Professional Chef here, graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Also I am an intuitive Chef. I felt I had to qualify myself to make my comments. You do not need to spend $100 on a Tortilla Press unless your making a lot of burritos. The 8 inch Victoria press is what I use in my kitchen and there is a lot more that goes into making homemade corn or flour tortillas than the press you use. I make my own tortillas for Fish, Shrimp and Beef and Chicken tacos on the 8 inch Victoria. If I'm going make my Wet Burritos I'm going go down the street and buy the homemade flour tortillas from the Tortilleria that I'm lucky enough to be so close to. Even though I would never recommend an aluminum press you used way to much dough in your demonstration.
I've had my Victoria for years without a problem. I make so many tortillas I thought I would splurge on the Dona Rosa. It left big indents in the tortillas and pressed far more unevenly than my cheap Victoria. I returned it and am still using my cheap one. Not quite sure what the hype is about. I've even seen many videos from people like Rick Bayless using the Dona Rosa hyping it, yet I see it right there on camera putting a dent in it.
I would think if you're going to use a different size tortilla press (6" vs 8" ect) you'd use a different amount of dough like you would with bread pans of different sizes. 🌾
This is obviously true, but I think they chose that amount of dough to exaggerate a common issue with that particular press. I own one very similar if not exactly like it and it frequently creates an uneven result, even when using just an ounce or two of masa. It's a piece of garbage.
I bought the Doña Rosa Masienda 12in press. Love it! My family refuses to eat store bought. I won’t use my other wooden or round metal presses. The Doña Rosa expensive, heavy but well worth it. I get 12in tortillas, i can make GF burritos. I make tortillas 1x week. I make a dozen quickly with this press. The makers of this press have a wonderful back story.
I have the doña Maria press from masienda in hot pink and it’s great! I also have a wooden one and your typical cast iron round one. The doña Maria is the best! The wooden one is terrible but I bought it to try after seeing them used frequently in Mexico but not all wooden ones are built to the same quality level. The doña style is what is used all over Oaxaca, along with one that’s 4 times bigger for tupidas.
@@sandrah7512 Then don't use the same size masa ball for a 10" and a 5.5" press. Or you have to make the smaller one thicker to use up the same amount of masa for the smaller diameter. That's just common sense.
@@sandrah7512 Then use a smaller masa ball. It makes no sense to use the same amount of masa in a 10" and 5" press and then complain when it overflows.
@@sandrah7512 I am able to make 7" tortillas on my 7 1/4" press. I have to make sure the ball is centered. I press about half way first, then check the centering. If it's off a bit, I adjust as needed. If I use too much masa and press too hard, of course it will overflow. This is all just common sense stuff. If you can't control your pressing, they by all means get the $95 10" press to make 5.5" tortillas. Meanwhile, I'll continue to use my $15 press like I have for the past 20 years.
That feeling when ATK releases a video the four days after you bought a tortilla press: "Darn". That feeling when they name the press you picked as the Best Buy: "Nice!"
I have the Victoria press and it's great. I did notice that the handle was attached upside down in the video. The smooth side should be facing up so it's comfortable when you press down.
You have the handle mounted upside-down on the Victoria; the convex side should be facing down, like the rest of the presses. Hope it was mounted correctly for testing, because it would affect when/where the handle makes contact with the top plate, and the leverage needed to press the masa. (On a separate note, I'm sure the Dona Rosa functions fine, but for $100 I'd expect a better paint and weld job. It looks...flaky.)
I had a large wooden press custom made, out of acacia wood, when I emigrated to the Philippines. Eventually I had a small aluminum press shipped from the US (I have to get my masa from the US anyway). The wooden one is beautiful, but they both work about the same. The main thing is you need the right size ball of dough for the press... your example looked stupid because we know that you know better. 😎
So glad this popped up! We were just talking about buying a new tortilla press (BF broke the handle on ours …he also broke the handle of my citrus press - he’s not allowed to touch my knives😂)
I never owned a tortilla press until I bought the Doña Rosa. I always used a Pyrex pie plate and a freezer bag on the counter. What I noticed is that all tortilla presses give you tortillas that are thinner on one end than the other. The pie plate with two wooden skewers, on the other hand, makes tortillas that are of even thickness all the way across. So Doña Rosa is just a conversation piece it's lovely but they gotta get that issue fixed.
Thank you. We tried to buy(Doña Rosa Tortilla press and their website defaulted to 2 presses with no way tto change the qtys.. We wanted one. I tried different browsers etc. Tony at tech support said at first it was a known issue and then came back and said they could not duplicate problem. They had me send screen shots. Bottom-line i am trying to buy a press and they cant set it to qty of 1.. My wife wanted it bad because of this vidoe and so we ended up having to order two,
I love the winner. It’s been on my wish list for some years. But they are never on sale & I wouldn’t use it enough for the price tag. Probably grabbing a Victoria for pantry. Thx for testing!
