Awesome Quesadillas 101

by Kate, age 13

Hi my name is Kate. I’m 13 years old and I live in San Francisco. I’m going to show you how to make a quesadilla. These are one of my favorite snacks to make. Not only are they yummy, but they are easy to make and healthy.

First, you need to get all your cooking tools and ingredients out. They are a cutting board, cast iron skillet, spatula, and kitchen scissors. Make sure those scissors haven’t been sitting in a junk drawer! You might be wondering what the scissors are for but you’ll find out later.

Here are all the cool kitchen tools for making great quesadillas

Now we need to get the food out. For one quesadilla, you need 2 tortillas and any kind of grated cheese. My favorite is cheddar cheese. I also like to use corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas. They taste better and are better for you.

These are my favorite corn tortillas -- super-fresh is always best!

And here's the cheese: use a box grater or food processor to shred it

Put your cast iron skillet onto the stove and heat it up for about 2 minutes. While your skillet is heating up, prepare your quesadilla. It’s easy. Just put a handful of cheese on one side of a tortilla. Make sure to leave about 1 inch of space around the edges of the tortilla so when the cheese melts, it won’t leak out of the sides. Now put the other tortilla on top of this one and you’re ready to cook it!

See how I left a little room around the edges? No one likes a leaky quesadilla!

Now that the skillet is heated up, carefully grab the edges of the quesadilla and gently place it in the pan. Be careful to not touch the pan. Cook for about 1-2 minutes. When the edges of the top tortilla start to curl upwards, it’s time to flip it over. Use the spatula to flip it in the skillet. Cook again for about 1-2 minutes.

The skillet is really hot, so be SUPER careful when you add your quesadilla!

Press gently on the quesadilla with a spatula - this helps it cook evenly

When the quesadilla is cooked on one side, flip it over: this is how it should look

When it’s done, turn the flame off and use the spatula to take the quesadilla off the skillet. Place on a plate.

See how deliciously gooey the melted cheese looks? YUM!!!!

Now, get out those kitchen scissors and cut the quesadilla into 4 equal pieces.

When it comes to cutting quesadillas, scissors are WAY easier to use than a knife

Okay, finally you can eat your  quesadilla! You may want to add some salsa to go with it. YUMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!

Homemade quesadillas are the BEST -- try it yourself and see!