How inconvenient is it when you’re about to build your tacos and all of your corn tortillas begin to crack and break? When the maize tortillas are dry or stale, this happens. So, should you abandon your plans to prepare a Mexican feast, or is there a solution? What is the best way to keep corn tortillas from breaking? Fortunately, there are methods for preventing maize tortillas from shattering. First and foremost, obtain fresh tortillas and properly preserve them. If the tortillas are dry or stale when you use them, reheat them up or soften them with damp paper towels. Continue reading to find out why tortillas break, how to avoid it, how to fry corn tortillas for taco shells without breaking them, and much more!
Why Do Corn Tortillas Break?
When they become too dry or stale, corn tortillas will break. When you try to bend tortillas that are a few days old, they will probably shred or break. When you are cooking enchiladas or crushed tortilla chips, this might not be a problem. Making tacos, burritos, and other dishes that call for rolling and folding corn tortillas, however, may be a challenge.
Corn tortillas also crack because they are inherently gluten-free. The dough becomes more elastic as the amount of gluten increases. Since maize tortillas don’t contain gluten, they tend to break readily as they cool.
How To Keep Corn Tortillas From Breaking
Corn tortillas, as you may know, shatter when they become dry or stale. Here are some tips for preventing corn tortilla splitting and making them roll and bend effortlessly for all of your Mexican-style recipes!
1. Buy Fresh Tortillas
It’s critical that you purchase fresh tortillas before using any methods to soften and make maize tortillas malleable. Making your own corn tortillas at home is the finest choice. It’s quite simple to make corn tortillas at home! Masa harina, water, salt, and a tortilla press are all you need. The next best thing would be to purchase freshly made corn tortillas from a tortilleria if you don’t have the time or the necessary skills to create them yourself.
Tortillerias, or tortilla bakeries, are a staple in Mexican-American neighborhoods and are native to Central American nations. Check the manufacture date to ensure that the corn tortillas you purchase in bags are fresh if you can’t find fresh tortillas.
2. Store Them Properly
It is critical to store tortillas properly if you want them to not break when you use them! Corn tortillas can be stored unopened in their original packaging as long as it is intact and airtight. After opening the tortilla bag, reseal it after each use. Corn tortillas, whether homemade or purchased, can also be stored in sealable plastic bags. To prevent the tortillas from drying out, squeeze out any excess air when placing them in bags.
Corn tortillas can be kept at room temperature for up to 10 days. Corn tortillas can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks. Another fantastic technique to conserve corn tortillas is to freeze them. Corn tortillas can be preserved in the freezer for up to two months.
3. Warm Up The Tortillas
Corn tortillas may be rolled and bent with ease if they have been slightly warmed. Tortillas can be warmed in the oven, microwave, grill, or pan. However, it’s crucial to avoid overheating the tortillas because doing so could cause them to become overly crispy and brittle. Cover corn tortillas with slightly wet paper towels before heating them in the microwave. To make tortillas warm, moist, and the ideal softness, microwave for only 30 seconds.
4. Cook Briefly In Oil
Cooking maize tortillas quickly in oil is a clever way to make them more pliable. In a pan, heat a couple inches of neutral cooking oil. When the oil is hot, place the tortilla in it with tongs. Because the oil is hot, it will begin to bubble as soon as you dip the tortilla into it. Remove it from the heated oil after 5-6 seconds to avoid frying the tortilla! The purpose of this procedure is to make the tortilla malleable and simple to work with rather than to cook it and make it crispy.
5. Keep Tortillas Warm While You Cook
Use a tortilla warmer to keep the fresh corn tortillas warm while you prepare the other dishes if you are cooking fresh corn tortillas for dinner. A tortilla warmer is a spherical container with a lid, in case you didn’t know. It can be created from a variety of materials, including as silicone, terracotta, and plastic.
Place the just-baked tortillas in the tortilla warmer after lining it with a fresh piece of linen. For around 20 minutes, the tortilla warmer will keep the corn tortillas warm and pliable. Without a tortilla warmer, you can wrap the tortillas in aluminum foil and store them in a 250°F oven until you’re ready to use them.
How To Fry Corn Tortillas For Tacos Without Breaking Them
Purchasing crunchy taco shells is less time consuming than frying them yourself. On many cases, though, you open a box of taco shells only to find broken chunks of corn tortillas. For a taco night, this can be a deal breaker! Tortillas fried at home are far superior. Here’s how to fry corn tortillas without them breaking:
Turn the stove to medium heat and pour oil into a frying pan.
When the oil is heated enough, use tongs to place a corn tortilla in it. The oil should already be heated to 375°F; otherwise, the tortilla will absorb too much oil.
Fry the tortilla for 15 seconds on each side.
Toss the tortilla. Fry for 15 seconds after folding.
Flip once more to cook the other half of the folded tortilla.
Remove the tortilla from the pan and place it on a wire rack in a 200°F oven. Because you will be frying one tortilla at a time, keep the cooked shells warm until you have finished frying all of them.
How To Roll Corn Tortillas Without Breaking Them
Use a steamer basket to steam the corn tortillas so that you may roll them without fear of them breaking or cracking. The tortillas will soften after steaming, and they’ll become more malleable and simple to roll. Make sure the tortillas don’t touch the hot water when you place them in the basket. The tortillas should be steam-cooked for 20 to 25 seconds, or until they are sufficiently pliable to roll without breaking.
How To Use Stale Corn Tortillas
If you have stale corn tortillas that aren’t awful enough to throw away, use them in dishes where you won’t be folding and rolling them.
Here are some ideas for how to use stale tortillas:
Soups. To prepare tortilla soup, fry stale corn tortillas! Corn tortillas are particularly effective as a soup thickening. Toss the tortillas into the liquid. The tortilla crumbs will break down into smaller pieces while the soup cooks, making it thicker and heartier.
Corn tortillas can be used in any other soup, much as flour or cornstarch.
Blend the tortilla into the soup with an immersion blender for a creamier texture.
Chips made from tortillas. Baking stale tortillas into chips is the simplest way to use them up. Simply cut the corn tortillas into triangles, brush with oil, season with salt, and bake until crispy.
Casseroles. Use stale tortillas to make a lasagna-inspired dish! Enchilada sauce, cheese, and your favorite contents should be layered between the tortillas.
Chilaquiles. Chilaquiles are a popular Mexican breakfast dish composed with corn tortillas, salsa, cheese, beans, and eggs, among other ingredients. Because chilaquiles require tortillas to be sliced into smaller pieces, they are an ideal recipe to create with crumbling corn tortillas.
Salad Taco Bowl If you’re craving tacos but don’t have any fresh corn tortillas, prepare a taco salad bowl instead! Gather all of your taco ingredients. Corn tortillas should be cut into small pieces and baked or fried. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and serve.
How Do You Know If Tortillas Are Stale Or Have Gone Bad?
Contrary to flour tortillas, corn tortillas keep better. After a few days of opening the bag, they do, however, start to go bad. Tortillas made from scratch spoil even faster! Although they become stiffer as they age, tortillas are still safe to eat. However, how can you tell if tortillas are old or spoiled? If there are any signs of mold on the tortillas or if they are too rigid and unflappable, they should be thrown out.