You've heard of frittatas and you've heard of quiche, you know they're both made with eggs, but what is the difference between the two? Though they are similar, they are different dishes with different origins. We've done research to find out about both egg preparations and have the information for you here.
Frittatas and quiches, though similar, are indeed different:
- Frittata doesn't have a crust, contains more eggs, and is cooked in a skillet that transfers to the oven.
- Quiche is normally baked in a flaky crust, contains more dairy with the eggs, and thus has a custard-like texture inside.
We'll look more closely at both quiches and frittatas in this post. We'll share great pans to cook them in. In addition, we'll look at the crusts and what it means when quiche is without one. We'll also answer the question about why is a frittata not just an omelet. So keep reading.
The Differences Between Quiche And Frittata
It's true that quiche and frittata are both delicious egg dishes that can be served for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner. Even though they have similar ingredients, though, they are not the same. Each has slightly different amounts of key ingredients. They are baked in different ways. And quiche typically has a crust while a frittata never does.
What Makes A Quiche
Quiche has its origins in France. This dish is made with eggs, dairy, cheese, and various meats and veggies, then cooked in a flaky pastry. Because of the amount of cheese and dairy, the consistency of a properly baked quiche is a bit like a creamy custard. It's a versatile dish that can be easily frozen and served at any time of day.
Quiche Lorraine is probably the best-known recipe and consists of bacon, good gruyere cheese, and chives along with eggs and heavy cream. Here's a quick and easy recipe to follow:
What Pan Do You Use For A Quiche?
Because quiche is usually made with a crust, care must be taken when choosing a pan. The most common types of pans used for baking quiche are pie dishes or shallow tart pans. Occasionally a quiche might be baked in a springform pan but won't necessarily have a crust.
Inexpensive aluminum pie tins work great if you're going to be freezing or gifting your home-baked quiche, but for an elegant presentation, consider a ceramic pie plate that can go straight from the oven to the table. These types of dishes come in loads of colors and patterns, some machine-made and some artisan-made. But what they all have in common is they make your quiche look delicious.
Click here for this ceramic pie dish on Amazon.
Tart pans are much shallower and are a more traditional way to cook quiche. The edges create a lovely fluting all around the quiche. This type of quiche will cook more quickly than those made in deeper dish pie pans.
This silicone-coated non-stick tart pan has a removable bottom, making serving your quiche a breeze. Click here for this choice on Amazon.
Does A Quiche Need A Crust?
Though traditionally quiche does have a crust, there may be reasons to make one without. Perhaps you can't eat gluten, or you're trying to hold off on carbohydrates. Whatever the reason, there are crustless quiche recipes out there. There are even recipes for mug quiches that you can make quickly in your microwave.
Here's an easy-to-follow recipe for a one-minute microwave quiche:
Does Quiche Taste Like Egg?
Some folks really do not like the taste of eggs and you want to keep that in mind when making dinner recipe choices. Could you get away with serving quiche? We guess that depends. Eggs are definitely the main ingredient of quiche but it's loaded with many other things too like heavy cream, delicious cheese, savory meats, and even fresh vegetables. Depending on which you use, your quiche may barely taste like an egg at all.
For instance, if you use a stilton or blue cheese along with Canadian ham, and maybe some red pepper, your protein ingredients have a strong flavor that will overpower the egg flavor. But if the egg un-enthusiast is freaked about the texture of eggs, then quiche may not be the right meal for that guest.
What Makes A Frittata
Frittatas are another egg dish that can be served at any meal. But unlike quiche, frittatas are not made with a crust. This humble dish originates from Italy where it is cooked as comfort food by home chefs all over the country. It's often a last-minute meal when all you have left in the fridge is a dozen eggs and a handful of leftovers. Italians will often throw their leftover pasta into their frittatas!
Is A Frittata A Crustless Quiche?
A frittata might seem like it's simply a crustless quiche, but that wouldn't be true. Their consistencies are very different. Fritattas contain more eggs and when finished, have a firmer bite and consistency than a quiche. They don't contain the cream a quiche does either. If you're curious to see how a frittata is cooked, check out this awesome recipe:
Do You Have To Flip A Frittata?
The traditional way of cooking a frittata in Italy does involve a flip. But there is a way around this tricky maneuver that might ruin your dinner by landing it in the oven. If you cook your frittata in an oven-safe skillet, you can simply turn it on broil and let the top brown to match the bottom of the dish. This is an easy and convenient way to avoid the flip.
What Types Of Pans Are Used For Frittatas?
Because frittatas start out on the stovetop and are then transferred to the oven, we think a good cast iron skillet is the way to go. It can handle the heat of your broiler and the way it radiates heat evenly will create a delicious "crust" on all sides of the dish.
This dual-handled skillet from Lodge is perfect for frittata cooking. The handles make it easy to move from the stovetop to the oven for broiling and the iron will heat your food evenly. Click here for this on Amazon.
If you prefer not to use your oven, there are double-sided non-stick frittata flip pans available. These pans can be used directly on your stovetop and eliminate the step of going into the broiler.
Click here for this product on Amazon.
How Is A Frittata Different From An Omelet?
Though the ingredients in the two are pretty much the same, the preparation is different. In a frittata, the veggies, cheese, and meats are mixed directly with the eggs then poured as a unit into your pan. In an omelet, the eggs are beaten and poured into the pan to begin cooking, then the cheese and other ingredients are sprinkled onto the top of the omelet.
The shapes are also different. A frittata is round and fairly thick with ingredients, whereas an omelet has a half-circle shape and is relatively thin and flat. They do taste similar though.
You Say Quiche, We Say Frittata
Isn't that how the saying goes? No matter, they both are delicious and anyone will be happy if you serve up a slice of one of these savory egg dishes for their meal.
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