24
votes
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Difference between burritos, chimichanga, and enchiladas?
An enchilada is a corn tortilla wrapped around some filling (often meat and/or cheese), covered in sauce. The sauce is really defining here: the word is derived from a verb meaning "to season with ...
- 58.1k
22
votes
Accepted
What can you do with leftover corn husks?
Options:
Traditional: line the bottom of the tamale steamer basket with them.
Modern: Steam something else in them, like halibut.
Marie Kondo: Compost them.
- 58.6k
17
votes
Accepted
At what step is the difference made between a quesadilla and burrito?
Quesadilla comes from queso, cheese, and that is mostly what goes in there. Maybe some jalapeños or onions, but that's really it.
In a burrito you'd add much more, both volume and variety, for ...
- 1,363
12
votes
At what step is the difference made between a quesadilla and burrito?
By far the easiest way to make flat quesadillas is just to use two tortillas, like a sandwich. No worries about folding things up that way.
If you want the folded in half or folded in thirds kind, ...
- 58.1k
12
votes
Mole sauce without chocolate?
Mole is often made with unsweetened chocolate or cocoa powder. No added sugars are involved. (There is a tiny amount of natural sugar in the cacao, about 1%.)
Chocolate is not absolutely necessary in ...
- 4,416
12
votes
Accepted
What's the line between salsa and guacamole?
Part of the problem is that "salsa" doesn't mean just one thing to everyone. If you do a web search for "avocado salsa" you get images ranging from liquid to chunky:
Similarly, ...
- 16.3k
11
votes
Accepted
Mole sauce without chocolate?
I think you have three options.
Mole doesn't require chocolate. Find a recipe that doesn't have any. This recipe on Epicurious doesn't have chocolate, though they address that by noting that their ...
- 16.3k
9
votes
Accepted
How to store freezer burritos?
Wrap them individually in cling-film.
Then you can either box them or just pile them up.
- 28.8k
8
votes
What is queso (the sauce/dip)? Is it short for Chile con Queso?
Google is correct, in that it can be a shortening of 'chile con queso' (most typically in the US to non-spanish speakers). But 'chile' is not the same as 'chili'.
'Chile' refers to peppers, so the ...
- 79.3k
8
votes
Accepted
How can I keep tomatillos submerged in water during boiling?
Use a metal wire strainer turned upside down in a larger cooking pot so that the tomatillos can bob around in the water but always be under the surface. If for some reason the strainer doesn't stay ...
7
votes
What's the line between salsa and guacamole?
I think what you are seeing is marketing speak. Many different manufacturers put out similar products but may call them by different names. From what I've seen, guacamole, guacamole dip, and avocado ...
- 18.3k
5
votes
What can I use instead of annatto?
There is no substitute here. You can use something else to give you a red/orange color, but annatto seed is the main ingredient and main flavor in achiote paste, so if you replace it, you aren't ...
- 30.2k
5
votes
What is queso (the sauce/dip)? Is it short for Chile con Queso?
Translated to English, queso means cheese. There are many kinds of Mexican cheeses and most are widely available.
The popular cheese dip, chile con queso, is melted cheese with chile peppers. Some ...
- 18.3k
4
votes
How to dice tomatoes?
A different method, requires a little practise, but quick & easy once you have it. This method keeps the seeds, but loses the harder green bit where the stalk was attached.
This is the quickest ...
- 28.8k
4
votes
How to dice tomatoes?
What I've been doing lately for large batches is using a food processor or blender. Specifically I've been using a Ninja blender that was about $70.
I cut the tops off the tomatoes and sometimes cut ...
- 6,203
4
votes
Is there an alternative wrapping for tamales?
My mom (from Guadalajara) used to often wrap them in parchment paper, since it can withstand being heated/steamed. I don't know why she started doing it - probably because it annoyed her that the ...
4
votes
Why is my masa mushy?
I know this thread is way old but I did just find it 😀It took me years to figure out that it was my meat filling that was too wet, making my tamales take forever to steam.
- 41
4
votes
Why does my horchata have too much sediment?
One technique which seems to be effective at straining out fine sediment is gel clarification with gelatin or agar. Dave Arnold's research on agar clarification culminated in an approach which uses ...
- 1,974
4
votes
At what step is the difference made between a quesadilla and burrito?
The defining feature of a quesadilla, as the name implies, is cheese. If the primary filling isn't cheese, then what you're making isn't a quesadilla, no matter how close you come to a flat semicircle ...
- 4,967
4
votes
What is queso (the sauce/dip)? Is it short for Chile con Queso?
It depends on the region and the context.
If my wife sends me to store for hamburger I know she means packaged ground beef. At a restaurant if I order hamburger I will get a cooked patty with a ...
- 6,390
4
votes
Accepted
Substitute nixtamalized corn flour for corn meal + corn starch
I don't think that substitution will work out as you wanted.
Nixmatalization changes the composition of the corn hull, the treatment weakens the tough outer shell and generally makes it very ...
- 11.7k
4
votes
Accepted
What ingredient(s) available in the UK would make a passable alternative to epazote?
Obviously, if you can find real, fresh epazote at a local spice vendor's, go get it, it's a lovely herb. It is definitely not an herb that I would recommend bothering to substitute if you have access ...
- 516
4
votes
How do green jackfruit and hearts of palm compare for vegan pulled pork/carnitas/barbecue?
As a veg/vegan for 24 years, I've used both and prefer jackfruit. Hearts of palm typically come canned and quickly turn to mush if you do anything but slice them up. Whereas jackfruit has a much ...
- 41
4
votes
Tortilla press geometry problems
With no pictures of your press it is hard to make suggestions.
But assuming your press has metal plates with loops and a pin for the hinge, and if you can take it apart, you might be able to lengthen ...
- 41
4
votes
How can I make corn tortillas as thin as store bought?
There are a variety of reasons your tortillas might be thicker than you'd like. My first tip to you is to line your tortilla press with a thick plastic sheet on each side instead of paper; I use a ...
- 58.6k
4
votes
Accepted
How do taco trucks get their soft taco shells to have a slightly oily texture and more complex taste?
The oily texture is from the oil. The normal way to heat corn tortillas for tacos, to make them soft and foldable without weakening them, is to briefly heat them on an oiled flattop grill.
The ...
- 26.1k
4
votes
Accepted
Better way to peel chiles de agua for rellenos?
Well, a few miscellaneous thoughts, from someone who has routinely had to substitute utterly unacceptable peppers in chiles rellenos:
The more tender the pepper, the faster you've got to be with the ...
- 26.1k
3
votes
Making flour tortillas softer and more elastic
My aunt users my grandmother's recipe and they are the thickest most pliable and delicious tortillas I've ever had, similar to the texture and taste of Taco Cabana but thicker and tastier and she ...
- 39
3
votes
How do I keep my enchiladas from getting soggy when they cook?
To avoid sogginess the restaurant that I worked at, and probably all others, avoid baking sauce on the enchiladas in a dish. Cook and heat you're assembled enchiladas in the oven but here's the key. ...
- 31
3
votes
What's the difference between a flauta and a taquito?
A taquito is made with a flour tortilla. Usually filled with chicken, cheese, or shredded beef. They arer practically the same size as a flauta. It is not a chimichanga (deep fried burrito). Mostly ...
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