Great choice for your winner! Aluminum presses are a waste - they pretty much always create uneven tortillas. The first (and only) two aluminum versions I bought decades ago (I couldn't afford anything better) the handle snapped off in the first couple of uses on both. I guess I paid in the long run. Who doesn't love a good tortilla??!! 😊
Looks like I will be getting the masienda press for my roadside food trailer when i finally get it going. I planned on making birria tacos along with my burgers.
In Texas, corn tortillas are the go to for street tacos, specifically two smaller vs larger and the Victoria does a great job. I regularly use the Masienda blue and yellow masa with outstanding results. If I made them every day for the family then I might justify the $95 press. Until then, the cast iron press is more than sufficient.
I think the issue is not weight per se but rigidity. The winning and Best Buy were steel and cast iron, respectively. The one they showed which was unsatisfactory was aluminum. I have used both the Victoria cast iron and aluminum versions and the flexing in the aluminum makes a difference. It reduces the effectiveness of the press. To the comments that say the Doña style is used all over: old say that they were likely fabricated locally near where they’re used.
I started making my own corn tortillas cpl years ago with the 8" cast iron one. Once I figured out the hydration levels (12 oz wt masa to 2-1/4 cup water) it's worked great but I squeeze halfway then rotate 180 degrees to make perfectly even flat tortillas. I love the Dona Rosa company so I may invest in one of those. And you're so correct, people who buy store bagged corn tortillas don't know what they're missing. Don't get me wrong, they good for some things but not everything. My sweet wife bought me a copy of the "Masa" book.
The force applied to flatten the dough into a tortilla is indeed multiplied by the use of a lever, but you have mistaken the load for the fulcrum of this class 2 lever.
I just tried my new Victoria 8 Inch Cast Iron Tortilla Press. I never made torts before and had some problems. First after pressing, one side of the tort was notably thinner than the other side. I expected a uniform thickness. What am I doing wrong? Am I pressing too hard or maybe I am not using enough dough? Second my dough seemed nice it was like play-dough and wasn't sticky but my torts broke up when I tried to peel them off the plastic bag - more water or less water. I hope I can figure this out as I really want this too work. Ultimately I will solve this through experimenting but I was hoping to get some quick answers. One last question: could I use this to press pasta dough into round sheets. I want to make something like manicotti. Thanks!!!
For the issue of one side being thinner, that's just the result of the mechanism. To fix it you rotate the pressed tortilla 180 degrees and press it a second time to even it out. Not sure about the pasta.
Yeah, @neiloppa2620 is right. I've been making tortillas my whole life and have always rotated the tortilla to make it even. That's how my mom taught me.
When pressing the tortilla you need to rotate the tortilla 180 degrees and lightly press a second time When making the dough the water needs to be warm about 115 degrees
Where I live cast iron is very expensive. I’ve wanted the best buy victoria press for a while but it’s not the best buy here. 90 euros. I think it’s import and shipping weight that drives up cost so much.
I use a 10" Uno Casa cast iron press, and I've started cheating by placing it on my induction cooktop and pressing and cooking at the same time! So much quicker, with even results and no burned spots.
The downside to the Dña. Rosa press is the paint on the press. It will indeed wear off if it doesn’t flake off first. For $100 you would think that they thought of this. The heavy tortilla presses that are sold all over the rest of Mexico are not painted. They have a more natural finish that over time will have patina. I know because I have two of different sizes that my mom bought when I was about five and I am now 60. The presses are now mine and still work beautifully.
I have the aluminum one, total junk. The cast iron might be for the money but all these are solo-taskers, so no thanks. Only one of those at my house and that's the fire extinguisher. Now the one I want, and it's expensive but watching the demo, this is a game changer. And yes I'm talking about the "Chud Press"! Look up Chud BBQ on RUclips and you'll see what I'm talking about. Presses and fry's them all at once. Does smash burgers, breakfast, all on one unit. Check it out! Not affiliated, just a fan. He deserves the plug
I wish you showed taking the tortilla off the plastic. The press I had was very difficult to get the tortilla off the wax paper that it was just easier to roll it!
I use a clear glass pie plate. It's easy to presss evenly and you can see exactly how thick the tortilla is. No need to buy another single purpose gadget.
@@maryl2012 I use a gallon ziploc bag in the same manner as the video above. Then I just press down on the tortilla with the pie plate and turn the plate somewhat until I achieve the desired thickness.
Or skip the press, make thick Salvadoran tortillas, arepas, or papusas instead. I notice nobody is mentioning storage space for these occasional use, awkwardly shaped things.
If you're talking about flour tortillas, these presses do not work for that kind of dough. You need a good rolling pin or learn how to shape them with your hands.
I've used a table, a clipboard, plastic wrap, and a slightly warped (virgin ) plunger handle rolled on top of the clipboard. Don't worry. I threw the plunger cup away when I bought the handle from dollar tree. Clipboard is from dollar tree too. I saved six bucks. Hmm. Can't do that anymore.
