Tortilla Bowls

Tortilla Bowls Kit

This week’s post is more a product review than a recipe. I had seen the “Perfect Tortilla Pan Set” advertised on television and waited to find it available retail to test drive. It’s marketed by Allstar Products Group in New York, but the pans are made in China. Score zero for made-in-USA. The box contained four non-stick bowls for shaping/baking any size tortilla, promising “golden, crispy bowls in 5 minutes.”

I made bowls using corn tortillas first, after which I tried whole wheat tortillas. I’m puzzled by the “5 minutes” claim because cooking time alone was 7 to 10 minutes. Add in preheating the oven to 400° and you’re up to 20 minutes for a crispy bowl.  Directions state to wait 5 minutes before removing the tortilla bowl from its pan, during which time it cools and “shrinks” from the pan’s surface. Speedy this ain’t. But it is simple to use and performs as advertised (except for the “5 minutes” thing).

The corn tortilla, even after baking the maximum time, was chewy. Not crunchy. Not good. I won’t make corn tortilla bowls again. The whole wheat tortilla, which I preheated 10 seconds in the microwave to make it pliable and to prevent tearing, turned out crispy and delicious.

I plan to use the bowls for side dishes of refried beans or chili, although I may try using larger tortillas to create a taco salad bowl. If you have children or if you entertain, you may find a use for the tortilla bowl kit.

Bottom line: Tortilla Bowls work, but not in 5 minutes. As for tortillas, flour, sì. Corn, no.