Reddit mentions: The best quesadilla &tortilla makers

It's pretty fun, because (1) there are endless new toys to acquire (if you're into that!), and (2) it's actually fairly budget-friendly after you get the initial hardware out of the way (ex. KitchenAid mixer etc.)...I mean, a 50-pound sack of flour is like twenty bucks, and you can make a zillion loaves of breads & cookies out of that! I do get a few premium ingredients for specific recipes here & there, but mostly I just use run-of-the-mill ingredients & get really great results!

It's also really fun amping up both the quality of your results & the experiencing of your cooking & baking time. For example, I cook these amazing five-hour carnitas in the oven, which is one of the things that got me into using leaf lard (which then turned into other incredible things, like lard-based oatmeal cookies). But then the off-the-shelf tortillas were disappointing with those stellar carnitas, so I picked up a cast-iron tortilla press (for smashing, not baking!). I then combined that with a lard-based tortilla recipe and oooooh yeah that's an awesome combination of textures, flavors, warmth, and happiness, hahaha! So going down rabbits holes is quite fun with baking!

I do a lot with my 8-cavity mini-loaf pan, which surprisingly freeze well! Banana bread & pumpkin bread with sweet cream cheese spread, cornbread, chocolate chocolate-chip bread, the list is endless! I also bake excellent homemade Twinkies in various flavors on a regular basis. I was never an overly-huge Twinkie fan, but one of my favorite bakeries makes them in a million flavors with a million different fillings & coatings (chocolate-dipped, white-chocolate dipped & dark-chocolate striped, peanut-butter filled chocolate twinkies, raspberry cake coated with coconut, etc.). So endless variations are also quite fun with baking!

If you want to build up your skills on the more technical side, Bigger Bolder Baking is a fantastic website to check out. If you want a few top-notch (I'm talking like "WOW!") recipes to try out right off the bat:

• Chocolate-chip cookies with this specific dark chocolate (only for very special occasions, because $$$)
  
• Glossy fudge brownies with this specific pan ($$$ but will last forever) & this particular cocoa powder ($$$, but the economics actually aren't bad, once you calculate out the price-per-batch, haha!)
  
• Sour-cream pancakes (without blueberries) - great way to test your Danish dough hook!
  
  You'll discover a lot of little tricks over time. For example, which those chocolate-chip cookies above, whipping the cream & sugar & butter & eggs into something that literally resembled whipped cream is a really great trick to know about...most people just stir those together until combined, but they will actually change color, texture, and consistency when whipped long enough! Side note, if you have a KitchenAid, I highly recommend getting a SideSwipe blade (available on Amazon, be sure to get the right blade for your mixer!).
  
  On that topic, I also recommend getting a coated dough hook & an 11-wire whisk. Wait until you try homemade marshmallows! (super easy with that whisk attachment!) When it gets cold out, I cut those bad boys into 2" chunks, skewer them, heat up some water for the delicious Stephen's hot cocoa powder mix, and then torch the marshmallows. That combination came out so good that I started hosting annual hot chocolate parties, lol!
  
  You can get as creative as you want to with baking, too...like with cakes, you can airbrush them, do drip cakes, mirror glaze cakes, you can torch the tops of cupcakes, make cake pops, the list is endless! Depending on what stage you're at in life, especially in my case as a working adult with a family, I don't get a lot of opportunity for creative outlets due to a lack of free time (and energy, tbh lol), but my family has to eat, and baking is a fun way to amp up your enjoyment in life by making cool stuff you can eat & having fun doing it!
  
  Plus pretty much everything is actually really easy, no matter how complicated it looks...you're just following someone else's step-by-step directions, that they have painstakingly figured out for you through probably dozens of iterations to get it perfect (as Stella did when perfecting her lacy brown-butter cookies!), and that mostly boils down to (1) mix stuff in a bowl, (2) bake it, (3) don't burn it, (4) let it cool down & "set". That little four-step process yields amazing no-knead bread, pan pizzas, twinkies, cookies, brownies, you name it!