Only corn masa if you want a flour press than it has to have a heating element or else the pressed dough will shrink because of the gluten. There is a youtuber that made one that goes on top of a burner and another youtuber has one that has some wires connected to it that heat it up and when flour dough is pressed in them they come out perfectly round.
@@sandrah7512 Then use less masa. That's just common sense. (I see you've made the same excuse comment over and over, and yes, I will challenge and correct each one I see).
@@sandrah7512 How many times must it be said - use the right amount of masa for the given press size! If it squeezes out the sides, it's either too much masa, or you are squeezing too hard. That's not the fault of the press maker.
Not everyone is fortunate to be close to those places. I used to live in San Antonio and then in Dallas and I took for granted those places. Now I'm in Louisiana. Good Cajun food, no Mexican restaurants really near me. I now cook a lot more at home.
Ill be honest i couldnt continue after the stupid thing where they put way too much dough in the press and squeezed it out and blamed the press. thats just user error, and frankly, REALLY stupid user error. Yeah, your point may be bigger is better, which is true for a tortilla press cause it makes it more versitile, but a small tortilla press is just fine for small tortillas.
I'm no expert, but it seems like handle length determines how much force is needed. The Doña Rosa seems to be built crooked and can't even stand on all four legs (worse than Chinese construction)? This is a sus review by ATK......
@@virginiaf.5764 After posting this comment I bought a fairly large cast iron press and began experimenting with making flour tortillas. It works pretty well and saves me a lot of time and energy. The tortillas come out slightly thicker and sturdier than when using a rolling pin. I can thin them more with a pin, but I rarely do.
@@Paladin1873 Okay ... it can be done (with difficulty), but it will not produce what most folks want in a flour tortilla. Someone not familiar with working with glutinous dough would get extremely frustrated trying to get a flour tortilla out of a corn tortilla press. When tortilla dough is just right, rolling or shaping by hand is not hard. All that said, unlike corn tortillas, there are many good brands of ready-made flour tortillas. I've made my own corn tortillas for years, but usually purchase flour tortillas from either a local Mexican restaurant that sells their own homemade tortillas, or the supermarket. Local Mexican markets also carry good brands you won't find at your supermarket.
@@virginiaf.5764 I must respectfully disagree. It is much more time consuming and labor intensive to make a thin flour tortilla with a rolling pin. ALL of the local store-bought flour tortillas contain hydrogenated oils which we try to avoid. I live in rural Montana, so finding a good Mexican restaurant, much less one that makes their own tortillas, is far more of a challenge than when I lived in Texas.
@@Paladin1873 As a retired chef with lots of bread experience, I have no problem rolling dough. My comments were really more for the op, who, unless they're well-acquainted working with gluten doughs (and judging by their question they may not be), would more than likely be frustrated at attempting thin, large flour tortillas on a corn tortilla press. I have a recipe that uses both masa and flour that makes a half & half tortilla that's pretty good and works in my press. But I'll stick to my rolling pin, or stretching by hand, as I do for Navajo tacos. I like thick corn tortillas as in gorditas and such, but a thick flour tortilla is, in my opinion, much like the naan that I occasionally make. To each his own, as they say. And I did state that it could be done, with caveats and expectations of a thicker tortilla. Hopefully the op will try your method and let us know how it worked for them.
Seems there are 2 very different methods of making tortillas: 1. pressing in a cold press -fininshing off in a skillet 2. Pressing and finishing off in a hot skillet the cast-iron and alumminiom is ment to be put on the stove. the wooden and powdercoated steel is not. Am i wrong? Whyg didnt Americas testkithcen point this out?
I have one made of cast iron (it's gorgeous and heavy) and it's great but to me (a European who tasted their first tortilla when I was like...25) they're still too thick. Am I doing something wrong? Can I adjust it somehow?
100dlls? U guys crazy.. that thing does not even have property spacing on the hinge. I call bs. The argument about weight? B.s. you don't need a lot of weight to press masa. Only factors that matter is diameter and hinge quality. Source: I'm from Mexico.
This review is not totally honest. Putting large ball of masa in a small aluminum press squeezes the masa all over the place. What did you expect? Which company paid for this review? Right?
Tortillas hecho a mano are better than store-bought, but not "light years" better. Here in L.A. the commercial tortilla manufacturers have elevated their craft such that store-bought are absolutely delicious.
But Los Angeles might just be the tortilla capital of the US. In most American cities, an excellent tortilla is hard to find, especially corn tortillas. Though the general quality in the US has been improving over time, as Mexican and Latin American cuisine becomes more popular and widely consumed in the US.
@@Paelorian In large swaths of the US there's no authentic Mexican food in the first place so why would those large swaths of no authentic Mexican food have good store-bought commercially-manufactured tortillas? It wouldn't make any business sense. To my mind it only makes sense that the video is addressing store-bought availability in places where authentic Mexican food exists and is sought after.
