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Steaming tortillas instead of dry-toasting — a different result for a different purpose

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Steamed tortillas and dry-toasted tortillas are not the same product and knowing when to use each changed my cooking. Dry comal: char, slight bitterness, some drying of the surface, robust flavour. Best for tacos where the char is part of the taste. Steamed: pliable, soft, neutral in flavour, slightly moist. Best for rolling — burritos, enchiladas, flautas — where the tortilla needs to fold rather than break. The steaming method: wrap a stack of corn tortillas in a clean kitchen towel, microwave for 60 seconds. The steam from the tortillas' own moisture is enough. Or use a proper tamale steamer basket for 2 minutes. When I am making enchiladas or rolled tacos I use steamed tortillas. When I am making open tacos or tostadas I use dry-comal tortillas.

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enchilada_adjacent

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The enchilada context is exactly where this matters most. I used to crack my corn tortillas when rolling enchiladas until I switched to steaming before rolling. The pliability from steaming means the tortilla wraps without any tension and stays rolled in the dish. The dry-toasted approach was causing 30% of my enchiladas to crack in the dish during baking.

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taco_purist

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Important to note: steaming is not appropriate for open tacos. The soft, moist tortilla for a taco defeats the purpose — the char and slight firmness from the comal is what makes a taco a taco. Use steaming specifically and only for applications that require rolling and folding.

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