How can I get a corn tortilla to be pliable enough to work with?

Question

I like the flavor and texture of corn tortillas (store-bought), but they always tear apart whenever I try to use them for in a non-flat way - enchilada-style, for example. How can I make the corn tortillas soft enough to work with (to roll around some ingredients, for example)?

Asked by KatieK

Answer

You need to warm them up a bit. There are a number of ways to do this - 20 or 30 seconds on a griddle (or a comal is you have one), wrap a stack in foil and place in 325 oven for until warm, wrap a stack in a clean towel and steam them using a steamer, or slightly moisten a towel and wrap it around a stack and microwave them for a bit, etc etc. If you've warmed them and they are still tearing then your tortillas are no longer fresh.

Answered by djmadscribbler

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How do I defrost frozen flour tortillas?

Question

There is a wide variety of suggestions about how to thaw frozen flour tortillas. What works best?

Answer

If you are freezing the tortillas yourself and don't mind putting in a little extra work in the beginning to get more convenience later, I would separate the tortillas with waxed paper (actually I use the paper sheets that are waxed on one side, intended for bakeries). What this buys you is the ability to pull out one or two tortillas as you need them.

They will defrost just fine in the pan that you are going to warm/brown them in anyway.

If you customarily run through a dozen tortillas, then you probably don't want to bother. But if that is the case then you probably aren't freezing your tortillas in the first place.

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How to cook cubed fish for a fish taco (tortilla)

Question

Today someone at work described eating a delicious halibut taco. I've never had one before but it sounds awesome, so I'm going to try to make one some time this week (but since I have a lot of salmon in stock, I'm going to make it with salmon instead of halibut). I'd rather not grind the fish - ground fish does not sound like something that's too interesting to eat. So, I was thinking I'll just cut the fish into cubes, and fry them up, then throw the cooked cubes into a tortilla, roll up with some sauce, and serve (to myself). If it turns out good it would be a great recipe to share with friends and family.

However this is not something I've done before. I know fish breaks apart quite easily when cut into small bits, so is it even possible to preserve "fish-cubes" in a frying pan or will all the little cubes break into a flaky mess? Or, maybe it would be better to cook the whole fish first and then dice it afterwards?

If anyone has any advice or suggestions on how to create awesome fish-cubes (or just any general advice about how to prepare a salmon for a fish taco) please let me know.

Answer

Don't cut it up before cooking, do it after cooking. This is a common issue with many Mexican style recipes

Coat the fish with your spice mix, and cook as desired. When done, cut into cubes/chunks or flake onto your tortilla

Usually thinner fillets work best for this style in regards to surface area exposed to spices etc

Do the same for beef tortilla, spice and cook a steak, then slice it up thin and add it to your tortilla

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Is It Possible to Make Corn Tortillas At Home Without A Press?

Question

I don't own a tortilla press and until I have more cabinet space, one is not in my future. However I value making as much as I can from scratch and love using tortillas in my cooking. I have made whole wheat tortillas using a variation on this recipe, subbing oil and butter in for the shortening to try and get a bit more flavor out of the tortillas.

I'd like to move to homemade corn tortillas, but every recipe that I have seen instructs one to use a press. With flour I was able to roll my tortillas as thin as required, but will I have trouble when moving to masa trying to do it with a rolling pin, or will I be able to get thin corn tortillas without a press?

Answer

Yes, you can do it without a press. Place a ball of dough between two layers of plastic wrap. Use at least twice the area of wrap that you think the final tortilla will be. Squish the ball flat with a pan, book, or your hand. Now use a rolling pin to roll the dough between the sheets of plastic. Make sure the thickness is even, and don't get it too thin or it will break when you cook it. Bonus: you can store the uncooked tortillas in the plastic until using and they won't dry out.

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How do you ensure a tortilla keeps all its contents when making a burrito?

Question

What's the best technique to tuck or close the tortilla when preparing a burrito, to avoid it coming undone whilst eating?

Answer

Folding a burrito is serious business. Get it wrong and you'll end up dumping most of the contents all over the place and look like a burrito noob. Get it right and your hands and plate should be perfectly clean. Be aware that publicly flaunting these skills might lead to many people wanting you to fold their burritos for them.

General Tips

First off, make sure your tortilla is ready to be folded. A cold or dried out tortilla will crack or split much easier than a warm moist tortilla. Second, don't overfill the tortilla. If you have small tortillas you can't try to make a giant burrito and expect that to work out.

How to fold

Now that we have the basics out of the way let's get to folding.

(source)

1. Place the contents in approximately the middle of your partially folded tortilla. This is on its side right now. Leave plenty of room on the ends otherwise you'll most surely have food spilling out once it's folded up. I like to use the bottom end to "tuck" the food in nice and snug by laying it over the food and pulling it in a bit.
2. Fold one end over...
3. then the other end...
4. and then roll the bottom up towards the top. Make sure not to let the food squeeze out. I hold it with my fingers at the crease where the bottom edge that's been folded up meets the food.
5. Keep rolling it up.
6. Om nom nom.

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