A blend of all things wonderful- flavor, spices, cheese, yummy veggies, and meat that come either wrapped in a warm and soft tortilla, stuffed into a chunky burrito or a hot pot of consommé, smothered with delicious guacamole, stuffed between taco shells or steamed in a corn husk, just to name a few. That is Mexican food for you.
The tortillas take center stage in this discussion because let’s face it, while there is a wide range of tortillas available ready-made for you to pick, nothing beats a freshly homemade tasty, tortilla ready to be filled with some exquisite and exuberance filling.
Apart from flour, the other component needed in making tortillas is a tortilla press and finding the right one that fits your needs is essential. If you find yourself making tortillas very often for your family, then investing in one is the right way to go as it saves you a lot of time and effort.
What is a Tortilla press?
Tortilla presses are designed to be used to make corn tortillas and they are a machine that is formed with two flat and round surfaces that come with a handle to press your flour to form a perfect tortilla shape.
The tortilla shapes usually come out to be between seven to eight inches in diameter. There are different types of tortilla presses with some of them using an electric component that allows you to press and cook them into shape.
Tortilla presses can only be used to shape corn-flour based tortillas rather than whole wheat or flour tortillas. You’re better off using a rolling pin when making flour tortillas simply because of the gluten presence in normal flour. The gluten in normal flour causes the tortilla to shrink the moment you remove it from the press.
Just like the tortillas themselves, you can find the tortilla presses in a variety of shapes and sizes which of course are made with different materials and includes additions and embellishments that make the process easier. Check out this top-rated tortilla press that is handmade and produces a perfect circle, with your desired tortilla thickness. Press down once for a moderately thick tortilla or twice for a thinner one.
5 Reasons Why You Need A Tortilla Press
You’re probably here because you already know you are in the market to buy a tortilla press but you’re still trying to figure out if it’s really worth your investment and time. Before we go into the reasons to help you decide on getting a tortilla press, you might want to ask yourself these questions:
- What is your budget for purchasing a tortilla press?
- How often do you make tortillas?
- What is your flour preference for making tortillas?
- How often do you purchase store-bought tortillas?
Once you’ve answered the questions above, let’s take a plunge at the 5 reasons for getting a tortilla press:
1. You get it fresh
Store-bought tortillas, while convenient, come with one immediate downside is that you need to use them up as soon as possible before it goes stale, and stale tortillas are never nice. You’ll definitely get better quality and freshness by making your own dough. The best thing about using your own tortilla dough and pressing it is you can use them as and when you need to whip up tortillas for you and your family. This way, you can ensure that there are always enough tortillas that you can stretch out for a good amount of time and they will be the freshest possible.
2. You reduce eating additives
Another concern many people have with store-bought tortillas is the issue of keeping them fresher longer. To keep tortillas looking fresh in the store, they are filled with additives and preservatives that are not good in the long run especially when you eat tortillas quite often. Food items with loads of additives such as Benzoic acid, cellulose gum, trans fat, and hydrogenated materials are not the healthiest things to put into your body in the long run. Sugar and a bunch of other artificial sweeteners are also found in store-bought tortillas and this is a big problem especially for people with diabetes and other issues. So, if you want to control the number of additives and sweeteners in the foods you consume, making your own tortillas is a healthy choice.
3. It’s easy
Plenty of people resort to store-bought pie crust, pizza crust, fillings, cake mix, dough, and so on is because of the thought that making these things from scratch is hard and a complicated process. The thing is, making the dough, pressing, and then cooking your tortillas is actually the simplest of all things to do. Tortilla presses make the process super simple because the only hard work is making the dough- which actually takes very little time and very little ingredients. All it requires is mixing salt, flour, water, and oil and you have your dough. Pop a golf ball size of dough into the press, press and apply pressure and you have a fresh, nicely round tortilla ready for the grill.
4. You can save money
Cost is of course a factor when buying things. You’re probably wondering if it’s worth getting the press when you can just roll them yourself. Well, if you love the process of rolling then stick to your rolling pin but imagine having to roll out 20 or more tortillas each time you have dinner with your family? It’s also very cost-effective to get one for your home. A tortilla press saves you money in the long run especially in households where tortillas are among the staple food items. Store-bought tortillas work great for those times when you just want something quick and easy and if tortillas are not your staple household meal. But if they are, purchasing store-bought is pricey and it doesn’t help that it goes stale quickly. Save money and time by investing in a tortilla press for your home. The homemade dough can be kept in the fridge and divided into batches so whenever you need to make tortillas, take out the batch you need, press it, grill it and you’re done.
5. It tastes a lot better
Finally, the last reason to help you decide in switching to a tortilla press is taste. Homemade tortillas pack a punch in nutrition and taste- delicious, can be made into any size and thickness you desire, and you know what went into the tortilla. No sugar, preservatives, or additives. Once you start making your own tortillas, store-bought will never come close.
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