DASH Mini Waffle Maker In-depth Review
Overall Verdict
The Dash DMW001AQ Mini Waffle Maker is great to have around for a midday snack. A plate of these mini-sized waffles constitutes a quick, healthy breakfast if you live alone. Quality, however, isn’t going to be restaurant-like: It tends to unevenly cook the top of the waffle while leaving the inside slightly undercooked. Nonetheless, the waffles should still be palatable.
Despite being easy to use and clean, the Dash Mini waffle maker has a low build quality compared to other mini models we’ve tested. With the addition of a rather unsafe design, many people may hold off from pulling the trigger on this model.
Things We Like
- Does a decent job at making pre-mixed waffles
- The waffle plates’ non-stick layer works well
- Easy to use ‘plug-and-play’ design
- Great cleanability
Things We Don’t Like
- Unremarkable performance in the self-mixed recipe test
- Relatively slow cooking speed
- Thin layer of paint that can be easily scratched
- Many safety issues
Due to its compact size, the Dash DMW001AQ Mini Waffle Maker easily stands out from the rest of the competition. It’s a handy purchase for those who want bite-size, snackable waffles and a good fit for people who live alone or have small kitchens.
Ok, so it’s small and convenient but is it actually good at making waffles? We thoroughly tested the waffle maker in our lab, and here’s what we found.
6.5 Performance: A Mixed Bag
The Dash Mini waffle maker produced less-than-desirable results in our test using the self-mixed recipe. Most of the waffles had charrings on the exterior, while the insides were still undercooked and soggy. However, after changing to a pre-made Birch Benders waffle mix, the quality of the waffles was significantly improved. The color, texture, and taste were all acceptable, according to our chef.
Compared to the other mini-style models we’ve tested, it turns out that the DASH Mini is among the best.
6.0 Self-Mixed Recipe
In all three aspects (coloration, texture, and taste,) the DASH Mini still received mediocre scores. Nonetheless, compared to the test results in the first testing methodology (v1.0,) the DASH Mini still saw marked improvements.
Color (35%) — 6
- Color tone: Very dark brown (Both)
- Color distribution: Uneven
The waffle’s coloration was mediocre, and we assessed the waffle maker to have done a lousy job at cooking the waffle evenly. Inside some of the wells, the crust was cooked to a dark brown color, almost like they were charred. Upon closer inspection, it seems like they were only overcooked rather than burnt.
The crust was mixed between dark gold and light brown outside the wells.
Texture (25%) — 6
- Texture: Mediocre
- Aeration level: Low, air bubbles were small and weren’t well-distributed
The interior was decently aerated. Air bubbles have begun to form on the inside of the waffle. However, they were pretty small and weren’t distributed evenly. As a result, the waffle was still relatively chewy and didn’t have the spongy softness we were looking for.
Taste (40%) — 6
- Flavor: Sweet and savory with a hint of bitterness
- Mouthfeel: Dense and dry
The taste was also mediocre. Our chef did recognize the sweet and slightly savory taste of the batter in the waffle. Unfortunately, the haphazardly burnt crust introduced a somewhat bitter taste to the waffle’s flavor profile. Plus, the underwhelming mouthfeel of the waffle also contributed to the waffle’s relatively low taste score.
7.0 Birch Benders Mix
Compared to the results using the self-mixed recipe, the test results using the Birch Benders mix were significantly better. Coloration was still slightly messy, but it was smoother and more attractive. The texture was soft and spongy, but the interior was still too moist to garner a higher score though the waffle certainly was flavorful.
Color (35%) — 6.3
- Color tone: Very dark brown (Both)
- Color distribution: Uneven at the top, uniform at the bottom
The coloring on the top was still not great. The upper crust was still marked with seemingly random dark and light spots—the darker burnt areas being mainly concentrated within the waffle’s wells.
The underside was significantly better. It enjoyed a prettier color gradient that ranged from light gold to golden brown. The distribution of color was excellent.
Texture (25%) — 6.5
- Texture: Mediocre
- Aeration level: High, the interior was filled with sizable air bubbles
The aeration level was high, and large air bubbles could be seen within the interior of the waffle. This resulted in a decently soft and fluffy texture. However, our chef judged the inside to be still too moist to get a better score.
