Warm Tortillas

Tortillas are soft, thin flatbreads that are usually made from wheat or corn flour. The tortilla, which was traditionally only made with corn, has origins dating back thousands of years to the civilizations of the Mayans and Aztecs. Today, tortillas are a staple food in many Latin American countries, and are used to make foods such as tacos, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, and much more. Dry, cold, and stale tortillas are hard and prone to cracking, which makes them difficult to wrap and fold the way they’re meant to. Warming tortillas before using them in your favorite recipes will make them soft and pliable again, and the reheating can be done in the oven, in a microwave, on a stove top, or in a steamer.

Steps

Warming Tortillas in the Oven

  1. Add moisture to your tortillas. Lay your tortillas out individually and sprinkle, spray, or brush both sides with enough water to coat. When tortillas dry out and get stale they lack moisture, and replacing it when you reheat them will make them soft again.[1]
  2. Preheat your oven to 375 F (190 C). Or, if you prefer a slightly longer cooking time, heat your oven to 350 F (177 C).
  3. Stack your tortillas. Stack between five and eight tortillas on top of one another and wrap the stack in foil. Make multiple stacks if you require more tortillas.[2]
  4. Heat the tortillas. Bake the wrapped stacks in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes. For an oven that was heated to 350 F, heat the tortillas for 15 to 20 minutes.

Reheating Tortillas in a Skillet

  1. Moisten your tortillas. Or, if you want crispy and slightly fried tortillas, brush or drizzle both sides of each tortilla with a little oil or butter.[3]
  2. Heat your skillet. On medium heat, preheat a dry steel skillet, cast iron pan, griddle, or non-stick frying pan.
  3. Warm your tortillas one at a time. Place one tortilla in the skillet and heat it for about 30 seconds. Flip the tortilla with tongs or a spatula and heat on the other side for another 30 seconds. Repeat with each tortilla until you have warmed as many as you need.[3]

Warming Tortillas on the Cooktop

  1. Wet your tortillas with a little water. This will help make them soft and moist, and prevent them from burning.
  2. Heat your cooktop on high heat. Tortillas can also be warmed over the gas on a gas range or directly on the element of an electric stove. Allow the element on an electric stove to heat up for one to two minutes.
  3. Heat your tortillas one at a time. Place one tortilla directly on the gas range or electric element. Heat it for five to 10 seconds,[4] and then flip it over with tongs. Heat for another five to 10 seconds. Continue heating and flipping the tortilla in this way until it begins to puff a little or starts getting some char marks.[5]

Microwaving Tortillas

  1. Stack your tortillas. For the microwave method, don’t stack more than five at a time.[3]
  2. Wrap the tortillas in a slightly damp towel. Use either a clean tea tower or a few sheets of paper towel. Place the stack on a microwave-safe plate.
  3. Heat the tortillas. Microwave on high for 30 seconds at a time. Check them after each 30-second period. If they need longer, flip them and microwave for another 30 seconds. Repeat until they are warmed through.

Steaming Tortillas

  1. Prepare your steamer. Fill the bottom pot of a stovetop steamer with about one-half inch of water. For an electric steamer, pour in enough water to reach the minimum fill line.
  2. Stack your tortillas. This method is good for heating many tortillas at once. Stack as many as 12 at a time and wrap the stack in a clean, heavy towel.
  3. Place your tortillas in the steamer. Heat on high for one to two minutes. When steam starts escaping from the bottom pot, remove it from the heat.[6] For an electric steamer, turn it off when steam starts coming out from under the lid.
  4. Let the tortillas rest for 15 minutes.

Keeping Tortillas Warm

  1. Wrap them in foil and a towel. If you don't have a tortilla warmer, wrapping your tortillas in foil and towels will keep them warm for about 15 minutes.[4] For tortillas that weren't heated in a stack, stack them up to eight high. For stacks that aren't covered in foil, wrap each stack of tortillas in foil.[1] Wrap each pack in a towel.
  2. Place them in a tortilla warmer. Tortilla warmers are round containers with removable lids, and they keep tortillas warm longer than the foil and towel method. They are often made of plastic, ceramic, or terra cotta, and some are designed for the oven, the microwave, or both.
    • Most tortilla warmers also double as warming containers that you can reheat tortillas in directly. To heat tortillas in the tortilla warmers, most require a damp paper towel in the bottom of the container, followed by about eight tortillas. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions about heating.[7]
  3. Use a cloth tortilla warmer. With a cloth tortilla warmer, place the tortillas inside the cloth shell and heat them in the microwave. The insulating and moisture wicking cloth and plastic shell then keeps the tortillas warm and soft—but not soggy—for over an hour.
  4. Finished.

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Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/10/video-the-right-way-to-warm-corn-tortillas.html
  2. ↑ http://www.eatingwell.com/healthy_cooking/healthy_cooking_101_basics_and_techniques/how_to_warm_tortillas
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 http://www.thekitchn.com/ready-to-eat-three-ways-to-war-117346
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCIEXdmjqy0
  5. ↑ http://www.eatingwell.com/healthy_cooking/healthy_cooking_101_basics_and_techniques/how_to_warm_tortillas?page=3
  6. ↑ http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1995-06-21/entertainment/9506210346_1_turkey-meat-tortillas-thigh-temperature
  7. ↑ https://www.cooksillustrated.com/equipment_reviews/1534-tortilla-warmers

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