The ancient Mesoamerican peoples were amazing to come up with the nixtamalization process for making corn nutritionally available for humans. A process that has fed and keeps on feeding millions of people from the poor to the very rich.
This is amazing! Thank you!! I am halfway around the world and very inspired to make my own tortillas with this process. I found Calcium Hydroxide through a lab supplier and hoping I won’t die :) Do you have any experience using non-American corn?
great video ,please will the corn tortillas stay soft or will the harden up when they dry.? Also can you make a video of how to make Taco shells from the same corn you made? thank you.
Once they're cooked, they'll stay soft in a warmer until served in a reasonable amount of time, but to store them after cooled, they will not stay well. So it's always best to only cook what you need. You can keep the masa rolled up and stored in a container in the fridge for about a week until ready to cook/serve.
Thank you for this recipe!! I have a couple of questions: Where do you source the Cal from? Can I buy the limestone somewhere and grind it into a powder? Or is it sold in grocery stores? What else can I use besides a hand grinder? A mortar and pestle? A food processor (if so, what speed?)
Hey Jesse! Thanks for watching! 1. Cal can be found in most Mexican meat markets; they sell it in 8 oz bags. Fiesta and Mi Tienda carry it as well. As a last resort, it can be ordered online from Masienda. 2. A mortar and pestle won’t grind the corn fine enough for tortillas dough. A food processor can be used. It takes 8 minutes, give or take, to grind the corn. High speed is the way to go.
@10:21, well for centuries, the nixtamalized corn was ground using a “metate”, made out of volcanic rock. I don’t like using a metal plate molino because of the potential chipping of the plates, finding their way into the dough. @13:21, I have the same tortilla press. It is well built and will last a lifetime. A little disappointing when you cooked your tortillas. You forgot to mention some key points. You got browning on one side that almost looks like a crèpe; I’ve never seen that happen to a tortilla. Also, you only turn the tortillas twice and after the second turn, you press with your finger tips to coax the tortilla to puff up. The trapped moisture in between turns into steam, causing it to puff. That’s the sign you did all the previous steps correctly, including the temperature and cooking time on the first side.
If during the sorting process you were taking out the dry kernels. I am a little confused here... aren't they all dry? Just saying. This was an exceptionally well done instructional with lots of detail and clear demonstrated techniques. Thank you. I subscribed and 'liked'.
Thank you! So the ones that are being taken out are the ones that are not the best looking, "dry" could be the have stones in them, darker colors, look more like "rocks", etc. They're easy to spot in a pile of clean looking ones if that make sense. You can see the ones that were taken out are darker and rocky. Hope that makes sense.
Does any dry corn could be used for this or only specific plant type? Is calcium hydroxide pure or it has some additions? Where I'm from you can only buy yellow dry corn that's used to feed horses and calcium hydroxide that can only be purchased as 95% pure slaked lime that's used to kill weeds in gardens
Some specialty stores have it, but you can also orderit online. We recommend masienda.com/products/white-olotillo-corn - they also have other types of corn to purchase. That same brand also has the cal - masienda.com/products/cal?_pos=1&_sid=1200e8485&_ss=r?variant=42061359906965
Some specialty stores have it, but you can also orderit online. We recommend masienda.com/products/white-olotillo-corn - they also have other types of corn to purchase.
It could have a little bit too much moisture. You can always add just a little (not a lot) bit of bagged masa to make it less sticky. Sometimes it's the reverse and if it's too dry, you would add just a bit more water (slowly). This would all explain why they may be breaking as well in your presser.
Very informative. Thank you.
Thanks for watching!
Awesome video, I will make a video of my own and tag you. Thank you for spreading the knowledge
Thank you!
This series is fantastic. Please, please, please keep 'em coming.
Hey thanks so much Brent!
Definitely one of the better vides out there for corn tortillas.
Thank you!
great video, straight to the point and informative. you made it look easy.
Thank you!
Great video
Thank you!
Feed only the special people in ur life making these tortillas lol Super video ty 😍💯
The ancient Mesoamerican peoples were amazing to come up with the nixtamalization process for making corn nutritionally available for humans. A process that has fed and keeps on feeding millions of people from the poor to the very rich.
Great, short sweet demonstration. Now I need to get a comál!
Thanks Ashe! Appreciate you watching.
Awesome video! Very helpful indeed
Thank you 🙏
Thanks for watching!
This is amazing! Thank you!! I am halfway around the world and very inspired to make my own tortillas with this process. I found Calcium Hydroxide through a lab supplier and hoping I won’t die :) Do you have any experience using non-American corn?
