Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Growing up in Southern California, beans, rice and tortillas are comfort food. I make my own beans and rice, but have been using store bought tortillas. I decided I was done with that, got some Masa Harina and started making my own. I used a rolling pin, bottom of a pan, but couldn't get that uniformly thin tortilla I desired. I researched tortilla presses, read the reviews and decided to pay a bit more for this one. I'm glad I did. The press arrived in good condition, and I got two rivets and cotter pins in case one broke. It doesn't take that much pressure to create a lovely, thin tortilla, so I'm not sure how people are breaking handles on these things. A few hints for perfect tortillas: Use a plastic gallon storage bag (cut all but one of the sides to create a “hinge”) you don't even need to buy ziplock ones, Fred Meyer (Kroger) has super cheap bags w/o the zip lock. You can wash and re-use them. They are much easier to work with than cling wrap. Don't be beholden to the recipe; a lot of factors including humidity can affect how sticky your dough is. Play with it a bit when you are making your ball; if it's a bit sticky, add some more masa. You'll feel when it's right. Put your golf ball size ball in between the plastic on the center of your press and flatten it a bit (I used a hot sauce bottle as a rolling pin) then press gently. Turn the plastic around 180 degrees and then press again a little bit more firmly, this will give you a more even and round tortilla. Peel the top sheet of plastic off, then put the tortilla in your hand and peel the plastic off the tortilla, not the other way around and then put it right on your pan. Perfect tortillas! (don't forget to add a pinch of salt)