FOOD NEWS
A Machacadora Is Key For Deliciously Smooth Refried Beans
BY JULIA HOLLAND
Refried beans achieve their uniquely smooth and creamy texture thanks to the wooden machacadora, a long wooden tool with a thin handle and large cylindrical flat head.
"Machacar" is the Spanish verb that translates as crush and pound. It's also an onomatopoeia for the mechanism by which the machacadora breaks a pot of whole beans down.
A classic recipe for refried beans requires you to mash the beans as they're frying. The machacadora helps make refried beans a one-pot recipe, and it's an easy tool to clean.
Once you've poured beans and a portion of their broth into a frying pan with diced onions and desired seasonings, the machacadora mashes the contents of the frying pan together.
The oil and stove-top fire releases the fragrance of the aromatics, while the machacadora incorporates the flavors and textures of the ingredients into a cohesive, bubbling mass.