many public places prohibit using gas for the risk of explosion. You might not be able to sell where you want, or attend some public events. On the other hand, it is easier to have access with an electrical appliance. There is also power generator that can always help you out.
• Electric waffle makers are easier for temperature adjustment. On the gas waffle machines, you haven’t a thermostat. So the cooking is done only by experience. Indeed, the handling of a gas waffle maker requires training and significant experience.
• Extreme cold has also an impact on a machine by changing the gas pressure.
• The cooking result is identical for both machines (electric or gas). The heat distribution on Ampi® waffle makers is pretty good. Our devices can heat up to a temperature of 300° Celsius.

5. What does "3x5, 4x6, 4x5, ..." mean ?

It’s the waffle imprint. For a waffle maker is the number of cast iron cones set across the width and length of the baking plates. This imprint gives the characteristic shape to the waffle.

Studs of a baking iron plate.

6. What is the difference between a 4x5 or 4x6 waffle maker? Which model to choose?

There are several differences: the size of the baking plates, the waffle imprint, dimensions of the cones, … All these elements influence the result of the waffle.
For each Ampi® waffle iron, the result of the waffle is described in the paragraph “Waffle characteristics” of the product sheet.

7. Should I use a complete rotary waffle maker or semi-rotating waffle iron (115° opening)?

It depends on the type of waffle:

• For the Brussels waffle: a full rotary waffle iron is mandatory because it’s a liquid dough. After pouring the liquid dough, close the waffle machine, and return the waffle maker to the other side. This process allows the dough to be well distributed on the baking plates.
• For the Liège waffle : it is not mandatory to have a fully rotating waffle iron because it is a hard dough. However, the advantage of making a full rotation is that the sugar and the dough are distributed evenly on the cast iron plates. In addition, the waffle will be well caramelized on both sides.

8. The baking plates are interchangeable?

The moulds (or baking plates) of our commercial waffle makers are not interchangeable. The moulds are made of cast iron so that our belgian appliances are designed for professional use. The plates are therefore permanently connected to the electrical box. The whole unit forms a complete block that cannot be changed.

9. Do I have to remove off the protective plastic film from the trays, electrical box and stainless steel cover ?

Yes, it is essential to peel off all the protective films from the waffle maker BEFORE THE FIRST USE. If it isn’t done, it may melt and stick permanently to the stainless steel due to the heat of the waffle iron.

10. How do I clean the waffle maker during the use?

When using the waffle iron, we recommend 2 cleaning procedures:

• The “Ampi® Scraper” cleaning tool.
  Instructions for use can be find on the following article: “Easily clean a commercial waffle maker“.
• Potato starch :
  Instructions for use: “Waffle maker cleaning process : potato starch – tip n°2“

11. How do I clean a waffle maker in cast iron filled with waffle residues (sugar, caramel and dough)?

If the 2 methods recommended in the point above are not sufficient, it is necessary to carry out a deep cleaning of the cast iron. See “Utilisation” page and follow the procedure described under “Cleaning Ampi waffle maker” → “For the deep cleaning of the waffle maker“.

12. How often do I clean a waffle iron?

It depends on the number of cooking cycles performed. But baking waffles brings a considerable amount of sugar, caramel, and dough to the cast iron plates. Regular maintenance between cooking is essential.

13. Which accessories are needed for using a cast iron waffle maker?

We recommend following accessories:

• Ampi® scraper
• Ampi® waffle fork
• Rotary nylon brush

14. How do I use the rotary nylon brush ?

On the “Utilisation” page, follow the procedure described under “Cleaning Ampi waffle maker” → “For the deep cleaning of the waffle maker”.

15. Can the Ampi® scraper or rotary nylon brush damage the cast iron?

The Ampi® scraper or the rotary nylon brush does not damage our massive cast iron. Our baking plates are designed to last despite the use of these tools.

16. Can I bake only one waffle in a baking pan designed for 2 or 4 waffles?

If you don’t use the entire baking pan, the downside is that the next waffles could stick with spaces left empty. The ideal is to bake waffles on the entire baking plates.

17. Can I bake a dough of 100 grams in a model designed for baking waffles of a maximum of 150 grams?

Yes, you can. Here’s an example in picture.
These Liège waffles were baked with 70 grams dough pieces in the Ampi® waffle maker ref. 52126. It makes Liege waffles in 4 x 6 format up to 150 grams maximum.

