DASH No-Drip Waffle Maker In-depth Review

The DASH No-Drip Belgian Waffle Maker (DNMWM400AQ) is a good fit if you’re looking for a high-volume, low-price maker. It has a set of square, Belgian-style waffle plates separated into four equal quadrants. Each quadrant is a small, 4-inch waffle. So, you can make four waffle servings simultaneously with one batter pour.

Despite its impressive size, the DASH DNMWM400AQ’s price tag is affordable at around $40.

But that’s only the surface information. Whether it’s worth buying or not remains to be seen. If you’re eyeing this model, this hands-on review will give you a deeper insight into how it looks, feels, and performs compared to some other models on the market (including Belgian-style models, which you can see here.)

Key Specs

Where to Buy Price at publication $49.99

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Compared to Other Waffle Makers

6.7 Performance: Great in All But One Thing

The DASH No-Drip performed acceptably in both performance tests. However, it was found lacking in one key area: cooking a waffle's crust to a nice color tone. The waffle maker failed to make waffles with our desired golden-brown tone in both test recipes.

Fortunately, the texture and flavor were spot on. So, for breakfasts and snacks, the DASH No-Drip belgian waffle maker won’t disappoint.

6.5 Self-Mixed Recipe

Scoring Components ↓

The coloration of the waffle wasn’t great but still passable. There were some prominent burnt spots on the crust that introduced a degree of bitterness and dryness to the waffle. The interior of the waffle was soft, which garnered a good score from us. However, it was still slightly mushy. And taste-wise, our chef judged the waffle to be flavorful, despite the bitter aftertaste that the burnt spots on the waffle produced.

Color (35%) — 5

• Color tone: Very dark brown (Both)
• Color distribution: Uneven

There were prominent dark spots on both faces of the waffle. They mainly concentrated inside the wells and on the right side. On the left side, the coloring was light.

The uneven color distribution and the burnt spots ruined the waffle’s aesthetic. But since the burnt spots weren’t charred black and the light spots weren’t so pale that they looked undercooked, the waffle still passed this part of the test.

Texture (25%) — 7

• Texture: Good
• Aeration level: Medium, small bubbles were filling the interior of the waffle, but large cavities hadn’t formed yet

The texture of the waffle was soft and spongy, which was a pleasant surprise considering the half-burnt state of the crust. Additionally, though not numerous, there were a lot of tiny air bubbles and cavities within the waffle, which explained its softness.

Unfortunately, the waffle's interior was still developing, so the consistency was slightly mushy.

Taste (40%) — 7.5

• Flavor: Sweet and rich, but with a hint of bitterness due to burnt spots on the crust
• Mouthfeel: Soft and pliant, dry at the burnt spots

Though it didn't look quite as appealing, our chef judged the waffle as flavorful. The mouthfeel was great (soft and pliant). But, as we mentioned earlier, the burnt spots were dry, tough, and bitter in the mouth. Due to the bitterness, we knocked a few points off for this section.

6.9 Birch Benders Mix

Scoring Components ↓

The waffle was mediocre in all aspects: the coloration and texture were acceptable but weren’t outstanding. Taste-wise, according to our chef, it was palatable and relatively flavorful. The spongy mouthfeel, however, prevented it from getting a better score.

Color (35%) — 6.5/10

• Color tone: Very light gold (Both)
• Color distribution: Even

The waffle has the appearance of being undercooked with its pale gold crust. Some of the wells on the waffle were dark brown, slightly improving its look. But, as a whole, we still found the coloration to be poor.

Texture (25%) - 6.5/10

• Texture: Soft and pliant, lacks crispiness
• Aeration level: Medium

The waffle was nicely aerated but compared to some of the better waffles we have tested (like that of the Cuisinart WAF-F20P1), the air pockets were quite small few in number.

Still, despite the room for improvement, the waffle was soft and pliant. It was a bit limp and there was little to no crispiness but not to the point of being gooey.

Taste (40%) - 7.5/10

• Flavor: Sweet and slightly salty
• Mouthfeel: Fluffy and soft

Our chef gave the waffle a “Good” score. It was flavorful: the sweet and slightly salty flavor of the Birch Benders mix goes very well with the soft texture of the waffle. However, the waffle could use some crispiness in the crust, which would have improved its score significantly.