From America's Test Kitchen Season 14: Spiced-Up Cuban Cuisine

• Testing notes with video
  
  
  
  WINNER
  
  Rated as HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
  
  La Mexicana Tortilladora de Madera Barnizada/Mesquite Tortilla Press - $64.95
  
  > By far the largest press, this wooden behemoth caught the eye of every cook in the kitchen. Lovely appearance aside, this machine was easy to work, though its heavy plates can be a bit intimidating at first. A wooden sliver on the top plate keeps tortillas from getting too thin and also keeps thickness consistent. The 14-inch arm on this press gives great leverage, but it arrives detached and requires some assembly.
  >
  
  BEST BUY
  
  Rated as RECOMMENDED
  
  Imusa Cast Iron Tortilla Press - $23.99
  
  > This product is lighter and more compact than our winner but still has sufficient heft to make pressing easy. The handle arrives detached, so there is some assembly required (though the instructions are clear and easy to follow). At first, the handle was a bit stiff, but it loosened with use, and the ample surface area kept dough from squeezing out the sides.
  >
  
  RECOMMENDED
  
  Norpro Cast Aluminum Tortilla Press - $15.20
  
  > Compact and lightweight, this press required more finesse when pressing since the user applies all the pressure with little to no help from the weight of the plate. At first it’s easy to under- or overpress the tortillas, but most testers got the hang of it after only a few tries. If you are willing to put up with a bit of a learning curve, this model is a fine choice. It comes preassembled and is easy to store.
  >
  
  
  
  NOT RECOMMENDED
  
  The Latin Products Plastic Tortilla Press - $13.99
  
  > Both copies of this model that we tested were warped and produced uneven tortillas. When stacked, these tortillas wobbled, with their centers clearly thicker than the sides and ranging from 0.82 to 3.01 millimeters thick across a single tortilla. While this product was easy to use and came preassembled, the poor quality of the tortillas canceled out any redeeming qualities.
  >

This is the recipe I got from my in-laws for flour tortillas. It makes around 30 small tortillas.

1/2 stick butter flavor Crisco
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 Tbsp salt
1 cup hot water

Combine the Crisco and the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and use the paddle attachment to mix until it reaches a wet sand texture. Microwave the water for two minutes to get it very hot. Pour into the flour mixture and mix until well combined. Roll the dough into balls slightly larger than an inch in diameter. Use an electric tortilla press to flatten the dough balls into tortillas. At this point they can be stored in the fridge for several days or in the freezer for several weeks. To cook tortillas, heat a pan on medium high or an electric griddle as high as it will go. If done well, the tortillas should get puffy in some spots as they cook. Flip them over when puffy and the edges look opaque to finish cooking the other side.

I don't have an actual recipe for corn tortillas but it's easier than the flour tortillas.

Corn Flour (can find in the Hispanic food aisle)
Salt
Water

Basically get some of the corn flour, add some salt, and slowly add water and mix until it reaches a doughy consistency. If it gets too wet just add a little more flour. Take a tortilla press and a sheet of plastic (like a ziplock bag that's been cut) and press out some tortillas. This part can be tricky because the dough likes to stick. Carefully remove the tortilla and immediately cook on a hot pan. A flat cast iron pan works great for this.

For both of these tortillas you're going to want to use the cooked ones immediately because once they sit around for a while they get kind of stiff and stale. You can also try to roll the tortillas out with a rolling pin but it's really hard to get them to be thin enough to be flexible once cooked for tacos. I like to make the flour ones, split them into three plastic bags, and throw two in the freezer. They thaw super quick so take out of the freezer and put them into the fridge in the morning and they'll be ready to use by lunch even. Hope this helps!

Taco "shells" in general piss me off. That's not a taco, that's a fucked up tostada! tips sombrero

Seriously though, don't bother buying those U-shaped tostadas, they're all deep fried. Try making them yourself from scratch. I promise they're not that hard or time consuming. You just need a tortilla press, wax or parchment paper, your favorite corn flour, warm water, and salt.

Add all the ingredients together until it reaches this almost play-doh like consistency. Actually, maybe it should be a little dryer. I pretty much make these by instinct so I don't bother measuring. Most corn flours should have the ratios in the packaging! Anyway, make sure to taste it. Don't worry, it's perfectly safe to taste. If you want added flavoring, now's the time to do it. I like chipotle or just plain corn flavor. Roll it into small balls, place them on some parchment or wax paper, place another piece on the other side, place of tortilla press, squish! If you screw it up, just roll it up and try again. These things are practically fool proof. Then cook them on a really hot, dry cast iron pan. No oil! Cook it on both sides for about 2 minutes. You could also just store buy them. You know, if you wanna break my heart.

If you wanna make them crunchy, just brush a little oil on them and stick them in the oven. If you wanna break my heart further and make them U-shaped, just cook them like this at 350 for 10 minutes or so. Check them often to make sure they don't burn.

I know this is a real long shot that i'll get this, and that's perfectly fine because i'm sure theres someone out there that needs this a lot more than i do.