18. How long does it take for the waffle maker to reach the recommended cooking temperature?

The recommended cooking temperature for waffles is usually around 180°C-200°C.
To reach this temperature, 30 minutes are required to accumulate enough heat in order to carry out numerous cooking cycles (and take advantage of the thermal inertia of the cast iron).

19. What is the productivity of a commercial waffle maker ?

Liege waffle makers :

• Models intended for 2 waffles (ref.52126 ou ref.52123) : 40-50 waffles / hour
• Models intended for 4 waffles (ref.52222 ou ref.52223) : 80-100 waffles / hour

Brussels waffle maker ref.52119 : 30-40 waffles / hour

Fruits filled waffle maker ref.52117 : 25-30 waffles / hour

20. What is the recommended temperature to reheat a Liege waffle?

You can reheat a Liege waffle during 30 seconds at a temperature of 90°C maximum.

21. What is the cooking time of waffle ?

Depending on the type of waffle, the cooking time is between 2 and 4 minutes. Discover our recipes with cooking time indication.

22. How do I get a properly cooked waffle?

The key is to find the right cooking temperature and cooking time for your waffles. Generally, the following conditions are recommended:

• For Liege waffles : 180°C during 2min30 to 3 min.
• For Brussels waffles : 200°C during 3min to 4 min.
• For a fruits-filled waffles : 180°C during 4 min.

These times are purely indicative. It also depends on the ingredients of YOUR dough.

If after baking, waffles looks like “white” or tears when removing it from the baking pan, the waffles are not baked.
Do not hesitate to test in order to find the right temperature and the right cooking time.

23. How do I get a golden and crispy Liège waffle?

A golden and crispy Liège waffle is obtained by caramelization. First of all, having a properly cooked waffle is essential. You have to keep enough caramel on your baking plates (but not too much to keep a waffle iron in good condition) in order to caramelize the next waffles.

24. What is the ordering process ?

The entire ordering procedure is detailed in the following article: “How to order a waffle maker?“.

25. What is the ordering procedure for an Ampi® waffle maker within the European Union?

1. You can order on our Ampi® webshop
2. Or by email (info@ampi.be) with at least the following information:

• If you are a professional : a valid intra-community VAT number
  Important : for some countries, even if you have a VAT number, it is not always activated as intra-community. That means it is not validated to carry out cross-border transactions within the European Union.
• If you don’t have a VAT number :  a billing address
  In this case, we must add the Belgian VAT of 21%. You can do the necessary procedure to recover the VAT in the country of destination.

After receiving this information, we send a pro-forma invoice for prepayment.

26. What is the ordering procedure for an Ampi® waffle maker outside the European Union?

We need the following information:

• Complete billing address
• Delivery address (if necessary)

After receiving these information, we send a pro-forma invoice for prepayment.

Important
It is useful to go to customs administration in the country of destination in order to check the importation documents required.

Our prices do not include customs charges levied by the importing country. If you want to know the rate of import duties, you must go to the customs administration with the following codes:

HS Code – Waffle maker : 8438.10.10
HS Code – Pearl sugar : 1701.99.10
HS Code – Waffle mix : 1901.20.00

27. Shipping to every country of the world?

Upon request and subject to acceptance, we organize the transport of your order to most countries. In this case, we deliver DAP (Delivered At Place). The shipping price is variable. If you would like an offer, send us the full delivery address and we’ll let you know the quotation of the day.

We aso accept to work EXW (Ex-Work), that is to say, that we provide the goods at the entrance of our warehouse and you organize the delivery.

28. Types of payment accepted

For all orders, we accept the following payments:

• By bank transfer (national or international)
  OR
• By credit card

29. What should I do if I have a problem with my waffle maker?

Contact us directly and give us the serial number of the device and some explanations about the problem encountered. We are able to help you quickly by sending you spare parts and complete repair procedures (paper or video).

30. Which carriers do you work with?

Our transport partners are :

• DHL
• FedEx
• DPD

If you have your own delivery service, it is also possible to organize it yourself.

31. How are customs clearance procedures carried out?

Our international transport partners (DHL or FedEx) will contact you personally to inform you all the steps.

Some countries impose specific procedures and/or the obligation to be recognized as an approved importer with a valid number received from administration.