The Ultimate Tortilla Press Cookbook

I enjoyed looking at the different mexican reciepes.  I would not make tortillas from scratch but it does explain step by step how to make them.

All right, tortilla presses, have your moment! Here is the book that you should gift anyone who has just gotten a tortilla press or who has one and is not a complete expert in the press's care and use. Or anyone who loves Mexican food. OR, gift them a press and this book together (brass-faced hint to family and friends).

Besides being full of delicious recipes, this book serves as a guide to maximizing home use of a tortilla press. Making homemade tortillas is not too difficult without a press, but having a press makes it even quicker and easier. And it is fun. Once you get started, you feel like you can quickly press out 1000 without breaking a sweat. And homemade tortillas are cheaper, more delicious, and you have complete control over the ingredients, which is something I really value.

Starting out, we read a very short history of tortillas, an objective comparison of electric and manual presses, and some recommendations on which presses to purchase. Next are step-by-step use instructions for both types of presses for corn and flour versions, and how best to keep them warm until eaten.

Ah, now here are some recipes - 125 to be exact. Does anyone really need that many tortilla-related recipes? I say YES! (I might not be objective) Basic recipes are first, and then variations on how to make flavoured varieties. Think garlic, cumin, black bean and lime for the corn tortillas, and sweet potato, brown rice, and non-wheat flours for the flour tortillas. There is also a gluten-free flour-style tortilla recipe. 

Once you have your favorite tortillas made, turn to the pages of filling recipes for fish, poultry, meats, beans, rice and veggies. Sauce recipes follow, even two mole recipes: a 'Real Deal' mole with over 20 ingredients, and an easier version for those who do not want to spend all day in the kitchen.

Following that, recipes for quesadillas, chips, taquitos, tacos, burritos, chimichangas, fajitas, soups, and my all-time favorite - Huevos Rancheros. The dessert section is inspired, and even though I was allowed to review a digital edition of this book, I need to own this cookbook in print form.

Very Highly Recommended.

I love tacos and burritos, so when I saw this book, I couldn’t wait to find out how to make my own. The book certainly delivers with a lot of information on what tortilla press is the best one to buy; the author  even names names! It includes a history of tortillas and step-by-step instructions.

The selection of tortillas is broad with varieties I never would have thought of. I looked to this book for ideas on what to fill a store-bought tortilla with, never suspecting that I would come away thinking, “I really want that press!”  

Here is a small selection of the tortilla recipes: flour, corn, blue corn, gluten-free, gorditas, sopes, sweet potato pumpkin, black bean, brown rice and mixed grain. 

Fillings: ground beef, beef brisket, braised pork, beef and chicken fajita, homemade chorizo, roast duck; shrimp; grilled fish, beer-battered fish, refried beans, red rice, grilled vegetables and mole.

There are sauces and dips, snacks and starters, soups to go with the tortillas and even desserts. This book is stuffed with recipes, and I highly recommend it.

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  From the publisher
The DIY kitchen trend takes a Southwestern and Mexican spin in this creative book that covers how to use, clean, and maintain a tortilla press and serves up 125 recipes for a lifetime of enjoying it. Thirty of the recipes are for every kind of tortilla imaginable--corn, flour, or gluten-free; and plain or flavored with all sorts of good things, from chile peppers or tomatoes to avocado or lime. The remaining 95 recipes are a feast of things to do with the freshly made tortillas, ranging from burritos and enchiladas to tacos, quesadillas, and beyond.
Focus:
Creative recipes for DIY-minded home cooks include 30 kinds of tortillas, along with over 90 recipes using them.
The only book on the subject for owners of manual or electric tortilla presses
DIY in the kitchen is steadily growing, and Tex-Mex is easy and healthy
Author is former food editor at the Dallas Morning News

This book made me so hungry---the fact that it is minus 37 outside made me want warm yumminiess on the page and in my stomach. I do not own a tortilla press (I know I can get one at MennoMex, my local Mennonite-Mexican store) and "made do" with two cast iron pans and pressing them by hand. I made some sweet ones for my morning meeting's snack time and savoury ones for dinner: I even snuck some veggies into the dough and no one even suspected it!  What a cute little book with yummy recipes --- I LOVE cheese and these are the perfect vessel!  Yum!

