Santa Fe Quesadilla Maker
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Santa Fe Quesadilla Maker
Customer Review: Versatile Kitchen Gadget
Summary: 5 Stars
On Saturday, I picked up one of these Santa Fe Quesadilla Makers on a whim. As a quesadilla afficionado, I never liked how my George Foreman couldn't properly seal up a quesadilla on its edges, causing toppings to come spilling out everywhere. I also like how in restaurants, quesadillas are served in triangular wedges to dip in salsa or sour cream. The George Foreman could never achieve that.
I made my first quesadilla that evening: lean ground beef (lightly seasoned), thinly sliced green peppers and onions, fat-free cheddar cheese, and thin tomato slices sandwiched between two 8" whole wheat tortillas. I was worried it wouldn't turn out right since the booklet recommends using 10" tortillas, but it turned out wonderfully! After four minutes of being in the pre-heated device (I had it plugged in while I assembled the quesadilla), I had a golden brown quesadilla, and the ingredients weren't falling out every which way! The wedges weren't fully cut, but there were deep, golden imprints and I just took a knife and gently sliced through to get the individual wedges - perfect for dipping in salsa. The quesadillas were delicious and really easy to make and clean up.
My experimentation didn't stop there! The booklet recommended peanut butter and jelly quesadillas. For lunch, I used one 8" whole wheat tortilla to fold up and make half of a quesadilla. I spread on natural peanut butter and 100% Simply Fruit jam and put it on the press for three minutes. I must say it was delicious - I was in Heaven for the six or so minutes I spent eating it. I'd never had a hot PBJ quesadilla before, but it's become a personal favorite of mine.
In sum, the Santa Fe Quesadilla Maker is a wonderful investment if you love quesadillas. The traditional mexican quesadillas turn out delicious, and there are a lot of included recipes to experiment with, such as peanut butter & jelly, apple pie quesadillas (likewise, you can substitute apple pie filling for cherry pie filling, etc.), egg & cheese breakfast quesadillas, pizza quesadillas, ham & cheese quesadillas, or any other creative combination you can come up with! A wonderful cooking device indeed.
Customer Review: Tasty, but annoying
Summary: 4 Stars
We received this quesadilla maker as a wedding gift, and were thrilled because we love quesadillas. I have given it four stars because it does make excellent quesadillas, but the whole process was a little annoying. First, we were never able to find tortillas to fit. We used the great big (I think 12 inch) ones which stuck too far out the edges and had to be trimmed at the place where the machine folds. Then we used the little one, which didn't reach the edge of the heating surface, so the first quesadilla had all the ingredients squeezed out the sides when the machine was closed. This caused a problem because the food was straight on the heating surface and started to smoke which set off our fire alarm. After that we learned to put a lot fewer ingredients in the quesadilla and to keep the filling total away from the edges of the quesadilla so it didn't squeeze out. That ended up making the quesadillas too crusty and hard. So it was back to trimming the larger tortillas. So- if you can find or make the correct size tortillas, the machine is great. Another problem is that it is an awkward size and shape. We have limited kitchen space, but because of the funny lid, little legs and roundness, it makes it difficult to get in and out of the cabinet without a lot of hassel. Because of the space problem, it has now been sentenced to a prison term in our basement. We probably don't use it as much as we would if it were easy to access. Finally, there is the cleaning issue. I am very obsessive about cleaning and the areas of the machine that touch the food cannot be removed to be cleaned. As on the George Forman grill, you just have to use a wet soapy sponge and then a a rinsing cloth. This makes me shudder. If an item cannot be submerged in the sink or dishwasher, I cannot really feel it is clean. This is one of those items I always feel might be a little dirty. So while these sound like a lot of negatives, it really does make good quesadillas when you can get all the problems worked out- the tortilla pieces seal around the edges so the ingredients don't leak, it makes the quesadilla a nice golden brown, and melts the cheeses well.Customer Review: Has quickly taken over my kitchen
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this little appliance on a lark thinking that it would be something to try and would probably end up in the little-used appliance graveyard in my basement. It has since turned into an indispensable part of my kitchen. I love the nonstick surface of the grills (easy to clean), and I especially love that the lid locks, and the entire appliance stores upright, thus leaving some empty counter space while keeping the grill close at hand. I've read some of the other reviews here, and I can honestly say that I don't have anything negative to write about this appliance. I only had some of the filling drip out onto my counter once, and that taught me to put the filling (meat, veggies, cheese, salsa) closer to the middle of the tortillas. Trust me, it all cooks, and it spreads out to the rest of the tortillas. I've never taken the time to measure out portions of the filling, and this hasn't been a problem. I have also had no problem whatsoever finding tortillas to fit; in fact, I often bring home a couple of bags and refrigerate them so we always have them on hand. I now also keep plenty of colby, monterrey jack and cheddar cheeses on hand for those quick quesadilla fixes! Another reviewer mentioned problems with the tortillas not getting completely done, but I've never experienced that with mine. I've also found that I can use one tortilla and make a 1/2 serving as a quick snack. Since the grill marks perfectly formed triangles on the quesadillas, you can easily cut them or pull them apart into even servings. My only suggestion is to make sure that you pre-grill any meat that you use since this appliance isn't really meant to fully cook meat.
