How to toast tortillas

Please don’t eat hard taco shells. Soft, toasted corn tortillas are so much better. They’re cheaper. And they’re more authentic.

For some of you toasting corn tortillas might seem fairly basic, but for others you might still be clipping coupons for the hard shells. Put the scissors down.

Here’s what to do instead:

Look for white corn tortillas in the refrigerated section of your neighborhood store, or try to find a more local brand at a Mexican grocers. The brands at the store don’t tend to be as fresh or pliable, but they’re still an improvement over the hard shells.

If you have a gas grill you can go ahead and light the burner–or burners to medium heat (I use all four at once). Then place the white corn tortillas right on the grate. For those with electric ranges, it’s a bit harder to get the tortillas toasted; use a heavy-bottomed skillet that’s heated to medium-high heat.

The tortillas will begin to puff slightly as they bake, flip after about 1 minute then toast on the other side.

Last step, and this is important for flexible tortillas, place them in a tortilla warmer or a kitchen towel.

Often, when I’m serving tacos I’ll place the warmer in the middle of the table and then put a variety of fixings on each person’s plate.

More ideas for Cinco de Mayo:

Homemade corn tortillas

Fresh chile salsa

Lime-spiked shrimp

Your turn–are you already a toasted corn tortilla fan?