The Parchment Paper Trick To Keep Tortillas Warm For A Party
No matter what part of the world you live in, there's one dish that most people seem to love, and that's tacos. According to Travel Experta, these snacks of wildly varied fillings wrapped up in a tortilla can be found in every major city in the world, delighting all kinds of eaters with pineapple-topped al pastor pork, marinated carne asada beef, crispy fried fish, and so many more.
For many Americans, our first encounter with tacos came in the form of a boat-shaped, crispy yellow corn tortilla filled with a saucy ground beef filling (via Pillsbury). But authentic Mexican tacos were known to take the form of a soft corn tortilla filled with small fish, locusts, and snails, at least before the 16th century (via the University of Wyoming).
For the best taco-eating experience, it's absolutely essential that these soft tortillas are heated before being filled. Doing so brings out the sweet flavor of corn, as well as makes the tortillas pliable and resistant to tearing, according to MasterClass. That's all well and good, but what about when you want to serve tortillas at a party? You're not exactly going to be standing over a hot griddle warming up tortillas. Instead, heat up the tortillas ahead of time and keep them bundled up until you're ready to eat — here's how.
The trifecta that should do the trick
While most ingredients set out on the table for taco night will be fine at room temperature, according to Food Network, tortillas will not. When they go cold, they won't taste as good and will tend to harden. The outlet recommends a tip shared by Chef Chris Miller, who advocates heating the tortillas ahead of time and then wrapping up them until it's time to eat.
Miller instructs separating the room temperature tortillas so none of them get stuck together, stacking them, and wrapping them in parchment paper. Next, microwave them until heated through, usually about 30-40 seconds later. Then, wrap the parchment package in aluminum foil, and place it into a one-gallon plastic bag. Finally, the bag should go into a small cooler with a lid, where the tortillas will stay warm and soft for several hours.
If you're interested in a simpler method or one that doesn't require so much disposable wrapping then bust out your slow cooker. According to Livestrong, all you have to do is wrap about five tortillas at a time in a damp (not wet) cloth napkin, repeating as necessary, then pile the stacks into a slow cooker that is set to warm until it's time to break out the filling, salsa, and guac.