Want to hear heresy?
Microwave it. It's a different type - more chewy. But it takes 60 s
I don't even have a microwave but this sounds... good... ??? What did you do to me!
These are good. But if you're going to do cheese only, consider doing a roll-up.
Either use sliced cheese, or hand shred the cheese. Pre-shredded cheese is coated (usually with starch or cellulose) to prevent it from clumping, but that also prevents the melted product from getting that nice, gooey, stretchy effect. Same goes for pizza.
And queso.
Remember: quesadillas are just a different kind of grilled cheese sandwich. And that looks tasty, lemme try.
I love that you got it brown and crisp as I abhor soft/chewy quesadillas.
I like adding cilantro somewhere (either in fillings or in salsa). Sometimes I throw a little cheese in the pan and let it melt and cook onto the outside of the quesadilla which gives it a little different character. I also love getting chipotle flavor somewhere and usually use Cholula Chipotle sauce which I buy in 64oz bottles instead of the little 5oz bottles they sell in stores.
I make a lot of quesadillas!
Add a little Chipotle to the cheese before cooking. Makes it smokey and a little hotter.
I’ve started doing this. There’s this new chipotle mayo spread from Best Foods that is amazing. A few squirts of that on the cheese and between the tortillas and then in the pan with some salted butter. It’s amazing.
Oh, that sounds pretty good. I was talking about chipolte from a can/jar, tried it one time with some thicker tortillas and it was just amazingly good. Cilantro and some cumin are good as well.
Any particular area/aspect you're looking to improve?
Cooking it on the stove.
It cooks pretty fast to me.
The one you made looks excellent, I cook them quite a bit but I usually just put cheese inside. If I’m filling it with veggies or chicken, I always cook that stuff first.
If you try and go low and slow, you’re going to end up with a hard crackly tortilla, cooking quick keeps it chewy and crisp on the outside.
On my electric stove, the dials go from 1-10 and I find that for my stove, preheating my cast iron pan with the burner on 4 keeps it from burning but cooks it pretty quick.
Is the cheese not getting melted? I'd say turn down the heat. Maybe put a lid on top? The Browning looks fantastic, a weight can help though to get it even better!
it's really easy to flip a giant 2 tortilla quesadilla by just sliding it into a plate and then inverting the pan over the plate for a second and then flipping both back over together. Is usually melted enough that you don't have to touch the pan being a few inches up is fine.
You can really stuff em this way and if you're cooking for a few people it goes twice as fast!
What you made looks killer to me.
That was pretty decent right there. I'd say one of the biggest tips I have is always butter the tortilla not the pan that tends to get it more evenly spread I think.
I tend to lightly oil the tortilla, and sprinkle on a little kosher salt, it gets a nice crisp crust.
Use quality ingredients.
To piggyback on this comment - if you normally use store-bought tortillas, try making your own instead. They're easy and cheap to make, and taste way better IMO. (Plus they won't have all the preservatives and other additives).
All you need is flour, a fat (traditionally lard, but I've also used butter, ghee, olive oil, or bacon grease with good success), some salt, water, and a skillet or griddle. Some people also use baking powder, but I think it's fine without (I prefer my tortillas to be chewy rather than fluffy).
Butter works great. I live near an HEB where they make fresh tortillas every day and love to pick up the butter ones.
My secret tip is to brown one side of the tortilla, remove it from the pan and then use that side as the inside of the quesadilla to put your cheese and toppings on. Not only does it make the tortilla more crunchy, but the heat helps to melt the cheese.
Just like making a grilled cheese.
Only thing I do that I don't see my Mexican friends' mom's doing is that I butter the tortilla just like bread for a grilled cheese instead of using oil in the pan. If you're making a full circle, you can use a plate to help flip. Otherwise you can just use a single tortilla and fold it after the cheese has melted enough.
Honestly the only thing that I'd improve here is the tomatoes. I prefer them finely diced with a pinch of salt. Add lime juice and fresh cilantro and you've got a simple pico de gallo.
Agreed.
The heat should be no higher than "4". Put a lid on it to trap heat and melt the cheese before flipping. You won't need the lid after the flip.
Don't over stuff them. I know I have a habit of doing that. Yesterday I made some with hash browns diced chicken and cheese. Too big.
Light usage of soy sauce inside. You won't taste it, but it evenly salts the thing and adds umami flavor that really adds something amazing. Once you do it you'll wonder why it took you this long
I think quesadillas are where corn tortillas really shine. Be sure to soften the tortillas with a little butter in the skillet. I've always used jack cheese for these.
(good for grilled cheese too) when the cheese is melting, force some into the pan to sizzle and crisp up. You can even toss a handful of cheese directly into the pan. The idea is to get crispy cheese bits embedded into the tortilla and clinging to the edges.
Also serve with pickled onion.
I have nothing of value to add other than I used to have those exact same plates. I bought them at K-Mart.
Not that there's anything I'm seeing wrong in the pic, but since you're asking...
Never walk away while cooking them. They'll burn REAL quick.
Try heating a little bit of oil in the pan, before plopping in each quesadilla. The tortillas get a nice crispy fried texture. I can take it or leave it, but my wife insists on them that way.
I tend to cover the pan while cooking, to make sure there's enough heat to get everything inside thoroughly melted.
Let them cool, ideally on a wire rack, for a minute or two before cutting, otherwise you can squish all the innards out.
Get rid of that green shit and replace it with a nice big dab of wasabi
