Before I purchased, I read a lot of reviews that complained about the difficulty of cleaning this machine. I love the Cuisinart brand and I’ve had several of their machines over the decades and have never been disappointed, so I purchased it with the understanding that it may need a little patience when cleaning, but my kids love waffles and I’m tired of using a one-holer and taking 30 minutes to turn out 12 waffles and everyone eating one at a time or someone being finished eating as another is just starting. The cleaning really isn’t any different than other one-piece makers that you can’t submerge in water, either, it’s just 4 plates instead of 1 or 2 equaling a larger cleaning surface and a heavier machine.Anyway, I’m super happy with it. My waffles were fluffy on the inside, crispy outside, and BIG, which is what I wanted. I used the Sams brand pancake mix for a quicker turn around than making my own today, and they tasted great. A couple of tips - make a bunch of waffles in one go and freeze so you only have to clean it once a month instead of once a week or more if that is your deterrent. It was so easy for me, though. I had 12 plain waffles in about 12 minutes. I decided it was so easy I’d mix up another quick batter and made 12 blueberry. All the leftovers are in the freezer for easy popping into the toaster and should last a few weeks.For cleaning, I grabbed a medium stiff toothbrush, dipped it in some warm, soapy water and scrubbed the teeth on the plates. When I cooked on it, I used spray in between each set of waffles, so there was zero hard scrubbing. Really I was just cleaning out the oil and a few bits of blueberry that were left. Then I dried it up with a paper towel. It was simple and easy and took about 3 minutes. I think when something doesn’t go along with a regular routine, like putting dishes in the sink and scrubbing or throwing it in the dishwasher, people think it’s hard, but it’s really the same process and amount of time with an extra, cheap little tool that you already have in the house.All in all, from mixing the batter to cooking the waffles and cleaning the machine? Less than 30 minutes. It’s worth it!