The Best Way To Heat Corn Tortillas
It's hard to beat the delicious simplicity of a homemade corn tortilla. Some corn flour and water are all it takes to take your next taco night to another level. There's nothing wrong with a flour tortilla, but beating the original can be quite a tall task.
Alto Hartley says that the first corn tortillas were likely made about 10,000 B.C. Mayan Mexican says that tortillas were staples of both Mayan and Aztec cultures in central Mexico. The legend of its creation goes that the first tortilla was given as a gift to a Mayan king by a peasant farmer. This delicious flatbread was almost certainly made with corn because at the time there was no wheat cultivated by the early civilization. It wouldn't be until the Spaniards arrived in the 1500s that wheat would be brought to Central America, per Mayan Mexican.
This means that every time you enjoy a corn tortilla on taco night, you're indulging in a tradition that dates back thousands of years. And there are plenty of reasons to pick corn over flour as well.
Benefits of corn tortillas
WebMD says that the reason flour tortillas are more durable is because of their high gluten content. Gluten proteins form strong bonds during the mixing process that gives flour tortillas a light pillowy structure and helps them from falling apart as well. However, corn tortillas are gluten-free, per WebMD. While this may make them less durable than their flour counterparts, it also makes them a great option for anyone who can't have gluten.
Backyard Taco adds that corn tortillas are also considered healthier than flour tortillas. Corn has fewer calories and fat for those who are watching their intake of these nutrients, and it has a higher fiber content as well, per WebMD. That higher fiber count comes courtesy of using whole grain flour called masa harina. This is a special flour made with whole corn grains that have been softened in a process known as nixtamalization. This allows you to cook with the whole grain, and also enriches them with additional nutrition.
If you've gone through all the work of making your own corn tortillas at home, then you know it's worth making them in batches. That means that finding a way to reheat your corn tortillas is going to be essential.
The best way to reheat corn tortillas
Cook's Illustrated says that the best corn tortillas will have a subtle sweetness and nuttiness to them while keeping a nice corn flavor as well. In order to make sure that this flavor is preserved when reheating corn tortillas, it's important to do it the right way.
Food52 points out that the best way to reheat corn tortillas without ruining their delicate texture or flavor is to use a gas range. You can leave your pan in the closet for this one though. Just turn a gas stove top onto medium-low heat. Then, set your tortilla over top for a few seconds on each side. This method should quickly reheat the tortillas, and add a little bit of char to the edges to actually add a smoky flavor as well. Just make sure to have tongs on hand for flipping.
If you aren't a big fan of having a char on your food or don't have a gas stove top, then there are other methods as well. Food52 says that you can just as easily follow the same method, but use a pan instead. This will give the same quick reheat without the char, and works just as well on gas, electric, or induction ranges.