Here's my story, i'll try to keep it brief (I'm very sorry if it's too long). My dad owns his own tile installing business, and my mom doesn't work. My dad doesn't get too much work once the summer is over, so around Christmas time its really tough on them. I'm one of 6 kids, and we all have birthday near the winter time so usually, we don't really get that many gifts on Christmas or birthdays. And that's perfectly fine with us. We've realized that its not about the gifts and its really about family and i would say that we are a very close family. My siblings and i always try to tell my mom how its really okay that they dont buy us stuff, but every Christmas you can really tell that shes disappointed and wishes she could do more. She always gets so upset no matter how much we tell her it's okay. My parents really do try hard. They always manage to get us at least something small, like a bag of candy. I just want to give something back. Obviously if i had money I would get her something myself.. Since money is usually tight, my mom has been getting really crafty with dinners in an attempt to save money. She's become obsessed with spanish style foods (They're usually really cheap to make and don't involve a lot of time or ingredients), and she's learned to make her own tortillas. She always has to roll them out herself though and its really hard on her wrists. I heard her saying to my dad that when work finally picks up she wants to buy a tortilla press. I know Christmas is over, but i really wish i could have given her something back.. I know its not a great gift, but she deserves something.

http://www.amazon.com/smart-cook-Vasconia-Tortilla-Press/dp/B0049Q66IG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1293346300&sr=1-3

If you find someone else that is more in need, or you just don't find my story good enough, i completely understand and i just want to thank you for even doing something as kind as this. I know a lot of people struggle during the holidays and it's really nice to see someone doing what you're doing.

I love a good taco salad. shredded iceberg lettuce, black beans (canned, rinsed and drained), or refried beans, sometimes whole kernel corn, sometimes chopped fresh cilantro, diced tomatoes, onions (green, yellow, or red), salsa, and or taco sauce (we like taco bell restaurant sauce), guacamole, and or sour cream. I like to serve them for fun in a tortilla bowl, they are super simple to make, spray both sides of the tortilla with oil spray and press into the pan and bake until browned and crispy. then just fill with your salad

https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Tortilla-Maker-Press-Nonstick/dp/B00IFGXZCG/ref=sr_1_4?

​

another favorite is mixed spring greens, with mandarin orange segments, craisins, chopped walnuts or pecans, crumbled gorgonzola cheese and this creamy balsamic dressing

https://www.copymethat.com/r/IMvle5h/creamy-balsamic-dressing/

https://www.copymethat.com/r/Duw1hE0/buttermilk-ranch/

https://www.copymethat.com/r/XpomSmG/my-favorite-creamy-italian-dressing/

https://www.copymethat.com/r/FxEhNUP/creamy-caesar-dressing/

​

https://www.copymethat.com/r/hrcCbxW/cucumber-sour-cream-salad-with-dill/

https://www.copymethat.com/r/1mxSyX1/fresh-quick-pickle-salad/

https://www.copymethat.com/r/T5TGZCE/greek-orzo-salad-ar-patrice/

https://www.copymethat.com/r/XuYdbMU/italian-chop-salad-in-shells-betty-crock/

https://www.copymethat.com/r/GmSceZb/ms-easy-tex-mex-vegan-salad/

https://www.copymethat.com/r/OSKCEhE/ms-veganvegetarian-black-bean-pasta-reci/

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006BSX0/ref=dp_cerb_1

I had never inquired into how much it costs, but I must say it is a good investment now that I have discovered the keto friendly mission tortillas. It seems to me like they would all work pretty much the same other than maybe the cook time.

ok so i was gifted this about 2 weeks ago. at first i was like cool, ill probably make like a quesadilla or two. i have eaten more quesadillas in these 2 weeks than in my whole life. this thing is amazing! so many options and so delicious while being so easy. i dont know if you like quesadillas, but i still recommend this because that is how much i love it. if i have a million dollars i would buy everyone on this sub reddit a quesadilla maker.

Awww man. I have no idea about the grocery store situation in Scotland, I have to get my spelt corn/grain tortillas at the most hippie of hippie health food stores (and I live in a health-crazy city). This is the brand I buy. Because they have no preservatives or anything, you'll find them in the frozen food isle if there's a gluten free section.

If I lived in a place that didn't have tortillas I would seriously take the time to make them. For a while I was making tortillas with brown rice flour, quinoa flour, water, and olive oil with this tortilla press but those flours are too expensive for the amount of tortillas I eat, haha. There are some great recipes out there for corn and wheat/flour tortillas for clean eating out there. Try a bunch and see what works!