I live in central California and there are 10 Mexican restaurants within a 15 minute drive of me, and still there are no local stores that carry 'fresh' tortillas. I would have to dive about a half hour to the nearest tortilleria. I've been making my own corn tortillas at least 2x a week for years, and they are absolutely 'light years' better than anything in my local stores.
@@csmats5374 When it comes to food preferences, the only thing that matters is personal opinion. Five minute old tortillas are a totally different experience than even ones made early that morning in a factory.
Is this an older review? None of the 8-inch Victoria presses at Amazon or on the Victoria's website have a handle that looks like what is shown in review.
They mounted the handle upside-down; the convex side should be facing up, and it should pretty much be flat when closed, not ~40 degrees up as shown here. I hope they didn't do their testing with it mounted this way.
Bought one on Sunday, and that's the one they sent me (Cast iron handle and all). Though as Hossam mentions, it does look like he mounted it upside down. Oops.
Ok the giant masa ball in the little press is just foolish. I agree that a bigger press is better but you can use the little one to make small tortillas if that’s all you have. I think most of us have something similar to the aluminum one you showed… you can’t make large tortillas, only about 1/3 the size of the ball you put in it 🙄
![Best Tortilla Press | Top 5 Review [Buying Guide 2024 ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/DUdgryT42v0/mqdefault.jpg)
Professional Chef here, graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Also I am an intuitive Chef. I felt I had to qualify myself to make my comments. You do not need to spend $100 on a Tortilla Press unless your making a lot of burritos. The 8 inch Victoria press is what I use in my kitchen and there is a lot more that goes into making homemade corn or flour tortillas than the press you use. I make my own tortillas for Fish, Shrimp and Beef and Chicken tacos on the 8 inch Victoria. If I'm going make my Wet Burritos I'm going go down the street and buy the homemade flour tortillas from the Tortilleria that I'm lucky enough to be so close to. Even though I would never recommend an aluminum press you used way to much dough in your demonstration.
I've had my Victoria for years without a problem. I make so many tortillas I thought I would splurge on the Dona Rosa. It left big indents in the tortillas and pressed far more unevenly than my cheap Victoria. I returned it and am still using my cheap one. Not quite sure what the hype is about. I've even seen many videos from people like Rick Bayless using the Dona Rosa hyping it, yet I see it right there on camera putting a dent in it.
I would think if you're going to use a different size tortilla press (6" vs 8" ect) you'd use a different amount of dough like you would with bread pans of different sizes. 🌾
Really! Use the amount of dough appropriate for the press.
It’s just common sense!
A big press can make big and small tortillas… a small press can only make a small one… grow a brain please
That was my first thought. I have a very cheap press that I bought in a Texas/Mexico border town years ago that works like a charm.
This is obviously true, but I think they chose that amount of dough to exaggerate a common issue with that particular press. I own one very similar if not exactly like it and it frequently creates an uneven result, even when using just an ounce or two of masa. It's a piece of garbage.
I bought the Doña Rosa Masienda 12in press. Love it! My family refuses to eat store bought. I won’t use my other wooden or round metal presses. The Doña Rosa expensive, heavy but well worth it. I get 12in tortillas, i can make GF burritos. I make tortillas 1x week. I make a dozen quickly with this press. The makers of this press have a wonderful back story.
definitely worth it for making larger burrito sized tortillas from scratch
I have the doña Maria press from masienda in hot pink and it’s great! I also have a wooden one and your typical cast iron round one. The doña Maria is the best!
The wooden one is terrible but I bought it to try after seeing them used frequently in Mexico but not all wooden ones are built to the same quality level.
The doña style is what is used all over Oaxaca, along with one that’s 4 times bigger for tupidas.
this is so helpful thank you! i feel better buying it know it is used all over oaxaca. that is so cool!!
Yes I agree
You know we can all tell this is targeted advertising? The cast iron one is cheaper and just as good.
Placement and size of the dough makes a big difference.
The video I've been waiting for! I've definitely broken a cast iron press from pushing on it.
Learn to weld cast iron. 🤷♂️
@@lightdark00😂🤡
Maybe a smaller ball of masa for the smaller machine?
@@sandrah7512
Then don't use the same size masa ball for a 10" and a 5.5" press. Or you have to make the smaller one thicker to use up the same amount of masa for the smaller diameter. That's just common sense.
@@sandrah7512 Then use a smaller masa ball. It makes no sense to use the same amount of masa in a 10" and 5" press and then complain when it overflows.
@@sandrah7512 I am able to make 7" tortillas on my 7 1/4" press. I have to make sure the ball is centered. I press about half way first, then check the centering. If it's off a bit, I adjust as needed. If I use too much masa and press too hard, of course it will overflow. This is all just common sense stuff. If you can't control your pressing, they by all means get the $95 10" press to make 5.5" tortillas. Meanwhile, I'll continue to use my $15 press like I have for the past 20 years.
@@sandrah7512
OMG Girl!
It's a tortilla
Let it go!
true having small and large presses are great
I use an iron skillet. Easy, effective, zero cost.
