Like most of you, I've been cooking for most of my life. I've always lived in the southwest, where mexican, tex-mex, and especially southwestern food has dominated the menu. Many recipes I have cooked for decades call for corn tortillas or corn masa. I've made corn tortillas on occasion, but mostly I've purchased them for my recipes. Store-bought corn tortillas used to be moist but firm and fragile. You couldn't roll them without breaking. You would have to briefly fry or griddle them in order to soften them up. This added a step to preparation that was a little time consuming, but turned out perfect enchiladas and bakes.
Here's what I've noticed. Starting about a decade ago, store-bought corn tortillas became softer and softer. For starters, they're very moist and floppy now. You can roll them without breaking. The texture is spongy, and very soft. Great, you're thinking... this saves a step of softening them myself, right? Just roll/layer and go! Unfortunately, what I've found is that they turn to mush in all of my old recipes. Any sauce or moisture in my baked recipes completely breaks down the tortillas. I have tried everything to get the texture back like they used to be. Frying in oil, searing them on a griddle, dipping them in oil, letting them dry out before using, baking without sauce. Nothing seems to work, they all just turn to mush as soon as they're cooked.
I've concluded that tortilla manufacturers have altered all their process to use ultra soft corn masa in order to appeal to consumer's convenience preferences for ready-to-eat and no-bake recipes. I guess nowadays, softer is better. Sadly, I can't get the new tortillas to work in my old recipes and I can't find suitable "old-style" tortillas.
My question is this. Are there any southwestern cooks out there who (short of telling me to cook my own tortillas) have tips, preferred brands, ideas, etc., for me? Thanks very much in advance.
Here's what I've noticed. Starting about a decade ago, store-bought corn tortillas became softer and softer. For starters, they're very moist and floppy now. You can roll them without breaking. The texture is spongy, and very soft. Great, you're thinking... this saves a step of softening them myself, right? Just roll/layer and go! Unfortunately, what I've found is that they turn to mush in all of my old recipes. Any sauce or moisture in my baked recipes completely breaks down the tortillas. I have tried everything to get the texture back like they used to be. Frying in oil, searing them on a griddle, dipping them in oil, letting them dry out before using, baking without sauce. Nothing seems to work, they all just turn to mush as soon as they're cooked.
I've concluded that tortilla manufacturers have altered all their process to use ultra soft corn masa in order to appeal to consumer's convenience preferences for ready-to-eat and no-bake recipes. I guess nowadays, softer is better. Sadly, I can't get the new tortillas to work in my old recipes and I can't find suitable "old-style" tortillas.
My question is this. Are there any southwestern cooks out there who (short of telling me to cook my own tortillas) have tips, preferred brands, ideas, etc., for me? Thanks very much in advance.