Okay. So I'm a compulsive blogger (seriously. I feel like I need to restrain myself sometimes) but lately I guess I haven't been feeling up to it. Why? I don't know. I really did think up a whole rant about why I dislike cyclists (not all of them, just... well, that's another story) and just haven't felt the need to share it with anyone aside from my hubby. I rant to hubby all the time.
Today, however, for lack of a desire to write about anything else, I thought I'd share this amazing tidbit I found on the internet one day while looking for ways to make chicken quesadillas. I used to be part of the "put everything on the tortilla and warm it up for a few minutes" camp, but I have changed my ways and never been happier. I wish I could find the actual website that was my guide, and if I do, I'll umm post it somewhere. I've been doing this most of our marriage now, as I have relied on the internet to help me try new things (with very very mixed results), but since we've been married less than a year, I suppose it's still "new."
Heat your pan on high. Yep, high. I think perhaps if you have a lot of heavy or cold ingredients to go inside, you might want to go with medium high and cook it longer; I haven't been very good about testing this though. Don't wait too long, just till it feels all toasty, and then warm your tortilla about 10-15 seconds per side. Generally after the first side, I like to put my toppings on while the other side is warming. (So I guess that means only really "warm" the one side 10-15 seconds?) Put the toppings on half of the tortilla, cover the pan (don't fold it over!), turn the heat down to low and wait about a minute to a minute and a half, depending on your toppings and how hot the pan was/how puffy your tortilla was. If it didn't start to puff up, wait a little longer for your tortilla to get crispy. When the toppings are melted, you may fold over your tortilla and bask in the crisp outer layer!! I love it.
The only disadvantage is you can only do half a quesadilla at a time. I am willing to work with it though, and besides, I've always made a mess when I try and use two tortillas and lots of toppings. Sometimes I let the pan get too hot and my tortilla puffs up way quickly while my toppings are things like cold meat that I've refrigerated/had leftover. Whoops. You either get a very very crispy and almost burnt-looking tortilla or sometimes I turn it down when I notice it starting to puff when I haven't even finished putting on those stubborn toppings. I'm not exactly a pro at it, but really, I love it so much more than cooking a folded quesadilla for a long time, flipping it to make sure everything heats evenly. And sometimes, when I make a certain meat quesadilla, the salsa I put in with it makes my tortilla super soggy. Unless I do it this way! Hah! Take that, soggy tortillas.
So, in case I was really confusing, get the pan hot, heat up the tortilla a little, and make sure and cover it and turn it down once the toppings are on. Covering it creates a little mini oven from all the heat built up that will melt the toppings while letting the entire tortilla rest on the pan to get crisp on the outside, so you don't have to constantly flip it (and get toppings all over the pan... which is what I do, anyway). I think the internet told me you could pile all the toppings on the middle and just let them squish out when you fold it over; I just find it more convenient to have them on the half you already intend them to be on.
See? I can be very prolific about nothing, when I have a mind to do it. (And all this rambling and lack of pictures is why I'm convinced I would be a horrible, horrible food blogger, even though I still think it would be fun.)
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