The Best Tortilla Press

Buying Guide

You want to achieve authenticity? You’ve got to put in a little extra work, and nowhere is that more true than in Mexican cooking. You can really taste the difference when you’re having food prepared with a little TLC, and for many Mexican dishes that starts with the tortillas. Get the right tortilla press and you’re halfway to having the “Taco Tuesday” of your dreams, any day of the week.

A tortilla press is a relatively simple kitchen tool designed for one job: Making tortillas. It does this by pressing a ball of flour (ideally corn flour) between two flat plates. Most presses have a handle or lever mechanism that allows you to apply just enough pressure to get your ideal tortilla. Press until the dough is flattened into an ideal size, and you’ve got the basis for a great meal, ready for the final step of light cooking on a flat skillet or comal.

The thing to ask yourself is how often do you plan on using your press. If you only plan on making tortillas for special occasions, you might be able to get away with a smaller aluminum press. This kind of material is a common budget option, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be effective. Aluminum may not be as durable, but it’s lightweight, which is great if you plan on taking it on the road for cookouts or house parties. Wooden presses can also get the job done, and while they might be a lot bulkier they fit right into the decor of rustic kitchens.

That said, the gold standard for heavy use is going to be cast iron. This will come as no surprise to those that already have cast iron pots or pans in their kitchen. This kind of press is going to be heavy, but it’s easy to clean and will be around for years or even decades if you take care of it. That care may include seasoning, which involves coating it lightly with olive or flaxseed oil and then heating it in the oven. This will not only subtly help the taste, it will protect the natural non-stick properties of the iron. (Most cast iron presses do come pre-seasoned, but they may require an extra treatment every year or so depending on frequency of use.)

If you’re the kind of home cook that wants a little more efficiency, you may want an electric tortilla press. These tools heat up the plates so that your dough cooks as you press it. Be advised: Tortillas really don’t take that long to cook, and you may need to use this with a little finesse if you want that “puffed up” texture.

There’s also the matter of how big you want your tortillas to be. There’s really no easy way to make burrito-sized tortillas without a 10-inch press, so you may have to shell out a little extra (and make plenty of room on the counter) if you want that luxury. 8-inch presses are the most common size, and they’re great for tacos or enchiladas. If you’re fine with smaller tacos or fajitas, a 6-inch press should do the job.

So you’ve got the right tortilla press. What do you feed it?

Start with a ball of masa, or corn flour, which is the standard for any Mexican tortilla. For a standard size, you need a ball of dough about the size of a golf ball. To make sure that it doesn’t stick to the plates, you want to put the dough in between two pieces of wax paper (unless you’re using an electric press). Then simply press down, turn over, then press again until your dough flattens into a tortilla of the desired size.

A word about wheat flour tortillas: Yes, you can make them in a tortilla press, but it’s not ideal. The gluten in wheat responds best to kneading under a rolling pin, otherwise you’re likely to have an irregular circle that keeps trying to shrink back to its original shape.