That feeling when ATK releases a video the four days after you bought a tortilla press: "Darn".
That feeling when they name the press you picked as the Best Buy: "Nice!"
I have the Victoria press and it's great. I did notice that the handle was attached upside down in the video. The smooth side should be facing up so it's comfortable when you press down.
Ooooh good catch! I have a 6", purchased at a salvation army for $4. Just used mine yesterday. Best $4 I spent!
Masienda also makes awesome masa. I've been considering this press
Yes, the masa looks very intriguing.
Purchase the tortilla starter kit
You have the handle mounted upside-down on the Victoria; the convex side should be facing down, like the rest of the presses. Hope it was mounted correctly for testing, because it would affect when/where the handle makes contact with the top plate, and the leverage needed to press the masa.
(On a separate note, I'm sure the Dona Rosa functions fine, but for $100 I'd expect a better paint and weld job. It looks...flaky.)
I had a large wooden press custom made, out of acacia wood, when I emigrated to the Philippines. Eventually I had a small aluminum press shipped from the US (I have to get my masa from the US anyway). The wooden one is beautiful, but they both work about the same. The main thing is you need the right size ball of dough for the press... your example looked stupid because we know that you know better. 😎
The best tortilla press is the one I found brand new at the thrift store for $1 & it just happened to be the Victoria brand.
Dang! I love a great bargain. Congrats!
@@joanies6778 me too! Thanks!
Lucky, I wish I could find a tortilla press at the thrift store. Did find a molcajete for $7, though.
I love my 8" Victoria cast-iron press - I've been turning out tortillas ever since I received it as a birthday present.
So glad this popped up! We were just talking about buying a new tortilla press (BF broke the handle on ours …he also broke the handle of my citrus press - he’s not allowed to touch my knives😂)
There must be a method to his madness!!! 😉
Another gem of a video!
I never owned a tortilla press until I bought the Doña Rosa. I always used a Pyrex pie plate and a freezer bag on the counter. What I noticed is that all tortilla presses give you tortillas that are thinner on one end than the other. The pie plate with two wooden skewers, on the other hand, makes tortillas that are of even thickness all the way across. So Doña Rosa is just a conversation piece it's lovely but they gotta get that issue fixed.
rotate the masa 180 degrees and do another small press, evens it out nicely in my experience
@canoncat3 I found a press on line that is adjustable I'm going to give it try
@carlosenriquez2092 which press did you end up going with?
Need to rotate the tortilla press lightly this will correct the problem
Thank you. We tried to buy(Doña Rosa Tortilla press and their website defaulted to 2 presses with no way tto change the qtys.. We wanted one. I tried different browsers etc. Tony at tech support said at first it was a known issue and then came back and said they could not duplicate problem. They had me send screen shots. Bottom-line i am trying to buy a press and they cant set it to qty of 1.. My wife wanted it bad because of this vidoe and so we ended up having to order two,
I put a penny between the plates right under the fulcrum and they press perfectly flat, victoria press.
I love the winner. It’s been on my wish list for some years. But they are never on sale & I wouldn’t use it enough for the price tag. Probably grabbing a Victoria for pantry. Thx for testing!
I have a press similar to the butcher's block wooden one. Mine is thick and heavy and works well. It also looks good when not being used.
Go to a local Latino supermarket and get a tortilla Press for around $10. We don’t use fancy $100 presses.
Yeah kind of ridiculous, $95 for a press. I bought mine at the mexican market for like $8 and works great.
@@vinstinct I just roll them out with a rolling pin. Builds up one’s arms 😬
They are junk and get rusted, the masienda one is heavy duty
You get what you pay for
@@annacastillo1663the press is Powder Coated will last for many years
Great choice for your winner! Aluminum presses are a waste - they pretty much always create uneven tortillas. The first (and only) two aluminum versions I bought decades ago (I couldn't afford anything better) the handle snapped off in the first couple of uses on both. I guess I paid in the long run. Who doesn't love a good tortilla??!! 😊
Looks like I will be getting the masienda press for my roadside food trailer when i finally get it going. I planned on making birria tacos along with my burgers.
I have the IMUSA metal press it works really good.
So glad you did this because I’m totally into making my own tortillas now. Chilaquiles and nachos whenever I want!
In Texas, corn tortillas are the go to for street tacos, specifically two smaller vs larger and the Victoria does a great job. I regularly use the Masienda blue and yellow masa with outstanding results. If I made them every day for the family then I might justify the $95 press. Until then, the cast iron press is more than sufficient.
I have the 8 inch Victoria press 😊😊
I think the issue is not weight per se but rigidity. The winning and Best Buy were steel and cast iron, respectively. The one they showed which was unsatisfactory was aluminum. I have used both the Victoria cast iron and aluminum versions and the flexing in the aluminum makes a difference. It reduces the effectiveness of the press.
To the comments that say the Doña style is used all over: old say that they were likely fabricated locally near where they’re used.
