Santa Fe Quesadilla Maker

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!

We received this as a gift, and have made great use of it. It is very easy to use: just put a tortilla on the bottom, scoop some filling (ground beef, chicken, cheese, vegetables, etc.) into the pockets, put a tortilla on top, and close the lid! It makes perfect, light-golden-brown quesadillas every time. The triangular quesadilla sections are easy to break apart and remain sealed (i.e., they don't leak the filling).

We have found that it is able to make quesadillas more than fast enough to keep up with the consumption requirements of a family of four (unlike a typical waffle iron, where you are always waiting for the next one). Leftovers are great to snack on or put in a school lunch.

It is extremely easy to keep clean and is very durable.

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I am a fan of quesadillas and I usually make them by slapping a flour or corn tortilla on the pancake grill, adding some grated cheese and salsa, topping with another tortilla and mashing it and flipping it for a few minutes until the surface is toasted and the cheese melted. A couple of swipes with a knife on a board and I have a quesadilla, a fast lunch or dinner or snack.

To make "professional" quesadillas with sealed edges, you need the Quesadilla Maker, which presses your tortillas into cute little wedge shaped pie sections. This unit is made by Salton, lord of all heated griddle and grill appliances, and it's pretty useful if you, like me, enjoy quesadillas and need a quick snack or meal.

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE

It's bright red (warning, if your kitchen clashes with bright red, hide it away or make a dust cover for its salsariffic redness.) It's round, like a waffle iron and takes up more space than I was expecting. It's maybe 11 inches in diameter and a few inches high. The manufacturer recommends that you put something UNDER it if you cook on formica or other plastic (read CORIAN) countertops as the heat can discolor your counters. Believe it.

There are two lights on the lid, green and, you guessed it, red. The red light is the 'power indicator' and the green light is the 'ok, time to cook light'. As in many of the Salton grills, the heat is one temperature. There is no adjustment and no timer.

Inside, there are two concentric circles on a non-stick surface and wedge-shaped impression inside these circles. The circles are the outer perimeter seal of your tortilla, and the wedge areas are where the filling gets pushed into the quesadilla pockets. There are six segments. The unit has a hole in front, oval, and a small drip pan that fits under it. This is obviously to catch any fat or cheese or filling running out of your quesadilla. Nice touch.

MAKING A QUESADILLA

After the first use, where you prime the plates with a bit of vegetable oil, you are ready to cook. Heat it up, wait for the GREEN light and get your ingredients ready to go.

NOW HERE'S THE KICKER: This unit says USE ONLY 10" FLOUR TORTILLAS. No small burrito size, no CORN torillas, which ticked off the non-wheat-eater in the house who also loves quesadillas and his are made special with good quality corn tortillas to suit his delicate tummy. Sadly, we haven't found hugeaceous corn tortillas to try out, and I assume they might not work well in any case. If we find 10 inch corn tortillas, we will experiment and report back here (assuming we survive the experiment.) But for now, assume 10" flour ONLY. And they must be fresh and pliable, not old, hard and stiff.

Now you are ready to distribute your ingredients evenly over the tortilla. OLA! Do not allow el queso (cheese) or meat or salsa to touch the edges. The quesadilla will not seal and the juice or flowing lava cheese will run out of the front. Also, this isn't magic. If you put a hamburger (whole) inside, the quesadilla maker will not magically press it down effectively. Anything that can tear out of the relatively fragile wrap is likely to poke through. I suggest you use chopped meat (taco meat) or finely sliced meats and not big chunks or strips.

Also, there is not enough heat for enough time to cook a tough pepper. Or fry an onion. If you like these things, cook them in a touch of oil on the stove, stir fry style and then put them inside. Again, they should be fine strips.

After you fill your quesadilla and pop on the top tortilla, close the lid and let it ride for five minutes.

When done, pull it off with a heatproof spatula and place on a plate that can take the ministrations of a pizza cutter or knife, because you will have to divide up the sections. The maker does not cut the segments up for you.

CONSIDERATIONS

1. It takes up counter space, about the size of typical waffle irons.

2. It's RED

3. How many quesadillas do you eat (we eat them, so this is fine, but as a fad in the house, you may be better off with a sandwich maker instead.)

4. No corn tortillas. So wheat-free people will not be happy with this unit.

SUMMARY

I like the Quesadilla Maker because we like these Mexican grilled cheese sandwiches for snacks and quick meals. I am playing with recipes like Stuffed Sopapilla Filling with Green Chile Sauce, to replace deep-fried, puffy, lard dough sopapillas with a more healthy alternative. I like the idea I can make hot pockets with my own filling, so to speak.

I was not pleased of the limit of 10" flour tortillas only, but it's a small price to pay for a unit that makes a great snack, and might I add, a great kind of hors d'oeuvre.

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I initally put this item on my bridal registry as a joke, and actually ended up recieving it. After I took it home and unpacked it I decided to give it a try, and I was rather impressed. The surface is certainly non-stick, which comes in handy when you forget to put the top tortilla shell on and the cheese begins to melt to the top iron. It cooks the quesadillas evenly and when you are finished cooking them (which only takes about 4-5 min)you can easily break off the sections. The cooking time is quick, and even with the prep time it takes to cook the chicken for the filling, you're looking at about a half an hour tops before dinner is ready. I am very satisfied with the quesadilla maker, even though I initially thought of it as a joke. It is certainly a worthwile purchase, especially when the gang is coming over for the game.

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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.