5 dishes you didn't know you could make in a waffle iron

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Think your waffle iron is only for big breakfasts? Think again!

Here's how to cook just about anything on a waffle iron, including hamburgers, quesadillas, grilled cheese, bacon and more so you can get more bang for your buck out of this handy kitchen appliance.

As much as everyone loves waffles, by itself, this single-use appliance that can take up valuable kitchen space isn't much of a deal. But blogger Nora Kapche of the Coupon Contessa has found a way to use it for much more than waffles!

"It's endless, the amount of things you can use your waffle iron for," says Nora.

Nora says you can make breakfast, lunch and dinner on the waffle iron. But does it really work? Deals tried it out and successfully cooked these items:

• Quesadillas - Spray the waffle iron with nonstick spray and put one tortilla on the bottom side. Add the fillings and cheese, top with the other tortilla and shut to cook. Just brown the tortilla enough for everything to get warm and the cheese to get melted!
• Grilled Cheese - Spray again with nonstick spray and insert your grilled cheese on one square. You can even do four sandwiches at once!
• Cookies - Spray with nonstick spray, and use pre-made cookie dough in cookie-size globs on the waffle maker. Press down and check occasionally to make sure they're done all the way through.
• Cinnamon Rolls - Insert uncooked pre-made cinnamon rolls in your waffle maker, sprayed with nonstick spray. The little craters from the waffle maker even create little spots for the icing. Mmm!
• Hamburgers and Bacon - Both these delicious meats cook quickly and evenly on a waffle iron and clean up fast too!

Nora's waffle iron has a temperature gauge so we cooked all the food on medium, checking it every few minutes until it was brown on the outside and the insides were melted or cooked. Most items cooked in 3 to 5 minutes, and the cleanup was so easy! As long as you don't mind the waffle marks on the outside, the waffle maker is a great appliance for all your meals!

For more from Nora, visit CouponContessa.com.