Adam
My ray of sunshine 🌞 💛
I started making my own corn tortillas cpl years ago with the 8" cast iron one. Once I figured out the hydration levels (12 oz wt masa to 2-1/4 cup water) it's worked great but I squeeze halfway then rotate 180 degrees to make perfectly even flat tortillas. I love the Dona Rosa company so I may invest in one of those. And you're so correct, people who buy store bagged corn tortillas don't know what they're missing. Don't get me wrong, they good for some things but not everything. My sweet wife bought me a copy of the "Masa" book.
I have the masienda press tortilla starter kit you can choose the color for the press I like making homemade tortillas best press on the market
Enjoyed the review. Are there larger tortilla presses for say 12" or 18" flour tortillas?
Good question.I see there are some 12" ones out there but I bet you would have to make one for an 18" tortilla. Or hand roll them.
@@Woodlawn22 was gonna say that that’s called a rolling pin. 😉
Can't make flour tortillas in a hand press. You would need hydraulics.
@@morrismonet3554 probably what the one that broke their cast iron one was trying to do. SMH 🤦🏼♀️ (noobs)
Love the test videos!!!!😊
Masienda is the best Tortilla press! ❤
What kind of press can you use for flour tortilla
The force applied to flatten the dough into a tortilla is indeed multiplied by the use of a lever, but you have mistaken the load for the fulcrum of this class 2 lever.
I just tried my new Victoria 8 Inch Cast Iron Tortilla Press. I never made torts before and had some problems. First after pressing, one side of the tort was notably thinner than the other side. I expected a uniform thickness. What am I doing wrong? Am I pressing too hard or maybe I am not using enough dough? Second my dough seemed nice it was like play-dough and wasn't sticky but my torts broke up when I tried to peel them off the plastic bag - more water or less water. I hope I can figure this out as I really want this too work. Ultimately I will solve this through experimenting but I was hoping to get some quick answers. One last question: could I use this to press pasta dough into round sheets. I want to make something like manicotti. Thanks!!!
For the issue of one side being thinner, that's just the result of the mechanism. To fix it you rotate the pressed tortilla 180 degrees and press it a second time to even it out. Not sure about the pasta.
Yeah, @neiloppa2620 is right. I've been making tortillas my whole life and have always rotated the tortilla to make it even. That's how my mom taught me.
When pressing the tortilla you need to rotate the tortilla 180 degrees and lightly press a second time
When making the dough the water needs to be warm about 115 degrees
Afternoon ATK
Salutations from California 😋
Where I live cast iron is very expensive. I’ve wanted the best buy victoria press for a while but it’s not the best buy here. 90 euros. I think it’s import and shipping weight that drives up cost so much.
Can tortilla press be used for making pita bread?
You mean to tell me the plastic tortilla press that Dan reviewed on Epicurious didn't win? 🤯
Chud press is best press
Agree but expensive
If you are using a smaller press, why wouldn't you use a smaller ball?
I wonder if it works for any type of bread dough such as making pita bread
I use a 10" Uno Casa cast iron press, and I've started cheating by placing it on my induction cooktop and pressing and cooking at the same time! So much quicker, with even results and no burned spots.
Great tip! Thanks!
That big guy is trying to make you buy the most expensive one. 15 bucks 6.5" one is just doing fine so far.🤣🤣🤣
Not true check out the reviews on the best tortilla press for 2023
The downside to the Dña. Rosa press is the paint on the press. It will indeed wear off if it doesn’t flake off first. For $100 you would think that they thought of this. The heavy tortilla presses that are sold all over the rest of Mexico are not painted. They have a more natural finish that over time will have patina. I know because I have two of different sizes that my mom bought when I was about five and I am now 60. The presses are now mine and still work beautifully.
Wow zaberdest tortilla
What about using a press for flour tortillas?
Nope. They don't come out thin enough. Rolling pin is what works.
Any kind of a flour tortilla in a press doesn’t work well because they shrink back into a smaller size on removal.
I live in Canada
How you deliver there ?
I have the aluminum one, total junk. The cast iron might be for the money but all these are solo-taskers, so no thanks. Only one of those at my house and that's the fire extinguisher. Now the one I want, and it's expensive but watching the demo, this is a game changer. And yes I'm talking about the "Chud Press"! Look up Chud BBQ on RUclips and you'll see what I'm talking about. Presses and fry's them all at once. Does smash burgers, breakfast, all on one unit. Check it out!
Not affiliated, just a fan. He deserves the plug
But probably made in China, Dona Maria press come straight from Oaxaca Mexico
More than expensive!! wow, looks quality but too much for what it is
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
I flattened mine with me hand.
3:00 just use less dough? yes they will be smaller but if you bought this you'd want them that size
I would have liked to see some wear and tear info.
I wish you showed taking the tortilla off the plastic. The press I had was very difficult to get the tortilla off the wax paper that it was just easier to roll it!
Use two 8 inch round silicone baking mats. They are heat resistant, reusable, and washable.
