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Repairing a Small Cooking Appliance

Electric waffle irons, frying pans, sandwich makers, skillits, and woks all work on the same principles. Here's how to troubleshoot and repair them.

Remove screws to access the heating element and other internal components.

Cooking appliances are designed to cook food at changeable temperatures. In some units, the temperature control is permanently attached to the appliance; the unit cannot be immersed in water for cleaning. Those with removable controls often can be immersed with the controls detached. Some units with built-in controls have removable electric cords and some have built-in nonremovable cords.

Small cooking grills have one element and no thermostat to regulate temperature. Sandwich makers and waffle irons have two cooking surfaces with internal heating elements; cooking temperature is regulated by a built-in thermostat. In some cases the elements are exposed (you can actually see them turn red hot) or covered (you can't see the element, but you can feel the heat).

Disassemble and test cooking appliances:

Unplug the unit from the electrical outlet.
For appliances with a removable cord, use contact cleaner, fine sandpaper, a small file or emery board, or a brass brush to carefully clean the terminal pins located where the cord connects to the appliance.
Remove screws and/or clips to access controls on the unit or the removable cord. Clean the controls with contact cleaner, sandpaper, or file, being careful not to damage them or loosen parts.
Remove screws and/or clips to access the heating element. Use a multimeter to test for continuity and replace any faulty element.

Service the heat control:

Unplug the control and open the housing. Set a multimeter on RX1 (resistance times 1) and touch the thermostat terminals with the probes. In the on position, the meter should read near zero ohms.
Clean any contacts to remove food or corrosion, then polish with fine sandpaper or steel wool. If the contacts have only a little debris, use contact cleaner.
If the heat control still doesn't work correctly, replace it with an exact replacement part.