8.7 Design

Although the design of the DASH No-Drip Belgian Waffle Maker isn't very luxurious with its plain plastic housing, the build quality is excellent. The lid hinges are solid, the waffle plates are coated in an effective layer of non-stick.

Unfortunately, there is one issue: this model lacks a control panel. For the price point it’s at, this is a clear drawback.

In the Box

• DASH No-Drip Belgian waffle maker
• Instruction manuals and leaflets

The shipping box contained the waffle maker, instruction manuals, and leaflets. This waffle maker does not come with any accessories.

Dimensions

Due to its bulky frame, the DASH DNMWM400AQ takes up a lot of room on the countertop. It is heavy to boot at 8 pounds. Unless you just leave the waffle maker on the countertop, finding somewhere to store it could be a problem.

Its size and weight are about the same as the KRUPS Belgian waffle maker, which has the same suitcase-style design.

9.5 Build Quality

Overall build quality is good despite the cheap-looking design. The unit was spotless when first taken out of the box (no scratches, scrapes, or dents). Every detail is well-built and solid. The hinges have very little travel, so the lid doesn’t wobble when we shake it.

10 Waffle Plates

The plates are the most impressive part of this waffle maker. They are made from aluminum and coated with a Teflon non-stick layer. During our performance tests, the coating worked very well. It didn't take much effort to coax a cooked waffle off the plates.

The plates are divided into four equal quadrants, each measuring around 4 inches.

DASH has built large gaps onto the lines that divvy up the plates to form "links" between the four waffles. You can shear off these links with your hands and separate the waffles. However, these gaps are troublesome if you want to pour enough batter to fill one section and cook a single waffle. The waffle will form stubby lumps that you must cut off if you want a symmetric waffle.

Attached to either side of the waffle plates are large trenches, similar to the “anti-overflow” trenches of the Chefman Anti-Overflow waffle maker.

In the event of a batter spill, the trenches will catch the excess and stop them from flowing out of the machine. The plates are smartly designed with four "ventilation holes'' on each side to discourage the liquid batter from flowing through the machine's front or back.

0.0 Control Panel

The DASH No-Drip Belgian waffle maker does not come with any control feature. It has a pair of indicator lights at the top so that you can monitor the cooking process, but that’s it.

Power Cord

The power cable of the unit is fairly long, at 31.5 inches. You most likely won’t need an extension cord for it.

There is a grommet built onto the back foot of the waffle maker. The cord can be wrapped around it for easier storage.

Accessories: N/A

The DASH waffle maker does not come with any accessories.

9.6 Ease of Use

Using the DASH waffle maker is easy overall — plug it in, wait until the READY indicator lights up, and start pouring your batter!

The lack of a control system is troublesome, though. You can't adjust the browning or doneness to your liking. Instead, you'll have to time the cooking process to get your desired browning level.

On the plus side, safety and cleanability are both excellent for this model.

9.5 Handling

The DASH waffle maker is easy to handle. As we said earlier, the lack of a control panel makes using it as straightforward as can be. You can start using it without having to read the user’s manual at all.

The lid can be opened and closed via the large handle at the front, which doesn’t heat up at all despite being made from plastic.

9.2 Safety

Safety is great for this particular model. After several continuous cooking sessions, using a thermometer, we found that most of the waffle maker’s surfaces were still at acceptable levels. Especially the handle, which was only warm to the touch, not scorching hot.

Top side temperature was recorded at 202°F.

The temperature at the bottom, around the front foot of the unit, was at 151°F.

In the areas surrounding the handle, we recorded a relatively cool temperature of 120°F, which was merely warm.

10 Cleanability

The large anti-spill channels to the side of the waffle maker are very effective at catching excess batter. We noticed that these channels are easier to clean than the add-on drip tray that many waffle makers use these days.

The non-stick coating of the waffle plates further improves cleanability. We never encountered one sticky waffle throughout the performance test phase.

10 Indicator Light Visibility

The indicator lights are bright enough to be clearly visible under studio lighting.