Why You Should Stop Throwing Out Broken Waffles From The Freezer

Frozen waffles are one of the great convenience foods of all time. Before they came onto the market, waffles were a homemade treat, usually for Sunday breakfast or brunch. You needed a waffle iron and a lot of patience. The waffles were never guaranteed — maybe they would stick, or be overcooked or undercooked. In fact, for many people, the results were a mystery until you opened up the waffle iron. The first waffle is almost always not well done. And the iron itself is no picnic to clean.

Unfortunately, frozen waffles still have a problem of their own: They often break in the freezer. How many times have you opened up a box and discovered that one waffle has crumbled into pieces? Most people probably just throw them out at this stage, which is wasteful, or save them to use in a breakfast strata.

But there's one other use for broken waffles that you probably never thought of. And it will change some of your family's most-beloved dinner recipes.

When you find broken waffles in the box, don't throw them out. Instead, gather them into a freezer bag or container. And the next time you are going to coat something in bread crumbs — whether it's a chicken breast or shrimp or fish, take out that container. From here, you can grind up the broken waffles in a blender or food processor to make bread crumbs, per Flippin Delicious.

Just think about it! The waffles are already toasted, so they have that wonderful crunch and browned butter flavor. They add a slightly sweet note to the coating, which is delicious (see Captain Crunch Chicken from The Pioneer Woman as proof). And you don't have to mess around with drying or toasting bread to make crumbs: They are already nicely browned and crisp.

Once you have made the bread crumbs, you can easily freeze them for later use. Just decant them into that same freezer bag or container, label it so you know what you have, put the date on the container, and stash it in the freezer for instant crunch on many foods.

Don't try to grind up the frozen waffle pieces to make the crumbs directly out of the freezer. For the best results and best flavor, it is a good idea to toast the waffle pieces before you smash them into crispy crumbs. You can toast them on a pan in the toaster oven, or even just use your regular oven. It's not a good idea to put the little pieces into an actual toaster because they will likely get stuck or burn. Let the crispy little pieces cool before you pulverize them.

Now that you have a nice stash of brown, crisp waffle crumbs, what are you going to make? Try crispy breaded pork chops seasoned with garlic, or breaded chicken fingers. Just make sure to use the same amount of waffle breadcrumbs for the type of breadcrumb called for in the recipe. A breaded pork tenderloin sandwich would be a great choice for lunch. Or you could also make air fryer chicken parmesan or shrimp alla parmigiana. You may never buy packaged breadcrumbs again.