Flour tacos are MUCH more difficult to make by hand, due to the 'springback' of the dough. You definitely can't use one of those clamshell type of hand presses for flour - only for fresh corn tortillas.

At our small kitchen, we make 40 pound batches using a standard bakers percentage and ordinary 25 pound bags of all purpose flour. We use a pre-mix additive made by a company in Texas called Minom. It has salt, baking powder, baking soda, etc already mixed and ready to use. We use the exact same method shown in this video using our Hobart HCM 450 cutter mixer.

You're going to spend a LOT more time mixing, pressing & grilling your tortillas for a barely noticable difference in price or quality. Buy your tortillas. Find a good local baker and let them do the work - you have more important things to do.

Get a tortilla press. You probably know this but tortillas are the Mexican equivalent of a roti. In fact, exactly the same, only they use either wheat or cornflour.

A tortilla press will give you perfectly round rotis in 5 seconds. Just put the ball of dough in it and press. If it sticks, use a plastic sheet above and below (cut up a ziploc bag).

https://www.amazon.com/Victoria-Tortilla-Pataconera-Original-Colombia/dp/B00HWEIKZO

Edit: And if you want an easier way to make the dough or atta, put all the ingredients in a Kitchenaid stand mixer and let it do all the work.

I also just started making corn tortillas, and was using a pan like that up until about a week ago when I ordered this one. It's a bit more expensive than the aluminum ones because it's cast iron, and also can't stay wet for that reason, but it's really sturdy and good quality (plus the weight makes pressing the tortillas out easier/more consistent). Also I've started using cut-out sections of plastic grocery bags instead of wax paper to line the press and it's way easier to peel them off after.

Normally a fan of DIY, but in this case I think you'll get MUCH MUCH better results, just buying a cast iron one like all the abuelas.

http://www.amazon.com/IMUSA-Tortilla-Press-Pre-Cured-8-Inch/dp/B00164T384/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396196985&sr=8-1&keywords=tortilla+press

just buy one of these and follow these instructions. or just do them with the bottle like the how-to but the press is awesome to have.

don't use a pasta roller. trust me it's not a good Idea. get a cutting board and one of those bags that are found in rolls in the produce section at a super market. cut it in half and squeeze the heck out of it. if you can get one of these even better if you want the recipe to authentic Mexican tortillas let me know.

I highly recommend a heated press off of Amazon for $25-$30 like this (which is the one that I have). You just put in the dough in balls and press down and it cooks the tortillas as you press resulting in a softer, springier tortilla. I realize it's budget food, but mine has lasted two years and is still going strong.

Also, we have a similar recipe, but make 16 tortillas with 2 1/4 cups of flour, 1/3 c of veg oil, 3/4 c water and salt to taste. After it's all mixed together, you break the dough in half and then do it again with each piece until you have 16 dough balls of roughly the same size.

It's totally worth it to buy a tortilla press if you are going to make this a regular thing. https://www.amazon.com/Victoria-Tortilla-Pataconera-Original-Colombia/dp/B00HWEIKZO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1521070789&sr=8-2&keywords=cast+iron+tortilla+press&dpID=411GS7Ak-kL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
EDIT: If you get REALLY into it you might want a serving dish to keep them warm. something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Norpro-1065-Tortilla-Keeper/dp/B000PB30BU/ref=sr_1_8?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1521121309&sr=1-8&keywords=tortilla+warmer&dpID=41p0Vk4hZBL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Alton Brown has a rather vitriolic take on the matter, but in all seriousness I agree with him. Single-use tools, or unitaskers, are kitchen implements that can only perform a single task, usually one that is highly specific and yet redundant. For example, the Quesadilla maker. Use a fucking skillet. The "meat claws" in the video above are a complete joke.

Single-use tools tend to be low-quality junk that do little other than take up space. In fairness, there are some exceptions (e.g. coffee makers, rice cookers), but these are usually intended to be used on a near-daily basis.

Actually, bread balloons sound like an awesome thing to stuff with cheese and shredded chicken.

Personally, I got me one of these and I've never looked back :)

FWIW I bought this cast iron tortilla press from amazon. It's cheap and works great. In fact I had 2 tacos for lunch today.

You can get corn grits at Aeon - it's coarser than masa and you'll need to soak it longer since it takes more time to absorb the water and form a proper dough. Lard is pretty easily available although the little squeeze bottles bug me.