I received a free e-copy of The Ultimate Tortilla Press Cookbook by Dotty Griffith from NetGalley for my honest review. This cookbook, with 125 recipes, is amazing. I am so happy someone has written a good cookbook on how to make tortillas with a tortilla press. My Aunt gave me a tortilla press last year and I love the idea of it but never had the details or recipes on how to utilize it. Now, at last, I am able to use the press and with great recipes it is a breeze. The book explains the history of tortillas, how to make them, and recipes for fillings, sauces, nachos, tacos, Quesadillas, Flautas, Sopes, Chimichangas and Gorditas. Great for any kitchen or a beautiful gift.

I have a tortilla press, my mom gave me one a couple years ago and to this day I have been using it to make quesadillas, warming up frozen parathas, and occasionally warming up store bought tortillas. I had no idea how to use the press to make actual tortillas, which does kinda defeat the point of having a press. 

And now, thanks to this book, I finally know! The book shows how to use a variety of flours to make the various tortillas and then is chocked full of great recipes for what to do with the tortillas after you have made them. Complete with clear instructions and pictures, this cookbook gets a perfect score in my book!

Harvard Common Press and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The ultimate Tortilla Press Cookbook.  I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

The cookbook starts out with the cornerstone of many Mexican recipes: the tortilla.  The author talks readers through the history, as well as how to make different types of tortillas.  With recommendations on quality presses to make your own tortillas quick and easy, the author takes the guesswork out of shopping for the appliance.

I like the fact that there is a prominent section devoted to Foundations: Fillings, Sauces, and Salsas.  This makes it easy to prepare items ahead of time, instead of having to search through the main recipe for the instructions.  The author gives page numbers to recipes that use the particular item, giving readers different options.

The one recipe that I am most excited to try is the Beer Battered Fried Fish (p. 78), as I have been searching for a good recipe to make the great fish tacos.  The Tacos (and more) section has recipes like Crispy Tacos, with options for fillings listed with page number references.  A great collection of easy recipes can be found in the Snacks and Starters, with recipes for delectable treats such as Loaded Nachos, Flautas (Taquitos), and Chalupas.  Rounding out the cookbook are: Main Frames: Enchiladas, Fajitas, and Taco Salads; Sop it up: Soups and Stews; and The Flatbread Chameleon and Tortilla Desserts.  With inspirational ways of using tortillas from starters to desserts, readers will find many recipes to try and to use their creativity.

With great accompanying photos and lighthearted quips throughout the pages, The Ultimate Tortilla Press Cookbook will give readers inspiration to try something new.  This cookbook does an excellent job of teaching the basics, with great homemade foundations to some of the best food that Mexico has to offer.  I highly recommend The Ultimate Tortilla Press Cookbook to other readers.

One of the reasons we go to a Mexican restaurant is to eat tortillas with our meal.  We love tortillas and I wanted to know how to make them at home.  This is the perfect book for that.  Dotty starts off with telling which tortilla presses are the best and how to use them to make the perfect tortilla. Followed by corn and flour tortilla recipes. Then throughout the rest of the book you can find detailed easy to make authentic Mexican recipes with pictures that use tortillas, mixed with so many tips that I never knew were so easy to do. Best book I read in a very long time and will be used over and over again.

A huge resource for the making of tortillas in a variety of flavors. Full of innovative and classic recipes, the choosing and use of a tortilla press. As I live in British Columbia, there is not a lot of choice of tortillas available, and I will definitely be purchasing and enjoying using a press.

I really enjoyed this cookbook.  Now, I must admit that i did not make Lol the recipient, however, the two I did make were very good.  As, I did not have a tortilla press, I did not make any homemade tortilla’s, but I do plan on trying in the future.   The recipes were easy to make and had easy to get ingredients.   I appreciate pictures in a cookbook and this had lots.  Overall, a really good cookbook.

Thank you Net galley. An interesting cookbook that not only has delicious recipes but also promotes experimentation and creative cookery by the user. Highly recommended.