The quesadilla maker comes with a mini recipe book. I encourage you to try some of the dessert tortillas. I made a cinammon-sugar one that was absolutely fantastic with some vanilla ice cream! Yum!
Customer Review: Great appliance!
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this on a whim, it was in a sale list, seemed reasonable, and would be something that my daughter could use to make an after-shool snack. It works great. I love it, she loves it.
I find it very easy to use and clean up. We have made many different kinds of quesadillas with it, and have had great success each time. The only filling that caused problems was using the peanut butter and jelly suggestion from the book included with the machine. The filling did tend to leak a bit, but once the tortillas had "sealed" there was no more leakage. It seemed the filling melted before the seal was formed.
As mentioned in other reviews, clean up is a snap. A paper towel or two, and you are done. Nothing seems to stick - even the peanut butter and jelly!
As mentioned in another review, I have found it is easier to assemble the quesadilla before you put it on the griddle. The plates seemed to cool too much when I tried to assemble the food with the cover open. A little advance planning solved this problem.
If you prefer a browner, crisper snack, simply spray the griddles lighly with a non-stick cooking spray before you start. I learned this by accident, the first one I ever made was brown and crisp, the later ones lost this. By spraying the griddles, I got the original results again and again.
We find this to be very family friendly. By setting out a few different types of toppings, everyone can make their own, just the way they want it.
I would highly recommend this appliance to anyone who enjoys quesadills as a quick, easy to clean up to the traditional skillet method.
Customer Review: A KEEPER
Summary: 4 Stars
I really like this unit. I have made 4 batches of quesadillas so far. The best batch came out using low carb whole wheat tortillas with slices of muenster inside. The booklet recommends shredded cheese, but I found that cheese to become too diluted so that you felt you were eating 2 tortillas pressed together with "essence of cheese" in between. Muenster really holds up;cheddar disappears...white Mexican cheese would probably be good as well. The tortillas I bought were larger than 10" in diameter and went into the drip reservoir rings, but this posed no problem, and they cooked well. If cheese does get onto the cooking plates, it wipes off completely with a paper towel. If any gets in a crevice, a toothpick will clean it right out. I had no leakage with the sliced cheese. After the quesadiila is cooked it will have the triangular impressions on it. Use a pizza wheel to cut along these lines, and you will have beautiful quesadilla triangles that rival any Mexican restaurant's!Do not try to lock the unit when cooking. This compresses the quesadilla too much. It will cook fine unclamped. Cook for about 3 minutes...too long and your quesadilla will be too crunchy. I have not tried adding seafood or other meats to the quesadillas, nor can I give an accurate account of the unit's durability since I just got it, therefore I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars. The quesadillas taste great, and it's a very easy, quick, and fun way to make a family dinner that everyone will enjoy. There's no oil involved, and if you use low fat cheese and whole wheat tortillas, it makes a satisfying, healthy meal. Get it...you'll use it and like it!!! Muy aprovecho!