Corn tortillas are a versatile and important food for the cuisine of North American countries. “Taco Tuesdays” would be lost without soft corn tortillas. It’s important to learn how to soften corn tortillas. The recipes based on corn tortillas are endless. You can make Quesadillas, Tacos, Enchiladas, and of course, delicious corn tortilla chips. When the corn tortillas become too hard, it can ruin the recipe.
Corn tortillas play a fundamental role in the recipes used since they hold the rest of the ingredients together, so it is crucial that they have the right texture and don’t break or fall apart.
Let’s start by looking at how corn tortillas are sold. Usually, they are sold as a bag from the store. They have been on the shelf and are rarely ready to use straight out of the bag. You’ll first need to soften the corn tortillas. Corn tortillas tend to be fragile and delicate, especially when they are cold.
Also, the way you soften your tortillas depends on the recipe you want to do. In this article, you will find three different ways to soften your tortillas so that you can choose the one that fits your needs.
Get A Tortilla Warmer To Keep Tortillas Soft and Warm
Have you ever tried to make a taco with a cold tortilla? You already know it doesn’t taste the same. Aside from the taste, it cannot hold the ingredients well.
If you have heated your tortillas, you want to keep them warm until you use them. A tortilla warmer is a purposeful product just for this occasion.
A tortilla warmer is a pouch or a container that will hold your tortilla soft and warm. There are so many kinds of tortilla warmers. You can find warmers that you can pop in the oven or microwave and serve your tortillas in that same container. There are also pouches in fun colors and designs to keep your tortillas when they are already warm.
How to Soften Corn Tortillas
1) Soften your tortillas in a skillet
Using a skillet to warm and soften up your tortillas is the old-school traditional way to do it. It is perfect for taco recipes, and you can soften it with or without oil.
Heat a dry skillet to medium-high heat. If you want to add a little bit of extra oil to your tortillas, you can add it at that point in your skillet. Put your tortillas inside one by one and leave them 30 to 60 seconds from each side.
The ends of your tortilla will start to get crispy, and you will see dark dots forming at the surface. Place your tortillas inside the tortilla warmer or directly assemble your tacos.
If you are making quesadillas, you want to put your cheese and other ingredients while the tortillas are heating up in the skillet. The tortillas will crisp, and all your ingredients will heat up inside the tasty, melted cheese.
2) Soften your tortillas in the oven
Softening your tortillas in the oven might take a little bit more time, but it requires minimum effort from you. This should take about 20 min.
Pile up your tortillas and wrap them with some foil. Preheat your oven for 10 minutes to at 350 – 400F and stick your corn tortillas inside. Depending on how big the stack of tortillas is and your oven, they should be ready in 5 to 10 minutes. When you take them out, they should be warm and soft enough so that you can easily roll them.
Compared to the skillet method, your corn tortillas will not get as crispy using the stove. They will get softer and more humid. However, following this method, you don’t need to be in the kitchen flipping each tortilla while you warm it up.
3) Soften your tortillas in the microwave
Using a microwave is the quickest method to soften your corn tortilla. This is the best way if you’re in a hurry.
Time: 30 seconds
Stack your corn tortillas on a plate, and wrap them with a paper towel. You can also cover it with another plate instead of a tower. Pop them into the microwave in high heat for 20 to 30 seconds. Repeat until you have the desired softness in your tortillas. Leaving your corn tortillas for too long in the microwave or heating them uncovered can break the texture of the tortilla and make it dry and unpleasant to eat.
Another way to microwave your tortillas is in a special microwavable silicone container or a tortilla warming pouch.
Pro Tips on softening corn tortillas:
The secret to softening tortillas is a dry heat, which means using no oil, butter, or another type of fat. Warming it up until it gets that light brown color and the perfect soft but crispy texture.
Keeping your tortillas soft until eating
As we have mentioned earlier, our tortillas have to stay soft and warm until the moment we serve them. If you are serving the corn tortillas separately from the fillings, the best option is to keep them in a tortilla warmer.
If you don’t have a tortilla warmer, you can place a cloth towel in a big bowl, stack it inside your warm tortillas there, and close it with a big plate. This will keep them soft during the time it takes you to assemble and eat your tacos.
F.A.Q.
How to prevent corn tortillas from falling apart?
Corn tortillas not only break when they are cold but also when they are dry. If you have left a bag of store-bought tortillas open for a long time and they have lost their moisture, try to steam them to introduce some of the moisture again into the tortilla and prevent it from cracking and falling apart when rolling.
Can I freeze the tortillas I will not be using?
If you have already opened a bag of corn tortillas and have not used them at all, it is better to freeze them instead of keeping them in the kitchen cupboard. To defrost them, take them out of the refrigerator, leave them in the fridge for 24 hours, and then soften them following one of the methods mentioned above.
Should I soften my corn tortillas before making tortilla chips?
No, softening your tortillas is not required when making tortilla chips. In this case, you are frying or baking your corn tortilla since the result has to be crispy and crunchy, not soft.