# Corn or Flour Tortillas



## carolelaine (Aug 24, 2007)

I have always thought that enchiladas should be made with corn tortillas, but I saw a recipe on Tylers Ultimate for chicken enchiladas made with flour tortillas.  So, against my better judgement I made it.  The sauce was okay the filling was okay, but I hated the flour tortillas in there.  It may be just a matter of what one is used to having.  What do you guys think, corn or flour?


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## Katie H (Aug 24, 2007)

I use, and like, both.  We just had some enchiladas recently and I used flour tortillas.  They were quite good.  Maybe your taste buds just like corn tortillas.


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## Uncle Bob (Aug 24, 2007)

Both have their place...but I favor corn mostly!


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## kadesma (Aug 24, 2007)

_I've used both and will eat both. My kids are half and half, 2 like corn and 2 like flour so I always end up with both My favorite are flour. Neither is wrong, it's just a matter of which tastes the best to you._
_kadesma_


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## auntdot (Aug 24, 2007)

Generally prefer the flour but am not fanatical about it.


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## jpmcgrew (Aug 24, 2007)

I like the corn for enchiladas and flour for burritos thats the way they usually are used


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## Barb L. (Aug 24, 2007)

I always prefer corn, not a fan of flour.


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## keltin (Aug 24, 2007)

I was watching Emeril a bit a go, and he fried some tortilla strips for a dish he as making. It made me think about Doritos….tortilla chips. Anyone actually cut up corn tortillas and fry them as chips? Ever spice them up with something like powered cheese (do they make that….mac and cheese pack comes to mind) like a Dorito? How were they? I may have to start making my own!


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## Uncle Bob (Aug 24, 2007)

I've heard of this but never done it. Also I have ehard of making dumplings out of the flour ones....Go figure!


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## keltin (Aug 24, 2007)

Uncle Bob said:


> I've heard of this but never done it. Also I have ehard of making dumplings out of the flour ones....Go figure!


 
Dumplings? Really? I may have to try that one day. I’ve done a fast a furious chicken and dumplings with canned biscuits that is ok….I wonder how the flour tortillas would be (could they possibly swell at all)? Interesting. Thanks for the idea!


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## Katie H (Aug 24, 2007)

keltin said:


> Dumplings? Really? I may have to try that one day. I’ve done a fast a furious chicken and dumplings with canned biscuits that is ok….I wonder how the flour tortillas would be (could they possibly swell at all)? Interesting. Thanks for the idea!



They are not the kind of dumplings you might imagine, keltin.  They're not the fat, puffy ones.  Rather they are the thinner "slippery" ones.


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## Uncle Bob (Aug 24, 2007)

Think I will stick with the old fashion method.


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## Alix (Aug 24, 2007)

keltin said:


> Anyone actually cut up corn tortillas and fry them as chips? Ever spice them up with something like powered cheese (do they make that….mac and cheese pack comes to mind) like a Dorito? How were they? I may have to start making my own!



There is a "spice" to put on popcorn that is cheesy flavoured powder. Made by Kernels. They have all kinds of flavours and Nacho cheese is a very popular one. I haven't done the tortilla chip thing, but you are giving me ideas. 

As for the corn vs flour tortilla thing, well I like my homemade corn soft taco shells but prefer flour tortillas for enchiladas and all other kinds of wraps.


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## Uncle Bob (Aug 24, 2007)

It's all about the "juice" anyway....and the cornbread that "falls" into it


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## keltin (Aug 24, 2007)

Uncle Bob said:


> It's all about the "juice" anyway....and the cornbread that "falls" into it


 
Thanks for the info Katie! I was wondering if they would “puff up” or not! While I do like a good dumpling, I gots to agree with UB and say it’s the sauce/juice that makes it the winner (doesn’t everyone just eat spoon fulls of the sauce with chicken as if it were a soup…not every bite needs a dumpling right? Corn bread is a different matter!). So now I’m curious….good gravy/sauce/juice……slippery thin dumplings……I’ve not had that before. I really may try this!


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## jpmcgrew (Aug 24, 2007)

You guys are taking this totally out of context corn tortillas are used for enchiladas the flour tortillas are for burritos.You can not make dumplings out of either.You can make tortilla chips from raw corn tortillas fried in oil and then salted I like using peanut oil.Corn tortillas fried fresh and salted are the best.A soft taco is made with a flour tortilla or a corn tortilla that has not been fried with the filling and cheese but eaten like a taco, a burrito is filled and can be covered with sauce or not if its covered in sauce and some more cheese its called smothered ..Also in New Mexico enchiladas are not rolled up we stack them like pancakes putting the meat filling and cheese between the layers on individual plates.We also make a puffy dough bread that is fried and it puffs up while frying and ends up with a hollow pocket(sopaipillas) we like to fill them with honey and eat with the meal or after.
Where is Corazon when I need her?


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## corazon (Aug 24, 2007)

Here I am!
Ditto what jpmc said.
Nothing like a red chile enchilada with a fried egg on top.
I don't think I've ever had enchiladas with flour tortillas and the idea sounds kind of soggy to me.  Corn tortillas can soak up more juice and flavor and delicious chile.  Generally for enchiladas, the corn tortillas are briefly fried then, like jpmc said, stacked with a layer of chile inbetween and topped with a fried egg or two.  
Man I am hungry.
Also a side note on soapapillas, these you can also fill with chile and meat for a stuffed soapapilla.  I like mine with honey for dessert.  yum.  I've never tried making them, maybe I should.  jpmc, have you ever made them from scratch?