<3000yen...

https://www.amazon.co.jp/Norpro-1063-%E3%83%88%E3%83%AB%E3%83%86%E3%82%A3%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A4%E3%83%97%E3%83%AC%E3%82%B9-%E3%83%88%E3%83%AB%E3%83%86%E3%82%A3%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A4%E3%80%80%E3%83%A1%E3%83%BC%E3%82%AB%E3%83%BC-%E3%80%80%EF%BC%96%E3%82%A4%E3%83%B3%E3%83%81%E3%80%90%E4%B8%A6%E8%A1%8C%E8%BC%B8%E5%85%A5%E5%93%81%E3%80%91/dp/B00004UE8E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1472709681&sr=8-1&keywords=tortilla+press

If you can find something similar to this, it might be good to buy. Otherwise, I would try using a cast iron skillet or something else heavy to help you form them.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004UE8E/ref=s9_acsd_top_hd_bw_bFhNh_c_x_2_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-4&pf_rd_r=NTDSVN8FQRPN9QD1A261&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=a22674a3-587c-55ce-a789-1a0c42166d9b&pf_rd_i=3741681

I'm jealous! I want a crock pot so bad!

I think these look so yummy! Cool Ranch Crockpot Chicken Tacos

You're only as good as your crock pot!

Item!

Thanks for the contest!

Quesadilla makers are wonderful

Here's the one we have. It's cast iron, so it's nice and heavy. It makes flattening the tortillas really easy! http://amzn.com/B00164T384

It was this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QDZRCCY
Most presses on AZ had crap reviews due to cheap / soft hinge pins.
I can say these are SS screws at least on the unit delivered to me...so hoping for the long term best, I've literally only 'pressed' the one FB so far last night....

Amazon has one for $15 free shipping with prime

My dad has made them and just rolls them out by hand, but he asked me yesterday to order one from amazon for him, so I ordered this one. It should be here by Wednesday.

you need this press . It will be as easy as making corn tortillas. It is heated so that the dough can stretch and form the tortilla and then you use the stove

I have an electric tortilla maker, which gives me foolproof corn or flour tortillas from scratch in about as much time as it takes to make toast. I use it way more than I thought I would.

Most tortilla producers use rollers rather than presses to make tortillas simply because they can vary the width. Thinner tortillas are used for chips as well as flautas.

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Link: tortilla press

• UK: amazon.co.uk
  
• Spain: amazon.es
  
• France: amazon.fr
  
• Germany: amazon.de
  
• Japan: amazon.co.jp
  
• Canada: amazon.ca
  
• Italy: amazon.it
  
  
  This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting).

Possibly......but the meat and other vegetables seem to push the tortillas apart......by nano-meters maybe ......but apart.

I'm thinking of getting one of these but I'm running out of counter space.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0052FXXPW/ref=s9_top_hd_bw_g79_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-2&pf_rd_r=1FCKCGJFV8S33YCJF9D3&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=77b9e727-3844-3e7b-b75e-2a06ec7f4c9a%2Fed323459-ee3b-3211-8481-ee0e9b4ebbd7&pf_rd_i=3741681

Tortilladora!

TIL that a tortilla press exists.

It's a tortilla press. Here's a new one for comparison

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00455NTOU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_-8QTBbEVSKJBC)

probably some variation of this, just a fancy thing to heat it up evenly

Tortilla press. Sleeve card, squish card. Repeat until all sleeved cards have been squished.

https://www.amazon.com/Victoria-TOR-003-FBA_TOR-003-Tortilla-Press/dp/B00HWEIKZO

A quesadilla press.

Currently waiting for my tortilla press

They sell 'em on Amazon, 3,180 yen.

tortilla press


Recipe

This.

Do you need them for a restaurant or something?

Otherwise just pick up a tortilla press and start knocking those mothers out on your own. You won't believe how easy they are!

This one: It's pretty cheap, but I only make tacos about once every month and a half so I didn't see the reason in making an investment into a cast iron one like I have back home. I place a cut open zip lock bag (so it's just one large piece) on one side when I press to keep the masa from sticking together and shredding.

My only regret is that it's a bit on the smaller size, but hey it's not like I'm rolling around in tons of kitchen space.

I bought this press. I have only used it a few times because it pisses me off. It doesn't seem to flatten them enough and then it does it too much. They are also smaller than what I am used to. I try it then, then end up breaking out the rolling pin. blah!

https://www.amazon.com/Victoria-Tortilla-Pataconera-Original-Colombia/dp/B00HWEIKZO/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1497567917&sr=1-1&keywords=tortilla+press

Bestseller on Amazon, 4.5 stars, 1000+ reviews, hard to go wrong.

Don't overthink it. Cast iron will outlast aluminum but unless you're running a taco stand, I doubt you'll wear it out in the first 20 years.