Hi ! 🙂
What about Victoria 10 inch?
It's been 4 days....the $20 best buy is now $25 on Amazon.
Yeah ive noticed same at times almost double in price
Ya'll should review the Chud press. Next time.
Silly question maybe. These presses will make corn or flour correct?
Corn yes, flour no.
I’ve never seen anyone make a flour tortilla in a tortilla press only rolling pin by hand
I tried, didn't work
I prefer Bradley Chud's "Chud Press". It's over $400 but is made to sit over a gas burner so you can press and cook tortillas at the same time.
Yikes - $400 is more than I spend on masa in 5 years. I've been making them with my $15 press and a comal at least 2x a week for the past 20 years.
I use a clear glass pie plate. It's easy to presss evenly and you can see exactly how thick the tortilla is. No need to buy another single purpose gadget.
How do you press the dough on the glass pie plate?
@@maryl2012 I use a gallon ziploc bag in the same manner as the video above. Then I just press down on the tortilla with the pie plate and turn the plate somewhat until I achieve the desired thickness.
I'm OK with my cheap Imusa. Works just fine.
Or skip the press, make thick Salvadoran tortillas, arepas, or papusas instead.
I notice nobody is mentioning storage space for these occasional use, awkwardly shaped things.
This man looks like he's about to raid a treasure planet
Does anybody knows where to get a 16in tortilla press for big burritos? Thanks
If you're talking about flour tortillas, these presses do not work for that kind of dough. You need a good rolling pin or learn how to shape them with your hands.
I've used a table, a clipboard, plastic wrap, and a slightly warped (virgin ) plunger handle rolled on top of the clipboard. Don't worry. I threw the plunger cup away when I bought the handle from dollar tree. Clipboard is from dollar tree too. I saved six bucks. Hmm. Can't do that anymore.
Do these presses do both corn and flour?
Only corn masa if you want a flour press than it has to have a heating element or else the pressed dough will shrink because of the gluten. There is a youtuber that made one that goes on top of a burner and another youtuber has one that has some wires connected to it that heat it up and when flour dough is pressed in them they come out perfectly round.
@@linkin20la Hey thank you. That does make sense, and I have always been confused about that.
She purposely placed the dough incorrectly so it would come out of the press, watch it again!
@@sandrah7512 Then use less masa. That's just common sense. (I see you've made the same excuse comment over and over, and yes, I will challenge and correct each one I see).
@@sandrah7512 How many times must it be said - use the right amount of masa for the given press size! If it squeezes out the sides, it's either too much masa, or you are squeezing too hard. That's not the fault of the press maker.
@@sandrah7512 And make sure the masa is centered as you press it out. The manufacturer should not need to explain these common sense things.
Why make my own when I can get hot homemade ones from the hundreds of taquerias in my area.
Not everyone is fortunate to be close to those places. I used to live in San Antonio and then in Dallas and I took for granted those places. Now I'm in Louisiana. Good Cajun food, no Mexican restaurants really near me. I now cook a lot more at home.
Everyone lives 4 minutes away me from - lenalyles2712
I would think you'd put the handle on correctly on the cheaper Victoria model.
Now please help me make perfect tortillas… mine aren’t puffing up. Using Maseca white corn 🌽 for tortillas.
The winner doesn't ship to Europe! I'm so sad, it looks gorgeous.
I need a press as big as the one they use at pancheros
Don't use so much masa so it doesn't spill
@@sandrah7512 the point is to use enough masa for the press that you have to make it work for you
@@sandrah7512 you can if you know how to use properly or just buy one that's easier to use
Ill be honest i couldnt continue after the stupid thing where they put way too much dough in the press and squeezed it out and blamed the press. thats just user error, and frankly, REALLY stupid user error. Yeah, your point may be bigger is better, which is true for a tortilla press cause it makes it more versitile, but a small tortilla press is just fine for small tortillas.
I'm no expert, but it seems like handle length determines how much force is needed. The Doña Rosa seems to be built crooked and can't even stand on all four legs (worse than Chinese construction)? This is a sus review by ATK......
I want a press that makes flour tortillas. Will these work?
Flour tortillas require a rolling pin.
@@virginiaf.5764 After posting this comment I bought a fairly large cast iron press and began experimenting with making flour tortillas. It works pretty well and saves me a lot of time and energy. The tortillas come out slightly thicker and sturdier than when using a rolling pin. I can thin them more with a pin, but I rarely do.
@@Paladin1873 Okay ... it can be done (with difficulty), but it will not produce what most folks want in a flour tortilla. Someone not familiar with working with glutinous dough would get extremely frustrated trying to get a flour tortilla out of a corn tortilla press. When tortilla dough is just right, rolling or shaping by hand is not hard. All that said, unlike corn tortillas, there are many good brands of ready-made flour tortillas. I've made my own corn tortillas for years, but usually purchase flour tortillas from either a local Mexican restaurant that sells their own homemade tortillas, or the supermarket. Local Mexican markets also carry good brands you won't find at your supermarket.
