by A.J. Coltrane
Periodically I decide I want to make tortillas from scratch. The results tend to be uneven, probably because I’m only trying it periodically.
Tonight’s came out better than usual and were less hassle. I think there are two reasons for that — I didn’t make them as wet as usual, and I didn’t squeeze the tortilla press super hard. The drier, thicker tortillas separated from the plastic much more easily than in previous attempts.
I used a sandwich-size freezer bag. The thicker plastic seemed to help as well.
Cast iron skillets really hold the heat and lead to good color on the tortillas. (These are all 5-6″ in diameter.)
Combined with slow-cooker pork shoulder, cheese, and salsa:
Very tasty!
Bonus hunter pic:
The toy is a Cat Dancer. The girl cat completely loses her mind. (Link for reference. Shop around.)
(Recipe link. Amazon link for the source recipe in Mexico One Plate At A Time.)
FlatbreadGarden 
I don’t have a tortilla press. Have you tried shaping them by hand and, if so, how successful was that?
k
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A rolling pin would work, though it might be tricky to get an appropriate, consistent thickness.
I’ve seen Alton Brown roll out doughs using a rubberband-looking spacer on each end of a rolling pin, which would be another option if you don’t want a monotasker in the kitchen.
If you want to try it one night you’re welcome to borrow our press. For that matter, you can use our sack of masa flour too.
There’s also fun having a “tortilla making party” with margaritas and Mexican food.
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Actually, I was wondering if you’d tried actually _by_hand_, like the old ladies do. My attempts always come out more like gorditas.
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Paraphrasing Rick Bayless — If you’re a little old lady who’s been doing it since birth then great, as for me (him) I use a tortilla press.
That was enough to dissuade me from trying it by hand.
The press is pretty quick too.
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