Tacos

Faith

How are you supposed to eat tacos? I made them tonight for the second time ever, and the same thing happened both times: I bit in, the taco fell apart and everything landed on my plate. We ended up eating it as almost a salad effort with the taco shells on the side!

Am I doing something wrong, or is there a trick I'm missing?

BailMeOut

Did you use corn or flour totrtillas? If using corn you alway double up on the, and use two as they will disintegrate.

Faith

Corn ones. I don't want to be taking in loads of extra calories by doubling up on the shells*. There must be a way to eat them as you're supposed to, with one shell!

*there's enough calories in all the sour cream I smear on

With flour tortillas, they become tortillas, so changing to a tortilla won't solve the actual issue

BailMeOut

Ah, are you talking about the crispy shells? Are these shop bought or do you fry your own? They are easy to do.

In Mexico they always double up the soft corn tortillas.

fussyonion

There isn't really a way of eating them without them crumbling everywhere.
I just squeeze them gently as I take a bite and yeah the whole thing nearly always falls all over the plate but then I just eat the bits with a spoon.

MissFlitworth

If we're eating hardshell tacos I try eat from the top down and that seems to prolong how long I get before it shatters all over my hand. Never managed to eat them in any way that wasn't completely messy before though so we don't get them very often

Merkin

We have them regularly and overstuff them to the extent I wouldn't even attempt to lift one up!:o I layer with spiced minced beef, grated cheese, guacamole, red onions, chopped cherry tomatoes, jalapeños and salsa and then get a knife and fork to tuck in as the sheer weight of the contents would just obliterate the shell otherwise....one of my favourite dinners!

catallus

Yes, anything can be eaten with a knife and fork, and god knows if the past 30'000 years of intellectual and cultural development have been for anything it is so we don't have to use our hands when eating! Cutlery is your friend!

BailMeOut

OP - You need to freshly fry or bake your corn tortilla shells if you want them to stay together. Just search on youtube as there are loads of home videos out there on how to do this. Personally I much prefer my tacos on a a double soft corn tortilla just like how Mexicans eat them but I have fried my own crispy shells from time to time.

Chattastrophe!

Merkin wrote: »

We have them regularly and overstuff them to the extent I wouldn't even attempt to lift one up!:o I layer with spiced minced beef, grated cheese, guacamole, red onions, chopped cherry tomatoes, jalapeños and salsa and then get a knife and fork to tuck in as the sheer weight of the contents would just obliterate the shell otherwise....one of my favourite dinners!

This is what I do too, but then you cant stick your fork into the hard shell bits and they keep falling onto the plate. (Gawd talk about first world problems! )

Ape Lincoln

Faith wrote: »

Corn ones. I don't want to be taking in loads of extra calories by doubling up on the shells*. There must be a way to eat them as you're supposed to, with one shell!

*there's enough calories in all the sour cream I smear on

With flour tortillas, they become tortillas, so changing to a tortilla won't solve the actual issue

'Taco' (as with most popular Mexican food) typically refers to the filling and how it is cooked rather than how it is wrapped. I could be wrong on this but as far as far as I know the hard shell corn tacos one buys in the taco kits are an American/Tex-Mex thing.

Funnily enough, I made tacos today. I use the small shop bought tortillas (either flour or corn depending on what is available) and fill them usually with whatever meat I am cooking, salsa, guacamole then fold them over. I pop the tortilla under a grill for a few seconds prior to adding the fillings.

I have picked up a few Mexican-style tips from this website http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/ingredient/taco/


The reason I say this is because I quite like tacos but long gave up on the hard shells.

Faith

So the consensus is you can't use the hard shell and eat them with your hands. Good to know it's not just me anyway!

Ape Lincoln

The hard shell 'tacos' are basically tortilla chips. Rather than filling the shells you could lay your fillings out on top of some tortilla chips (or break up the hard shells). Though that would make them Nachos

Ape Lincoln

Faith wrote: »

So the consensus is you can't use the hard shell and eat them with your hands. Good to know it's not just me anyway!

I've never seen anyone succeed

You can buy small soft shell corn tortillas, heat them under a grill, stuff them and fold over in half once (to make a half moon shape). Try this and you should be able to eat them.

Faith

Ape Lincoln wrote: »

I've never seen anyone succeed

You can buy small soft shell corn tortillas, heat them under a grill, stuff them and fold over in half once (to make a half moon shape). Try this and you should be able to eat them.

Ah yeah, but that's cheating

I just wanted to make sure that the hard corn shells are a waste of time before I bought them again. I'll stick with soft tortillas in future

Toto Wolfcastle

I saw Old El Paso stand and stuff tortillas in Tesco. They come on their own and in a taco kit so presumably they're supposed to be used for soft tacos. I don't see the point really. You might as well just use regular tortillas, or make them yourself.

MissFlitworth

I bought those! They're a bit useless unless you like squeezing food all over your face/the place through the open top while you eat

Marty McFly

I can't be the only one who has no problem eating tacos?

shruikan2553

Marty McFly wrote: »

I can't be the only one who has no problem eating tacos?

Get him quickly! If we capture him he'll have to tell us the secret.