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.

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!!

Ryan

Wait. I didn't read your whole post, but saw the words "eat better"
and "frittata." Is your question "Am I crazy?"

In article .com>,
says...
> 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.
>
> 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!!
>
>

In general the oil does not affect anything except the taste. You might
want to try draining the tomatoes first. Cut them up, sprinkle a little
salt on them, and let them sit in a strainer for 15 min. THen press
gently to remove as much liquid as possible.

--
Peter Aitken
Visit my recipe and kitchen myths pages at www.pgacon.com/cooking.htm

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.

Tomatoes don't need a lot of cooking.
I generally add them last. If used in a frittata, I might blanch and
peel them before chopping, but not always. Depends on my mood and time
factors. ;-)

>
> 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!!
>
> Ryan
>

The type of oil is not as important as the TIME cooked for the final
texture.

Tomatoes don't need pre-cooking.

HTH?

Om

"Captain Ryan" > wrote in
oups.com:

> 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.
>
> 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!!
>
> Ryan


Try using diced plum tomatoes. More pulp, less seeds and water and put
them on the eggs/spinach/cheese mixture just as it starts to set,
sprinkle with more parmesan then under the broiler would probably be the
way to keep the sogginess down.

I also use half oil/half unsalted butter for egg dishes.

Andy

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.

Ryan, you wrote:
"(then the egg mixture was poured on top of this) ."
Shouldn't the eggs be stirred into the spinach mixture?? It would
help hold the whole thing together.Nancree

>>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.

I think that is too complicated a fritatta to start with. For using
tomatoes, they need to be "fileted" for lack of a better word, and it
is still chancy.
Start with a basic fritatta before going off into the wild. Right now,
with asparagus in season, you could blanch some asparagus, arrange it
in a heated pan using olive oil for choice, pour over the egg, water
and cheese mixture, following directions about getting it to cook. You
can then either flip it (I am not so great at that) or run it under the
broiler to finish the top. then if you want you can serve it sauced
with a feta and spinach mixture that you've cooked separately. Tomato
sauce cooked separately is easier, too.
Substitute any veg for the asparagus, if you like as long as it isn't a
very juicy veg. Until you really know what will happen in the pan,
play conservative.
Last week I was served a fritatta made too thin. It resembled a khaki
crepe. I had to ask what it was!