Tortilla Mastery

Lateralist

So I love mexican food, especially that which I cook myself. I've been making burritos/enchiladas/whatever for years now but I have yet to perfect the methods of cooking the tortillas before I wrap them around my assorted delicious fillings. They almost always get too crispy and break up when i try to wrap with them. Usually I cook them 1 or 2 at a time with oil or butter in a skillet, and I've experimented with covering them, adding water, etc, with varied results.

Basically what I'm asking is, does anyone out there have a reliable method of cooking tortillas such that they get browned up nicely, but stay soft and malleable?



While we're at it, what's the best way of rolling/wrapping up tortillas so all the liquid from the fillings doesn't leak out all over my hand?



Oh and finally I also like making quesadillas which are basically a bunch of cheese and salsa between two tortillas all fried up crisp. These are incredibly easy to make, but I need a way of storing them so that they stay crisp and don't get soggy as they cool.


Any tortilla masters out there?

Shazkar Shadowstorm

I thought, when using tortillas for burritos and such, you only put them on the pan for like 30 seconds maximo? Obviously you did too much if they're getting crispy and breaking... you don't want them brown...

FyreWulff

When using tortillas to make enchiladas (I also only use flour tortillas), you don't mess with them before filling them and stuffing them in. They will be browned/crunchied'd by the baking process.

Big Dookie

Yup. Always fill the tortilla before doing anything else, whether it be baking, frying, or cooking them in a pan. If you just want good warm tortillas (for, say, fajitas or flamiadas or something), the best thing is to wrap a stack of them in aluminum foil and stick them in the oven on 250-300 degrees for five or ten minutes. They'll be nice and piping hot for you, and still soft and steamy. Put a little butter in between each one for added unhealthiness/tastiness.

Also, wrapping a burrito is a bit of an art. The most important part is to get a LARGE tortilla. Nothing is worse than trying to wrap up a tortilla that is too small. Get a nice large tortilla. First, put most of the filling slightly off-center, and then wrap that closer side of the tortilla around the filling first. Then wrap each end up around the already folded part. Finally, tightly fold the rest of it up and let it sit for a while so the tortilla sticks to itself. Hard to explain, but experiment. You'll get the hang of it.

Munacra

Are they flour or corn tortillas? They have different methods of cooking. I like fried golden tortillas that are a little crispy, some people like them soft and steamy. If you like them crispy, just take them out a little earlier before they get to the "brown stage". Tortillas are like rice it's all about timing. A toasted tortillas is called "a tostada" which is another level of deliciousness.

To wrap them up, so nothing falls out, you kinda roll them up with your fingers until they're nice and tight so that the food kinda clogs up the opening on one end of the tortillas.

Enchiladas sadly do get soggy after a while. You can try frying the tortilla a bit before hand for an extra hour of staying power, but the best remedy is just to eat them fast.

Sonos

if it isnt a corn tortilla then it isn't a real tortilla.

FyreWulff

Sonos wrote: »

if it isnt a corn tortilla then it isn't a real tortilla.

they taste like nothing. Also, I don't like the texture.

and corn tortillas are usually made extremely small compared to the flour ones.

Incenjucar

Steam them.

Get a large enough pot with one of those steamer inserts, add a bit of water, put down a few layers of tortillas with paper towels in between, and turn the burner on.

You have to be careful not to overdo it, so you don't end up with molten tortillas, but it's a fairly quick, easy method, with little risk. If they DO get a bit soggy, they'll dry out soon enough anyways.

And yeah. I have yet to see the glory of corn tortillas. Maybe if they were flat pieces of cornbread.

Munacra

Fry the corn tortillas until they're golden.
Then you'll see the glory.

Starfuck

ok dude
burrito tortillas
i don't see why you would steam them and if your going to fry tortillas, just put sugar on them and call them bunuelos, you'd be a happier man for it. i think steaming would be better for corn tortillas as opposed to flour

i'm going to assume you are using a gas stove
medium heat
toss them directly on the burner
look at it
when you see the tortilla puff in areas
flip it
a little more puff
take it off the damn burner before they catch on fire

there is absolutely, and i am saying this as a man who was raised on bean and cheese burritos, to do anything different

you could toss them on a skillet, but i have found this is usually how you tend to overcrisp tortillas and they can crack, although pan heating can work fine, my mother-in-law makes homemade tortillas in the pan that would make grown men cry in their absolute tastiness

now
if you are using an electric stove
then a pan is really your only choice
so follow the same methods
you don't have to worry about them catching on fire
but they can still burn and you have might have to practive on when to flip them so as to keep them softer

good luck


i just reread your post and saw that you are using oil or butter
no wonder they are cracking
you're frying them
don't do that
add the butter after you warm them

MotherFirefly

whenever we make flour tortillas at my house we don't use butter or anything, we just grease the pan, 30-60 seconds max total, and transfer them to a plate and put them in the oven so it stays warm.

I agree with an earlier post on them possibly being overcooked.

Slagmire

If you have a teflon skillet, you can make some fine flour tortillas. I don't remember what all goes into making them (I'll check tonight for you), but I'm pretty sure it's like this:

2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, about of stick of butter - Mix all this up until it's course (kinda like cornmeal).

Add 1 1/2 cup of warm water and mix all that up with your hands until it's doughy. You should be able to pull off about 8 balls worth of dough - make sure they're smooth and round, then cover them all up with a moist paper towel for about 15-20 minutes.

Heat up your skillet - then flatten out (you'll probably want to use a rolling pin to get them real flat - use a bit extra flour so there's not as much sticking) one of the dough balls until it's tortilla shaped and slap it on the skillet. In about 1-2 minutes (flipping every now and then), you should see it bubble slightly. Flatten it out and put it in a container with a towel over it to keep the heat on it. Do that for the other seven.

Best damn tortillas I've made.

Sonos

FyreWulff wrote: »

Sonos wrote: »

if it isnt a corn tortilla then it isn't a real tortilla.

they taste like nothing. Also, I don't like the texture.

and corn tortillas are usually made extremely small compared to the flour ones.

because they are superior and need less filling to be complete. corn tortillas are the soul of an entire nation. nay continent. HEMISPHERE.