Captain Ryan wrote:
> Hey group,
>
> I just joined because I'm on a quest to eat better, both in terms of
> health and taste. For the past 6 years I've been eating out every
> meal, which isn't terribly healthy but makes it hard to back to my
> home-eating dietary staples of cereal and peanut butter + jelly
>
> I've been checking out some recipes and today I tried to make a
> spinach, feta, parmesian, and tomato frittata with less success than I
> hoped. The tomatoes just fell apart and it was generally too gooey.
> I'm wondering if either or the following 2 factors could play a part in
> this. 1) I fried the tomatoes in corn oil because I didn't have any
> olive oil (then the egg mixture was poured on top of this) 2) My
> skillet was larger than what was called for, which I would imagine
> would make it cook FASTER if anything.
>

For the tomatoes, try seeding them first. The seeds are very moist, and
don't add much to the frittata. Then dice the remaining flesh into
fairly small pieces. When you add the egg mixture, mix the tomatoes in
so they are not all in a clump. You should also drain the spinach. If
fresh, this isn't usually a probelm, but frozen spinach can carry quite
a bit of liquid. If so, microwave a few minutes to thaw and then drain
it before using.

Also, you should be using very little oil. When you cook the eggs, they
will set, but other things like water and oil will not. The large pan
can also be a factor, as the frittata will be thinner and weaker than
the same frittata in a smaller pan.

> What is the general rule of thumb for when to use what oil and what
> will happen if I use the wrong one? There's probably a link out there
> that can tell me but I unsuccessfully googled. Any help would be
> appreciated. Thanks!!

Some oils have better ratios of the types of fat. Olive oil, for
example, is mostly mono-unsaturated fat, which is healthier than
saturated or even poly-unsaturated fats. Canola oil is similar in this
respect as well as cheaper, but it doesn't have as good a flavor as
olive oil. Also, some oils have a higher smoke point than others. Olive
oil, and particularly virgin and extra virgin olive oils, have a fairly
low smoke point, so it isn't good for stir fries and other high
temperature cooking methods. Peanut oil might be a better option in
that case. Finally, as mentioned briefly above, some oils taste better
than others. You can affect the flavor of a dish by varying the kind of
oil. A salad dressing made with olive oil will taste different than one
made with almond oil for example.


Dean G.