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## kadesma (Aug 25, 2007)

keltin said:


> I was watching Emeril a bit a go, and he fried some tortilla strips for a dish he as making. It made me think about Doritos….tortilla chips. Anyone actually cut up corn tortillas and fry them as chips? Ever spice them up with something like powered cheese (do they make that….mac and cheese pack comes to mind) like a Dorito? How were they? I may have to start making my own!


Keltin,
my family loves it when we fry up our own tortilla strips, they especially love the flour tortillas cut up, fried and salted then use them for salsa, or avocado dip. Another fave is to break them into homemade chicken mexican soup with lots of cumin in the soup..Yummy 
kadesma


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## YT2095 (Aug 25, 2007)

Keltin I`ve also done that but with the Corn type, as for flavoring I find the Natcho Cheese sachets used for coating potato wedges are great


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## elaine l (Aug 25, 2007)

This thread has enlightened me on a few points.  Sometimes I used flour and sometimes corn.  It is true that the corn absorb the sauces where the flour tortillas just get soggy and almost tough.  Funny it took reading something to make me realize where I sometimes go wrong.  From now on flour for burritos, corn for enchiladas.  

Do most of you make your own tortillas?  I use store bought.


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## Barb L. (Aug 25, 2007)

I buy mine !!


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## YT2095 (Aug 25, 2007)

depends what mood I`m in, but 9 times outa 10 I buy them.


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## jpmcgrew (Aug 25, 2007)

Corazon,I have made sopaipillas a few times sometimes they are perfect and sometimes they are not.One trick I learned somewhere is to stretch the pieces a little before you drop them in the oil its supposed to make them puff up better.                                                                                        By the way the green chilis are roasting all over New Mexico as we speak.Im not gonna screw up this year and wait too long to get a bunch before they are all gone.


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## Caine (Aug 25, 2007)

I live is a predominantly Latino neighborhood. I can buy fresh, still warm tortillas, made by professionals, within walking distance of my condo, for less than a nickle apiece. Why should I go to all that trouble for a half dozen when they make thousands every day?

As for corn vs flour, although corn tortillas are traditional and were being used in native cuisine long before the Spaniards ever brought wheat to North America, I prefer flour tortillas in everything except maybe tacos.

JP, you have to remember that Mexican cuisine changes drastically as you move from east to west and from south to north. The Mexican food in Colorado is different than that in Las Cruces, and by the time you get to California, the green sauce is milder than the red sauce and there are no sopapillas. In New Orleans, they dust sopapillas with powdered sugar and call them beignets!


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## Andy M. (Aug 25, 2007)

It's food, for crying out loud!  Do what you like best.  I, for one, promise not the call the tortilla police.


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## jpmcgrew (Aug 25, 2007)

You are right! The Mexican Food in NM is also different in different parts of the state.


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## jpmcgrew (Aug 25, 2007)

Andy M. said:


> It's food, for crying out loud! Do what you like best. I, for one, promise not the call the tortilla police.


Thats just what I would expect a Yankee to say.Taco Bell has people all messed up on what real Mexican food really is.


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## Andy M. (Aug 25, 2007)

Unless you have been personally charged with the single handed preservation of the Mexican culinary tradition, It's really not an issue.

BTW, I don't want to tell you what happened to the last person who used the word Yankee when referring to me.  I'm from Boston, after all.


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## bigjimbray (Nov 5, 2007)

isn`t those soapapillas arn`t they like indian fry bread. I know my mother use to make those when I was a little kid. with my dad, little brother, and little sister, my mother could`nt make them fast enough. thats when my dad taught me to eat sorgum molasses
and homemade butter. that will take you back for a while.


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## expatgirl (Nov 5, 2007)

I have to make  my own over here---- why didn't Genghis Khan ever conquer a people who made them????  He conquered just about everyone else.    Anyway in Houston you can also get them while still hot off the shelf and our  nieghborhood Kroger makes them while you wait.  As for the corn vs. flour tortilla enchilada debate just call them something else and they won't taste funny.


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## corazon (Nov 5, 2007)

jpmcgrew said:


> Corazon,I have made sopaipillas a few times sometimes they are perfect and sometimes they are not.One trick I learned somewhere is to stretch the pieces a little before you drop them in the oil its supposed to make them puff up better. By the way the green chilis are roasting all over New Mexico as we speak.Im not gonna screw up this year and wait too long to get a bunch before they are all gone.


I've never made sopapillas, do you make them from scratch or do you get the box mix?  I should give it a whirl.  Ah, green chile.  My mom came up last month and brought us some.  Verrrry tasty to say the least.  Do you jar or freeze yours?

Just another note (on topic of course )
We also use corn tortillas for tacos.  We don't generally fry them in this house though.  We either heat them in a ziploc in the microwave to lock in the moisture (white corn) and for yellow corn tortillas we spray a little oil on both sides and heat them up on the grill.


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## jpmcgrew (Nov 5, 2007)

I freeze my green chili got 3 big burlap bags of medium.I make sopaipillas from scratch I will try to find the recipe for you.


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## Aera (Nov 5, 2007)

keltin said:


> I was watching Emeril a bit a go, and he fried some tortilla strips for a dish he as making. It made me think about Doritos….tortilla chips. Anyone actually cut up corn tortillas and fry them as chips? Ever spice them up with something like powered cheese (do they make that….mac and cheese pack comes to mind) like a Dorito? How were they? I may have to start making my own!


 

I've baked some in the oven a few times but never fried them. I rubbed some olive oil on them and then sprinkled different batches with all different types of spices. They came out really good.  There was a Mexican  restaurant in NYC I used to go that gave you home made fried tortilla chips with your order.  They would put a bunch of them loose in a brown paper bag and the bottom of the bag would be all oily and greasy. It was great! But not something I could have too often unfortunately.


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