Thank you! It's always fun making your own tortillas and they taste so much better. Yes, we've definitely used corn from parts of Mexico, etc.
Holy Shet! It's Mexican Pauly Shore!
great video ,please will the corn tortillas stay soft or will the harden up when they dry.? Also can you make a video of how to make Taco shells from the same corn you made? thank you.
Once they're cooked, they'll stay soft in a warmer until served in a reasonable amount of time, but to store them after cooled, they will not stay well. So it's always best to only cook what you need. You can keep the masa rolled up and stored in a container in the fridge for about a week until ready to cook/serve.
Thank you for this recipe!! I have a couple of questions:
Where do you source the Cal from? Can I buy the limestone somewhere and grind it into a powder? Or is it sold in grocery stores?
What else can I use besides a hand grinder? A mortar and pestle? A food processor (if so, what speed?)
Hey Jesse! Thanks for watching!
1. Cal can be found in most Mexican meat markets; they sell it in 8 oz bags. Fiesta and Mi Tienda carry it as well. As a last resort, it can be ordered online from Masienda.
2. A mortar and pestle won’t grind the corn fine enough for tortillas dough. A food processor can be used. It takes 8 minutes, give or take, to grind the corn. High speed is the way to go.
@TacoGear what!!!!! A large mortar and pestle absolutely will work. SMH. Alot of work but its how it was traditionally done well that or metate.
@10:21, well for centuries, the nixtamalized corn was ground using a “metate”, made out of volcanic rock.
I don’t like using a metal plate molino because of the potential chipping of the plates, finding their way into the dough.
@13:21, I have the same tortilla press. It is well built and will last a lifetime.
A little disappointing when you cooked your tortillas. You forgot to mention some key points. You got browning on one side that almost looks like a crèpe; I’ve never seen that happen to a tortilla. Also, you only turn the tortillas twice and after the second turn, you press with your finger tips to coax the tortilla to puff up. The trapped moisture in between turns into steam, causing it to puff. That’s the sign you did all the previous steps correctly, including the temperature and cooking time on the first side.
I just said this! You know it's done correctly when you get it to puff up on that 3rd flip.
If during the sorting process you were taking out the dry kernels. I am a little confused here... aren't they all dry? Just saying.
This was an exceptionally well done instructional with lots of detail and clear demonstrated techniques. Thank you. I subscribed and 'liked'.
Thank you! So the ones that are being taken out are the ones that are not the best looking, "dry" could be the have stones in them, darker colors, look more like "rocks", etc. They're easy to spot in a pile of clean looking ones if that make sense. You can see the ones that were taken out are darker and rocky. Hope that makes sense.
@@TacoGear It makes sense now, thanks for taking the time to clarify. Your time is appreciated. Happy holidays to you.
Same to you!@@randmayfield5695
The sign you did it correctly is when it puffs up on the comal
Very true!
Does any dry corn could be used for this or only specific plant type? Is calcium hydroxide pure or it has some additions? Where I'm from you can only buy yellow dry corn that's used to feed horses and calcium hydroxide that can only be purchased as 95% pure slaked lime that's used to kill weeds in gardens
Some specialty stores have it, but you can also orderit online. We recommend masienda.com/products/white-olotillo-corn - they also have other types of corn to purchase. That same brand also has the cal - masienda.com/products/cal?_pos=1&_sid=1200e8485&_ss=r?variant=42061359906965
Is that grinder the same a a regular grain mill?
Hey! Yes it is.
Can you use fresh maize instead of dried and soaking?
You definitely can. This was just to show the actual nixtamalization process from grain to maiz.
What do you mean by fresh maize? If you mean hominy, yes. If you mean sweet corn, no.
Where do get thw corn. I have not seen anything like that at a store.
Some specialty stores have it, but you can also orderit online. We recommend masienda.com/products/white-olotillo-corn - they also have other types of corn to purchase.
A mexican manufacture said to not wash after nixtamalization. He just drain. I wonder if just drain do not et if too alcaline.
my corn kept sticking to my hand.. and they break when I pressed them? any suggestions?
It could have a little bit too much moisture. You can always add just a little (not a lot) bit of bagged masa to make it less sticky. Sometimes it's the reverse and if it's too dry, you would add just a bit more water (slowly). This would all explain why they may be breaking as well in your presser.
What the hell is “cal”?
Cal - Calcium Hydroxide - masienda.com/products/cal?_pos=1&_sid=98a606b14&_ss=r?variant=42061359906965
@@TacoGear yeah cool thanks