Hola Mi Amigo! Care For A Quesadilla?
Written: Feb 27 '01 (Updated Mar 02 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy to use and clean, quick and yummy quesadillas
Cons: Cooking plate could be a tad deeper to allow for more filling
The Bottom Line: It's a keeper!
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| BeeCharmer's Full Review: Santa Fe Quesadilla Maker |
Gone are those messy moments once associated with quesadilla preparation, one of my favorite dishes of the Mexican persuasion. Where once there was kitchen chaos, there is now a relatively tidy countertop and food free floor for the quesadilla chef to walk upon.
Ever turn a full tortilla over while cooking upon a griddle or skillet without losing some of its filling? We’re not just talking about bits of cheese or an errant grain of rice, but the good stuff, the heavy stuff – like lengthy slices of grilled chicken and steak.
I personally was never blessed with such a mess free task prior to the purchase of the Santa Fe Quesadilla Maker. And with two highly skilled felines, of whom we also reside, there has simply never been enough time to debate whether or not there was even call for the ‘five second rule’ to come into play. The sacrificed food items were snatched and gone before the chef’s muffled expletives gave way to an enthusiastic search and rescue mission.
And those items that perchance narrowly escaped the eyes of these two mighty hunters generally wound up underfoot; smooched on the bottom of the chef’s foot. I run around barefoot, more often than not, and well… blech!
Momma consiguió un juguete nuevo!
Translation: Momma’s got a new toy.
This Quesadilla Maker resembles a four-legged waffle iron. But unlike a waffler, raising the top of the Quesadilla Maker reveals a circular cooking surface made up of six triangle wedges. Much like that of a wagon wheel. Mine came in bright red, I haven’t seen it offered in another color to date.
• Bakes quesadillas in about 4-5 minutes
• Power light (On/Off) and Ready light
• Cool Touch Housing
• Built-in Drip Reservoir
• Non-Stick Cooking Plates
• Steam Guard
• 900 Watts
• Owner's Manual is loaded with Instructions and Recipes
Quesadillas are soft tortillas, filled with tasty fixins’ such as prepared cheeses, refried beans, rice, herbs, vegetables and meats that are then either cooked in oil or baked until crisp. Served with toppings such as salsa, guacamole, and sour cream, these are wonderful appetizers, light lunch or a delicious entrée depending on how they are prepared. The user manual also includes dessert recipes, such as the Apple Pie Quesadilla using pie filling, powdered sugar, and ground cinnamon.
Hubby enjoys quesadillas filled with queso (cheese), verdes pimientas (green peppers) and filete de filete (fillet steak), while the children and I prefer pollo y vehículos (chicken and vegetables) with queso or refried habas (refried beans) which is much easier for our littlest one to devour.
Breakfast quesadillas on the weekends are another treat, simply fill tortillas with huevos revuelto (scrambled egg), tocino (bacon), queso (cheese), salchicha (sausage), jamón (ham), vehículos (vegetables), patatas (potatoes), etc.
Whatever your palate desires, stuff it within two tortillas then place it into the Quesadilla Maker, cook and serve. These can make for a quick meal on the run, no matter the time of day.
Simple, Fast, and Efficient
Operating this appliance is simple; merely plug it in, await the red glow of its power light to turn green, and start cooking.
Fill and place your completed tortillas onto the cooking surface of the Quesadilla Maker. Be sure not to overfill your tortillas, as the lid may be a tad hard to close and your filling may be pushed out over the edges. Close lid and press down firmly until it latches, listening for the soft click announcing its locked seal. Cook to the desired doneness, for us, usually about four minutes per quesadilla. And await your edible masterpiece.
A 10-inch tortilla will provide you with six, ready to eat wedges that need only be coaxed out with a plastic spatula or other non-scratching utensil. Using metal utensils may cause damage to the Quesadilla Maker’s non-stick, Teflon cooking surface.
Each quesadilla comes out of the machine wedged or with considerable impressions of wedging; you may need to occasionally go over the sectioned edges lightly with a knife before pulling them apart. A butter knife will suffice; an assault with a sharper instrument has never been necessary. I believe the ease of separation also has to do with how much filling you place within your tortilla and how long each are cooked.
Clean-up and Tips
The Quesadilla Maker comes complete with its very own, built-in drip reservoir to catch drippings from grease, sauce, food juices, and cheese. The drip tray surrounds the lower cooking plate. Quite handy I have found, and easily cleaned after each use.
As this appliance has a non-stick surface, you will need to remove any bits of food and then wipe the drip tray and cooking surface with a hot, soapy sponge or wash rag. Due to its attached cord, this unit should not be submerged in water for cleaning.
Storage is not much trouble either. This unit is similar to the size of a large waffle maker and can be placed in the cupboard flat or standing on its side (although a bit awkward).
Tips
• Do not use large, irregular chunks of meat, thinner slices of food items work best
• Prepare each item, as needed, prior to placing in tortillas
• Don’t overfill tortillas
• For a bit of added color and crisp, spray lightly with cooking spray or oil
The only improvements I can suggest pertaining to this Quesadilla Maker are rather minor, but worth mentioning to other prospective buyers. First, 12-inch tortillas are not recommended for use with this machine. Hurumph!
And second, I like to fill my tortillas with scrumptious goodness that comes only by piling on the fixins’. But alas, this appliance will have none of that without some experimentation on the part of the chef. An overfilled tortilla is much harder to bring the lid down upon, and more often than not, the latch closure will not oblige either.
Hence, I have had to scale down my quesadilla creations to pretty much the basics, although… I tend to be a bit of a clever, problem-solving chef when presiding over my culinary domain; getting the job done. This does occasionally lead to creative cutting of food items and layering, however.
An overflow of food items can also lead to less than perfect sectioning, bringing about the need to go over the wedged edges with a butter knife for easier separation (as mentioned above under Simple, Fast, and Efficient). A deeper cooking surface and more pronounced wedging walls would make this chef most appreciative. I can only imagine the state of euphoric, wanton quesadilla crafting that would make for...
But then, I am sure that for a majority of folks this may not be a cause of occasional contention; based on a personal preference for thinner quesadillas. I just simply don’t do simple cheese quesadillas. It’s got to have fresh herbs and something else a bit more substantial between that tortilla wrapping to pass muster here. And with a bit of experimentation, it can be done with this appliance.
Does this deter me in the least from recommending the Quesadilla Maker to others? No. I certainly do recommend it. Although my furry, stealthy felines may not agree with Mom on this point as they are eating less quesadilla scraps these days. I am very pleased with the Quesadilla Maker, and believe you will be too if you enjoy this south of the border fare.
Quisieras una quesadilla? (Would you like a quesadilla?)
Recommended:
Yes
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BeeCharmer
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Member: Heather
Location: Seattle Area
Reviews written: 200
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