I chose to read this cookbook because I am always looking out for authentic recipes especially where Mexican food is concerned, as there are so many Tex Mex type outlets that serve up food that bears no resemblance to good, traditional home cooked fare.  I have several Mexican cookbooks in my personal library at home, many by celebrity chefs who have toured Mexico with the purpose of writing a cookbook, but to my mind it’s a travesty to write a cookbook without giving recipes on how to make basic tortillas. In my opinion eating shop-bought tortillas is like eating tasteless cardboard - so far from the real thing.
‘The Ultimate Tortilla Press Cookbook’ has 125 recipes for tortillas, burritos, enchiladas, tacos and much more. Dotty Griffith takes us through the ancient history of the tortilla (which dates back to the Pre-Columbian period 10,000 years ago) and gives a tutorial on how to make them together with the fillings, sauces and salsas to accompany them. A surprising snippet of information, that is not commonly known, is that tortillas have outsold hamburger and hotdog buns at supermarkets and food stores since 2010.  But none of these beat the homemade version, which have no preservatives or other chemical additives and the aroma, taste and texture once tried will make you think twice about going back to the shop bought variety.
What I particularly liked about this cookbook were Dotty’s flavoured tortillas, which I couldn’t wait to try.  It’s always a great idea to partially replace some of the flour with vegetable purée and it makes for a delicious and healthier version. Dotty uses half flour and half vegetable purée in hers and I tried the sweet potato tortilla recipe, which was excellent and rolls well.  (See my photo below).  She also gives recipes for pumpkin, spinach, sundried tomato tortillas and more.  There are recipes with various spice combinations, such as fresh coriander and cumin and chilli con carne spice mix tortillas.  I did do a double take, though, when I read her note that as marijuana products become legal, look out for marijuanan-infused masa for tortillas, which are delicious, apparently, with Canna butter, ie cannabis laced!!  That certainly raised an eyebrow or two!
For people with food allergies or dietary concerns, plenty of recipes are provided for gluten-free flour tortillas including black bean flour, brown rice flour, mixed grain flour and millet and quinoa flour tortillas.
One dish I am itching to try is her recipe for homemade chorizo, very different from the Spanish links that are cured and dried in casings. This is flavoured with chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, achiote paste, garlic, allspice and ground pork and sounds delicious. Her recipe, as a filling for tacos, for grilled white fish marinated in fresh lime juice, orange juice, fresh coriander leaves, oregano and onion, served with Creamy, Spicy, Sweet Slaw lifts what can be a bland food into a new sphere of interest and turns it into something a whole lot more appetising. 
Mexican cookery is second to none when it comes to hand to mouth foods, whether its nachos, flautist (flutes), chalupas (little boats), quesadillas (sandwiched triangles) and sopas (little filled tart shaped) and Dotty provides plenty of choice for these and their fillings.  There are recipes for soups and stews to soak up all those lovely tortillas as well as traditional Mexican desserts to round off the meal.
The Ultimate Tortilla Press Cookbook will be a firm favourite in my cookbook library and I would like to thank Netgalley, Quarto Publishing Group - Harvard Common Press and Dotty Griffith for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

A super helpful book for tortilla-lovers! I've made corn tortillas over the years but this book takes corn tortillas above and beyond. Fried patties, gorditas and sopes, flour, gluten-free -- and so many more. Not only are there tortilla recipes, but filling recipes to accompany, which is fantastic; a simple but comprehensive tortilla book for sure.

Excellent mix of tortilla and complimentary recipes. Authentic flavors and a nice mix of technical skills needed.

This book is a good overview of cooking tortillas and using them in recipes. 
It begins with recipes for cooking about a dozen tortillas, including some with additional ingredients like spinach and others that are gluten free. This section even talks about nixtamalization.
This section was a lot smaller than I liked as I am only interested in cooking tortillas and not in using them to make other things, but I think I am in the minority here. The book then has countless recipes for using tortillas. All of the recipes in the book are well described and accompanied by beautiful pictures.

I've been thinking about buying a tortilla press for almost a year now, and this is the book that has finally convinced me! Having tried home-made tortillas from a friend, I was impressed with the superior flavour and texture, but... isn't it really complicated? Is this going to be another faddy gadget cluttering up my kitchen?!

