Frittatas might be easier to cook than pronounce!

Frittata. We've heard this word pronounced many different ways including:  Frateeta, Freheeta, Frejeeta, Faheeta, Fajeeta, Fritterita..... 

The correct way to pronounce frittata is frih-TAH-tuh.

What is a Frittata

A frittata is a round, open-faced omelette. It cooks flat in the pan instead of being filled and folded like an omelette. The "filling" ingredients are typically cooked in the pan first, then the whisked eggs are poured over the top. If the non-egg ingredients are things that don't need cooking, like cheese, herbs, or cooked meat or poultry, they can be combined with the whisked eggs and poured into the pan to cook together.  

How to Make a Frittata

Frittatas can be cooked on the stovetop, in the oven or started on the stovetop and finished under the broiler in the oven. A frittata's texture will be firmer than an omelette since the frittata is cooked slowly over medium-low heat rather than quickly at high heat as you do for an omelette. 

In order to cook a frittata all the way through, some people flip their frittata over in the pan. You can do this if you like living life on the edge and crave the challenge/ excitement/ theatrics, but you don't need to! While the frittata is cooking, I like to poke through to the bottom of the pan in a few places to let some of the uncooked egg on the top run down and hit the hot pan. This helps the frittata cook evenly and a little faster. Cooking it, covered, over medium to medium-low heat also helps. 

The cooked frittata can be served whole or cut into wedges depending on its size.

What’s the Difference Between a Frittata and Strata?

The main difference between a frittata and strata is the use of bread in strata dishes. A strata is usually a savoury egg-bread casserole that’s baked in the oven or microwaved. To learn about the difference, read this article.

Try this Veggie Frittata

If you would like a recipe to follow, try this delicious Veggie Frittata that uses onions, mushrooms and sweet peppers. Feel free to follow the recipe or substitute the veggies with ingredients you have on-hand.