No Tortilla Press? Here's How To Improvise One In Seconds

Most passionate home cooks have an array of gadgets in their kitchens. Maybe you have a food processor, a slow cooker, or a pasta maker. However, when you're in the mood for tortillas, the one handy gadget you may not have at home is a tortilla press. Thankfully, there are a few tricks you can use to improvise a tortilla press and make yourself up a homemade Mexican feast. 

A tortilla press consists of two flat plates that squeeze together to flatten the dough. If you don't have one, you can use a glass pie plate instead. Put the tortilla dough into a ziplock bag or cover it with parchment paper and push the base of the pie dish firmly down onto it, flattening it from the center outward. Using a glass pie plate lets you see how thin and round the tortilla is becoming, which should be pretty thin — around ⅛ of an inch — without worrying about it breaking. Tortillas should be about five to six inches in diameter as well, all of which can be achieved with your run-of-the-mill pie plate.

You can make two different types of tortillas at home: flour or corn. Flour tortillas are made using all-purpose wheat flour, baking powder, and some form of fat, typically lard or vegetable oil. Corn tortillas are made with masa harina — a type of dough flour that cannot be swapped with cornflour, so make sure you buy the right stuff.

Luckily, whichever route you choose to take, both can be flattened with the pie plate method as the stretchy dough is responsive to pressure. If you don't have a pie dish, you can also use a rolling pin or other flat plate to press out the dough. You won't necessarily end up with the perfectly round shape you get with pre-packaged tortillas, but the taste will be the same.

If you've gotten this far, you may be wondering about the best way to cook your newly flattened tortillas. Thankfully it's as easy as putting them one-by-one on a warm cast iron skillet or frying pan and heating them on both sides until slightly puffed with small brown spots. This typically takes around 20 to 30 seconds.