@@virginiaf.5764 I must respectfully disagree. It is much more time consuming and labor intensive to make a thin flour tortilla with a rolling pin. ALL of the local store-bought flour tortillas contain hydrogenated oils which we try to avoid. I live in rural Montana, so finding a good Mexican restaurant, much less one that makes their own tortillas, is far more of a challenge than when I lived in Texas.
@@Paladin1873 As a retired chef with lots of bread experience, I have no problem rolling dough. My comments were really more for the op, who, unless they're well-acquainted working with gluten doughs (and judging by their question they may not be), would more than likely be frustrated at attempting thin, large flour tortillas on a corn tortilla press. I have a recipe that uses both masa and flour that makes a half & half tortilla that's pretty good and works in my press. But I'll stick to my rolling pin, or stretching by hand, as I do for Navajo tacos. I like thick corn tortillas as in gorditas and such, but a thick flour tortilla is, in my opinion, much like the naan that I occasionally make. To each his own, as they say. And I did state that it could be done, with caveats and expectations of a thicker tortilla. Hopefully the op will try your method and let us know how it worked for them.
Seems there are 2 very different methods of making tortillas:
1. pressing in a cold press -fininshing off in a skillet
2. Pressing and finishing off in a hot skillet
the cast-iron and alumminiom is ment to be put on the stove.
the wooden and powdercoated steel is not.
Am i wrong? Whyg didnt Americas testkithcen point this out?
I just purchased the Dona Maria press, I had those cheap ones, either they rust or they don’t press right…
You can use the press to make Smash Burgers press very lightly also crushing Garlic
I have one made of cast iron (it's gorgeous and heavy) and it's great but to me (a European who tasted their first tortilla when I was like...25) they're still too thick. Am I doing something wrong? Can I adjust it somehow?
my wife used a press before but now she uses a wooden roller to get them supermarket thin
why no mention of a electric (hot) tortilla press?
Sounds like size does matter....
Ohh yes, the square one was larger than small cast iron. I have 10" round cast & fine.
This was a miss. Use a smaller ball of dough for the smaller ones.
I own the Victoria 8”. While it is effective at the price it does not make a tortilla flat enough. I end up rolling them to flatten them more.
I've heard people add "15 sheets of paper" (yes they counted) to make a tortilla to their liking.
4:00 handle is upside down. 😂
handle is on upside-down
100dlls? U guys crazy.. that thing does not even have property spacing on the hinge. I call bs. The argument about weight? B.s. you don't need a lot of weight to press masa. Only factors that matter is diameter and hinge quality. Source: I'm from Mexico.
I think you missed the part about the testers.
This review is not totally honest. Putting large ball of masa in a small aluminum press squeezes the masa all over the place. What did you expect? Which company paid for this review? Right?
Tortillas hecho a mano are better than store-bought, but not "light years" better. Here in L.A. the commercial tortilla manufacturers have elevated their craft such that store-bought are absolutely delicious.
But Los Angeles might just be the tortilla capital of the US. In most American cities, an excellent tortilla is hard to find, especially corn tortillas. Though the general quality in the US has been improving over time, as Mexican and Latin American cuisine becomes more popular and widely consumed in the US.
@@Paelorian In large swaths of the US there's no authentic Mexican food in the first place so why would those large swaths of no authentic Mexican food have good store-bought commercially-manufactured tortillas? It wouldn't make any business sense.
To my mind it only makes sense that the video is addressing store-bought availability in places where authentic Mexican food exists and is sought after.
I live in central California and there are 10 Mexican restaurants within a 15 minute drive of me, and still there are no local stores that carry 'fresh' tortillas. I would have to dive about a half hour to the nearest tortilleria. I've been making my own corn tortillas at least 2x a week for years, and they are absolutely 'light years' better than anything in my local stores.
@@kindabluejazz You know what they about opinions...
@@csmats5374 When it comes to food preferences, the only thing that matters is personal opinion. Five minute old tortillas are a totally different experience than even ones made early that morning in a factory.
Is this an older review? None of the 8-inch Victoria presses at Amazon or on the Victoria's website have a handle that looks like what is shown in review.
They mounted the handle upside-down; the convex side should be facing up, and it should pretty much be flat when closed, not ~40 degrees up as shown here. I hope they didn't do their testing with it mounted this way.
Bought one on Sunday, and that's the one they sent me (Cast iron handle and all). Though as Hossam mentions, it does look like he mounted it upside down. Oops.
Ok the giant masa ball in the little press is just foolish. I agree that a bigger press is better but you can use the little one to make small tortillas if that’s all you have. I think most of us have something similar to the aluminum one you showed… you can’t make large tortillas, only about 1/3 the size of the ball you put in it 🙄
Absolutely, I think that was done purposely.
🤔
He reminds me of Andy Devine, lol
I just buy Tortilla's.
I'm totally not gonna reverse engineer that $95 press and make my own for 20 bucks