Not so! Step forward The Ultimate Tortilla Press Cookbook. Along with 125 recipes - for different types of wrap and so much more Mexican food, from soup to desert! - we're treated to a history of tortillas, variations for different dietary needs, and all the information that I needed to decide that, yes: a tortilla press is for me!

The title of this book is what caught my eye. I jumped at the chance to read this and see what fantastic recipes were lurking inside. I tried a few and  my family LOVED them! If you want to have a wonderful taste of flavor in your mouth read this book because you will wanna try a few recipes for yourself!

Author Dorothy Griffith has written a witty tortilla cookbook that tells the history of tortillas, how to make tortillas and recipes using your homemade tortillas. I smiled when I read about Texas Tech students being tossed out of a game if they toss a flour tortilla after a kickoff. The author has included historical tidbits such as this throughout her cookbook. 

You will find recipes and tips on how to make your own tortillas. You will also find recipes using your homemade breads. Some of the recipes you'll find include:

Fried Tortilla Chips
Baja Fish Tacos
Mexican Stye Breakfast Potatoes
Pork Enchiladas
Veggie Enchiladas
Pinto or Black Bean Soup
Flour Tortillas "Noodles" Alfredo
Cinnamon Sugar Flour Tortilla Crisps

Recommend.

Review written after downloading a galley from NetGalley.

Wow! This is a wonderful book. You learn so much and the details are helpful. You'll find instructions as well as yummy recipes. We recommend this book. Everything you need to know is found within the pages.

The tortillas we buy in our supermarkets in Europe are nothing like the soft and flavoursome tortillas I have eaten from street vendors in the USA.  So I was delighted to try recipes from this book.  

The book starts with a brief history of tortillas, then gives descriptions of types of presses.  I liked the personal comment from the author as to recommendations based on her own experience. 

The step by step instructions for making corn and flour based tortillas were clear and easy to follow.  As a European reader,  I was delighted to have both metric and imperial measures.  I made the wheat tortillas using duck fat (what a great suggestion!) and they were superb. 

A wide range of recipes is provided for different tortillas and tacos, using a range of flours, including flavoured flours with suggested uses linked to recipes later in the book.  Useful hints and ideas pepper this section too, such as suggestions for reheating tortillas and tacos.

The final sections bring all that you have learnt together to make a range of dishes –  with fillings, sides, sauces and salsas. The range of recipes is very good and includes soups, stews and salads.  I tried the chicken fajita recipe and based on its success (it was moist, succulent and very tasty) I have bookmarked a number more to try.  

I’m no Mexican or Tex-Mex expert by any means, but the only disappointment was the dessert section.  I found it a little contrived and I am not tempted to try any of those recipes.

The Ultimate Tortilla Press Cookbook by Dotty Griffith is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in mid-February.

Fun, cheeky phrasing and silly jokes that both bolsters a budding chef and assures them that, hey, it's just dough on a stove/press. With just about every flatbread recipe being focused on using a press for preparing them, it's all about variations on flavor and how to fill them. My favorites include sweet potato flour tortillas, avocado crema, homemade chorizo, red pozole, and gorditas.

The Ultimate Tortilla Press Cookbook is a wonderful cookery book explaining how to  make flour tortillas, and how to use them in dishes with a large selection of recipes to choose from, be it for breakfast, soup, dinner or a dessert.

The book is split into two parts. Part 1 deals with the history of the tortilla, how to make them and which press to use for the best results.

Part 2 of this book covers the filling foundations, snacks & starters, tacos plus burritos, mains, soups and desserts.

Some of the recipes are familiar such as chicken fajitas, others such as puffy tacos are new to me and do look appetizing. Some of the dishes use numerous recipes from the book, so at times you may have to make many dishes for one meal.

There is colour photography, measurements in metric & imperial and little 'cheesy' jokes. Some of the ingredients are American, such as ground beef (beef mince) and zucchini (courgette).

I received this book from netgalley in return for a honest review.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. My husband is Hispanic and we eat a lot of tortillas, but I never thought about trying to make them before. Have been sick with the flu recently, so have not had a chance to make anything yet. The recipes look good and seem easy to follow, with ingredients that look readily available in my area.

