Refresh Stale Corn Tortillas In Under 60 Seconds

Corn tortillas are easy to make and tasty little vessels for so many different foods, but no matter how hard we try, we never seem to be able to make it through all of them without a few getting a bit curly and dry. Even though we're full of different uses for them, some just get left behind, but not any more with this super, quick trick!

It doesn't matter if your tortillas have been hanging around the house for a week, or if you accidentally left the bag open on the counter when you sprinted back to the living room when LOST came back from commercial break, the results are still the same — slightly curled, dry tortillas. Instead of turning them into chips or tossing them to the trash, try this quick tortilla-saving tip!

Simply wet three paper towels completely and lay your stack of less-than-awesome tortillas in the center. Wrap the towel over the top of the stack and place in the microwave for 60 seconds. The water from the paper towel will transfer back into the tortillas, rehydrating them without making them soggy.

Take tortillas (still wrapped in paper towels) and transfer them directly to a basket lined with a cloth towel to hold in the moisture and heat. You can also use a small 6-pack cooler if you're heating up tortillas for a crowd or outdoor party. They'll stay pliable and delicious as long as you need them to!

*Note: This will work with cotton towels, but it depends on the towel and if it can handle being in the microwave for the full 60 seconds. If you don't use paper towels in your home, please keep a close eye on them to ensure things turn out well and not with the fire department in your kitchen. Just another reason to add to the list of why we still love paper towels!

(Image: Flickr member Pochecho licensed for use under Creative Commons)

Comments (8)

60 seconds sounds a little long to me. I find good results with around 6 tortillas in around 15 seconds. I'm sure this is a function of ones individual oven but in mine I believe that I would have scorched paper towels and tortilla mush in 60 seconds.

Someone gave me a thing for this purpose - it looked like a round potholder but was in fact a pouch. I believe that it had some aluminumized material in the internal layers. Works great - but, of course, I never can find it when I need it. That is the problem with single-function thingies.

60 seconds sounds long, but if your towels are wet enough (not sopping, but not dry in the slightest), you'll be just fine! This time works best with a full stack, if you have less, feel free to lessen the time!

If you've got a brown paper bag you can do what my Na-Na does to refresh dinner rolls where she sprinkles them with water and puts them in a paper bag and crimps it shut. In the microwave for 10-15 seconds and they come out steamy and fresh tasting.

It works with other kinds of breads as well. I refreshed a homemade loaf in a paper bag like this in my oven for a dinner party once.

This does work well, but only if you're going to eat them right then- don't 'refresh and refrigerate'- they'll be complete rocks when you take them out again and won't refresh so nicely the next time...ditto on the time- 15 seconds tops.

Excellent reminder lilbetty! Very true, tortillas should be used within the next few hours (they'll keep that long in a cooler or sealed container to keep in the heat!

ARRGH - i knew this would have the microwave involved! I don't have one (nor a food processor, another oft-used item). Oh well, will eat the stale tortillas anyway.

mmepatty - You could use a wet towel in the oven, place the bundle on a cookie sheet (on a silpat if you have it) and let them go at 200 degrees for 30 minutes and you should be back in business... just make sure to keep your eye on them!

I do this with a cloth towel instead of paper and it works like magic.