Pre-Toast Your Tortillas (and 3 Other Tips for Great Quesadillas)
Make a crispier, more flavorful, just-plain-better snack.
By Published Mar. 10, 2022.
A quesadilla—crisp and piping hot and filled with just the right amount of cheese—makes a quick, casual, and satisfying snack or light meal. Here, we offer a handful of tips that will turn an ordinary quesadilla into an outstanding one:
1. PRE-TOAST THE TORTILLA Before assembling the quesadilla, toast both sides of a flour tortilla in a skillet over medium heat so that its layers puff and separate. This will create a pleasing contrast in texture: the tortilla’s outer layer thin and crispy, and its inner layer warm and soft with just a bit of chew.
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2. GIVE THE FILLING A FLAVOR BOOST In addition to shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, include some minced pickled jalapeños for a spark of bright heat.
3. FOLD, DON’T STACK Instead of sandwiching the cheese between two tortillas, sprinkle the shreds onto half of a single tortilla and fold the tortilla around the filling. This allows you to cook two quesadillas at one time in the same skillet, if desired, and the fold also keeps the cheese filling from oozing out.
4. SALT THE TORTILLA To ensure that every bite is perfectly seasoned, brush each quesadilla generously with oil, then sprinkle it with salt before crisping and browning the quesadilla(s) oiled side down in the skillet. Flip and brush the second side with oil, sprinkle with salt, and cook to brown and crisp the second side.
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