The title says it all, the ultimate guide to make your tortillas! Flour tortillas? covered. Corn tortillas? covered. New and interesting combinations? yep. Recipes where I can use my freshly made tortillas? yum, yes!. This is a practical book that teaches you everything you wish to know. From tortilla press options to meal recipes.

The first part covers the history of tortillas. It is explained in a fun and interesting way that reminded me of a Good Eats episode (I loved that show). Then it introduces the tortilla press and the new and old alternatives for achieving flat tortillas. It explains how to make them and provides recipes for traditional corn and flour tortillas as well as variations that can be made from the basic recipes. Once all the tortilla know-how is covered, it presents tortilla friendly recipes: from salsas, snacks and main meals, to soups and desserts. Not all recipes include tortillas in it, sometimes they are recipes that go really well accompanied by tortillas. Expect to find traditional recipes like burritos, nachos, enchiladas, sopes, gorditas, fajitas, etc.

Is it the real thing?

Pretty much, yes!. It even includes the recipe for homemade nixtamal, so you can't get more authentic than that. Corn and Flour tortilla recipes are extremely simple with few ingredients, period. Even a recipe on how to prepare a glass of water will taste different in different places depending on your water source. So, it will taste as authentic as your ingredients are. One thing is for sure, home made will always taste better than anything you pull out from a plastic bag that has been sitting on a shelf for weeks.

This book is suitable for tortilla lovers who want fresh home-made tortillas because they can't get tortillas anywhere else, because they want better flavor than the ones from store, or because they want to experiment with new flavor-infused tortilla variations. Perfect gift if you want to hint someone to make tortillas for you. Even better if you include a press and the ingredients. I requested an eArc from Quarto Publishing Group – Harvard Common Press via NetGalley, Thank you!

Everything you need to know about making and using tortillas. Loved the pictures they were beautiful. I plan to buy this for my sister for her birthday

Part one gives a short history of the tortilla, plus an introductory guide to help you decide which kind of press you need in your kitchen. Everything you need to know to make homemade tortillas right in your own kitchen. This section also provides lots of different recipes and variations for making your own tortillas. 

Part two is filled with mouthwatering recipes that you can prepare using your homemade tortillas. Of course, store bought tortillas can be substituted in these recipes. I think the recipe section alone is worth the price of the book, regardless of if you ever learn how to make your own tortillas. 

I would recommend this book to anyone looking to make their own tortillas at home, and anyone looking for fantastic recipes for Mexican dishes. I received this as a free ARC from Quarto Publishing Group - Harvard Common Press on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Finally! The perfect guide to making this ancient food.

If like me, you came to tortillas simply because they were on a supermarket shelf or were being offered in a restaurant and therefore you had absolutely no idea how to make them then stress no more! 

Dotty Griffith has produced a truly wonderful recipe book on how to make flatbreads (of all descriptions) and taken the mystery out of producing them. As she says at the beginning of the book, “Pre-Columbian tortilla history goes back an estimated 10,000 years to the Mesoamerica, where Mayans made tortillas from ground corn. The Aztecs continued the tradition, as did the Incas of South America.” 

The recipes include making this wonderful flatbread using so many different methods and of course, the fillings that we love to wrap the tortillas, burritos, enchiladas or tacos around. There is even a section on puddings! 

The reason the word “Press” is in the title is because one needs to use a press, either a manual one or an electric one to get the bread – flat.

This is an absolute must for people who like me, might not like bread, and find this type of “bread” far more satisfying.

Treebeard

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

Homemade tortillas are nothing like the store bought variety, and, thanks to Dottie Griffith in her excellent cookbook, The Ultimate Tortilla Press Cookbook: 125 Recipes for All Kinds of Make-Your-Own Tortillas--and for Burritos, Enchiladas, Tacos, and More, anyone can make them successfully at home. While the book shows how to make corn tortillas which are generally thought of as more difficult, there is a primer on flour tortillas as well. The step-by-step instructions are excellent, and there are several recipes for different varieties such as Blue Corn Tortillas, Sweet Potato or Pumpkin Flour Tortillas, and Black Bean Tortillas. There are several recipes for tortillas made with different grains, as well as gluten-free tortillas.