Taste (40%) — 8
- Flavor: Tasty, but a hint of raw batter is present
- Mouthfeel: Crunchy outer crust with slightly mushy interior
The Dash Mini was able to bring out the complete flavor profile of the batter. Sweet and savory, it was a great-tasting waffle. The well-developed crust gave the waffle a nice crunch. Sadly, the slight mushiness of the interior prevented us from giving it a perfect score.
6.0 Design: Expectedly Mediocre
Since it’s such an affordable model, when we ordered the Dash DMW001AQ Mini waffle maker, we already expected its design to be unremarkable. And true to our expectation, the waffle maker didn’t score well in design assessments. The build quality is low and our reviewers have spotted many design-related issues, resulting in a low overall design score.
In The Box
- Dash Mini waffle maker
- Instruction manuals and leaflets
The shipping box contained the waffle maker along with the instruction manuals and advertising leaflets. This waffle maker does not come with any accessories.
Dimensions & Weight
The Dash Mini has a very compact form factor that’s not unlike other mini-style waffle makers we have in our database, like the Crownful 4-inch or the Nostalgia MWF5AQ waffle maker.
All three of its dimensions measure less than 10 inches taking up very little space on the kitchen countertop. You can also easily fit the waffle maker into a cupboard when it’s not in use.
5.0 Build Quality
Build quality is not good. The waffle maker’s outer body is made entirely from plastic with a very thin layer of paint sprayed on the top. During our tests, we noticed that the paint flaked off very easily. In fact, the layer of paint was so flimsy that fingernails could scrape it off.
10 Waffle Plates
The waffle plates, however, are excellent and are coated with a layer of PFOA-free non-stick. As a result, cleaning the plates is effortless. We only needed to give them a cursory wipe with paper towels to clean off crumbs and other small pieces of food debris. We never had to deal with a sticky waffle throughout our week-long test.
0.0 Control Panel
The Dash Mini doesn’t have a control panel. The only feature is the indicator light at the top, which turns on when the waffle maker is plugged in. The light will turn off once the plates are heated and ready for use.
With no controls, it gets a zero in this section.
Power Cord
The Dash Mini has a very long power cord measuring 30 inches. Though it gives the waffle maker greater usability, the long cord can be an issue when it comes to storage. We had to loop the cord around the waffle maker’s body to store it.
Accessories: N/A
The Dash Mini waffle maker does not come with any kind of accessory.
8.3 Ease of Use
At first glance, the waffle maker appears quite simple to use. Wait until the indicator light at the top turns off, pour in your batter, and then patiently wait out the cooking time—easy enough.
Unfortunately, safety considerations slightly inhibited its overall score in this category.
8.0 Handling
Handling is adequate. As previously mentioned, there aren’t any manual controls on this waffle maker, so it functions as a ‘plug-and-play’ device. You only need to plug in the power cord, wait until the top light turns off, then pour in the batter.
The lid opens and closes smoothly. When pushed back, the lid leans backward at an angle. This effectively prevents the top from snapping closed unexpectedly.
8.1 Safety
Due to its small size, the entire waffle maker heats up after just one cooking session. We had to pick up the waffle maker by the power cord and let the machine dangle by the end to move it off the countertop after testing.
Additionally, upon opening the lid after a waffle has finished cooking, you could be subjected to a startling plume of hot air from the waffle plates. The hot air isn’t dangerous, but the flash of considerable heat can still feel extremely uncomfortable.
The top surface reached a temperature of 191°F.
It is only slightly warm at the handle, measuring 98°F. However, like we mentioned earlier, beware of the plume of hot air when you open up the lid.
The base of the waffle maker is uncomfortably warm at 120°F.
10 Cleanability
The waffle maker is easy to clean. We only needed to wipe down the non-stick waffle plates once in a while to scoop up leftover debris.
Dried-out waffle batter doesn’t stick hard to the smooth plastic body when a spill happens. Cooking residues can be dealt with using mild detergent and a few scrubs with a cloth.
6.0 Indicator Light Visibility
The waffle maker has a large indicator light at the top. It’s difficult to see under harsh studio lighting and daylight. Under normal lighting conditions, however, the light should be clear.