Turn Halloumi Cheese Into A Rich, Crispy Snack With A Clever Kitchen Tool

Halloumi is a salty and flavorful cheese that's practically made to be fried with origins in Cypress. The cheese is traditionally made from both sheep and goat milks, although there is a wide variety available in American grocery stores. Halloumi is usually sold in large pieces, so it's easy to cut it into any size slice you like. The salty, squeaky cheese holds its shape well and doesn't melt easily, making it hearty enough to be cooked on any number of hot surfaces, including a waffle iron.

Along with these absolute best uses for your waffle iron, we'd like to encourage you to think outside the waffle by using it to grill halloumi for a rich, crispy snack, similar to using your waffle iron for extra crispy grilled cheese sandwiches. The heat coming from both sides of the waffle iron allows you to get both sides crispy and golden in half the time. Halloumi is the tangy cheese you should try on the grill, and a waffle iron is really just a double-sided grill with squares instead of traditional grates, so it's a no-brainer to try grilling the dense cheese on a waffle iron. The results will be crispy, warm, slightly gooey, and wonderful.

Although the cheese itself contains plenty of fat, it's still a good idea to coat both sides of the waffle iron with a light spray of cooking oil or brush on a light coating of oil with a pastry brush. Do this after preheating the waffle iron but before placing the halloumi down so you can ensure it doesn't stick to the hot grill. Apply gentle pressure to close the iron, but don't press down too hard, as the cheese is much thicker than typical waffle batter.

After the halloumi is golden brown and crisped to your liking, gently remove it from the waffle iron using tongs or a small spatula and set it on a paper towel or a cooling rack so that it doesn't get soggy and lose that amazing crunch. From there, you can eat it on it's own for a decadent snack or use it any place you'd normally eat halloumi. Since seared halloumi lends a salty richness to winter salads, the amazing texture from being grilled in the waffle iron makes it an even more perfect addition. 

For a spicier twist, serve halloumi with hot honey for a party-pleasing appetizer. The pockets created by the waffle iron will capture the drizzle of hot honey perfectly, similar to how waffles hold maple syrup. After the waffle iron has cooled off, be sure to clean it thoroughly so that you don't get any surprise bits of burnt cheese in your next plate of breakfast waffles.