Besides tortillas, the book features fillings, sauces, salsas, and specialty items such as Ground Beef Filling, Beef Brisket Filling, and Fajita Filling. There is also a recipe for homemade chorizo sausage. Also included are recipes for basic beans, an excellent New Mexico Red Chili Sauce, Mole, and a delicious tomatillo salsa which can be prepared either cooked or uncooked (we like the cooked version and it lasts longer in the refrigerator). There are several other salsas, too, as well as sauces for dozens of yummy Mexican main dishes. 

For those who love Mexican-style munchies, the book features recipes for Nachos, Flautas, Quesadillas, and other snack-type specialties. The recipes are easy to follow and are cook-friendly so that almost anyone can successfully make them. Interesting articles like The History of Tortillas, and trivia make the book a fun read, too. 

Quite honestly, this is a “must have” cookbook with step-by-step basics, mouthwatering meal ideas, and almost anything imaginable to put on a tortilla. Highly recommended, this book will be used constantly.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

TITLE:  I wish this book had been available when I first got interested in making my own tortillas

If you do not have another cookbook dealing with tortillas, this is a great, all-encompassing, book that covers all the basics: From choosing equipment, to recipes for making tortillas, and how to fill them and top them. There is nothing exceptionally innovative, unusual or exotic in these recipes, but that is not a bad thing: This book will give you a firm base for your own experimentation with tortilla flavors and fillings. And if you don’t care to experiment, this book will still give you plenty of recipes and combinations to work with for years to come.

The author has a personable style of writing, and it is obvious that she enjoys teaching and is earnest about conveying instructions precisely.

Seems like she covers all the bases and does not assume any experience level. But while not making any assumption about how much a reader may or may not know, she is able to avoid talking down to those more experienced.

Covers both corn and flour tortilla-making techniques--separate from the recipes. So, if you are at the stage where you've already tried to make your own tortillas, yet aren't succeeding too well, this books will definitely help you out. The author instills confidence, too! (Be forewarned, though: You may still end up deciding that it's easier to buy hand-made and flavored tortillas in a grocery store or restaurant......)

Interspersed among the recipes are good tips for all kinds of situations. For instance, how to keep lots of tortillas hot; how to assemble, how to roll and fold, how to fry a bowl shape.

There are recipes for basic corn and flour tortillas, plus many ideas for additions to the basics. Also a recipe for nixtamal.

There are recipes for blue corn tortillas, gorditas and sopes, gluten-free flour tortillas, sweet potato and squash tortillas, rice, bean, and grain tortillas.

There is a chapter for rolled and folded tortillas, with lots of “reasonable” filling recipes, but none too far-fetched. There's a good assortment of sauces and salsas.

There is a chapter on what else to use tortillas for: Nachos, chips, chalupas, flautas, quesadillas. Tacos, burritos, chimichangas and gorditas have their own chapter. So do enchaladas, fajitas and salads. So, you can see--everything possible is covered.

I was also very happy to see a chapter on soups—soups that “beg” for a side of tortillas, in the words of the author. We love soup in our house and there are some nice ones included here.

Page layout, type style and size, numbered and spaced instructions/steps: All make it easy on the eyes and easy for the brain to follow. There are well-done four-color pictures, too.

Having personally gone through the process of choosing and buying a tortilla press, I think this author gives good advice, and that advice—if you take it—will save you time and money: In my experience, aluminum presses break, the CucinaPro electric is nifty, but still needs a comal to cook the tortilla properly, (and I’ve given my CucinaPro away). Cast iron, (Victoria), in my opinion, is really the way to go. And I’ve not tried the Saachi SA1650 Electric Tortilla Maker.

*I received a temporary download of this cookbook from the publisher prior to its publication.

#TheUltimateTortillaPressCookbook #NetGalley

This book is fabulous. Dotty teaches us how to make homemade tortillas with natural ingredients. Also, the book contains facts about tortillas and over 100 delicious recipes. Very good to try with margaritas.

Some great ideas here! My tortilla press is in storage from my move, so I haven't been able to recipe test yet, but I will.