Tortilla Press

[chopsaw]

Nicely done Chop

Thanks Chris . Appreciate the comment .

Now I gotta go see what I have on hand as far as wood goes....

Thanks for looking Robert . If you put something together post it up .

That looks awesome Chop!

Thanks ! You could put one together cheaper than you think . Cast iron one is about 20 bucks .

Mighty fine piece of work!

Thanks Steve . Helps me keep my sanity

That's quite a project, nice piece of work Rich! I'd bet fresh warm home made tortillas would bring tacos and burritos to a whole new level of goodness.

They sure do . Good stuff . Thanks for the comments .

 

[chopsaw]

Nice job, and great idea Rich!

Thanks John . Appreciate the comment .

-You made it look easy!!

Thanks bud . Yup finally got it set up where I turn the light on and go to work . I enjoy being in the workshop , my favorite place .
Thanks for lookin .

 

[chopsaw]

Took it for test run yesterday . Worked pretty good . Takes more pressure than you think . Also a bit of a learning curve on the moisture content for the masa .
Anyway ,,, things I would do different in case anyone is interested
I left a small gap at the hinge side . I don't think it's needed ,
I also think the angle of the handle needs to be increased . I set this up to be level when closed / bottomed out . Needs just a slight incline I think .

 

[flatbroke]

Nice job!

 

[xray]

Very nice Chop, I would say you have a success on your hands. The torts look pretty good from here.

As more the moisture content, I seem to always add a bit more water to mine than what the bag calls for. Then I let them sit for a few minutes under a wet paper towel.

I only need 6 for most of my purposes but I prepare 12 according to the package. It takes a tortilla or two to sacrifice. The first ones are never as pretty towards the end. On my electric stove, the burner set to 7 seems to be my sweet spot for cooking them.

 

[chopsaw]

Nice job!

Thanks bud .

As more the moisture content,

Yeah , I let it sit 20 minutes or so per the directions . Did some like that , but started adding water to see what I liked best . Seems like you get the moisture right , they slide in the cast iron like a air hockey puck . All were moist and no cracks or breaks .
I want to make a couple more presses , just because .

 

[paulgeorge]

xray inspired me to make some homemade corn tortilla's after looking thru his post on Jerk Shrimp tacos . My gosh they were good , and a huge difference in the meal . I have had real deal Mexican food and these reminded me of that .
So I started looking at a press . Not bad money for the cast iron , I saw some made out of wood ,,,, so I looked to see what I had in the shop .
Found enough scrap to glue up what I needed .
Glued up Walnut , maple and some cherry .
View attachment 448698
Basic idea ,
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Roughed out the parts , just doing this out of my head .
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End result ,
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Put some anti-slip feet on the bottom . Keeps it from rocking too .
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I put a store bought tortilla in it , put the top on and installed the hinges .
Didn't know if I needed a small gap or not , but can't hurt .
Figured the tortilla was the perfect " shim " .
Have not used it yet , hope it works .
check out here more https://tortillamakermachine.com/
Thanks for lookin , and Thanks for the inspiration xray

You did a great job turning inspiration into a homemade press. The wood choice looks fantastic, and the anti-slip feet are a smart addition. I’m sure it’ll work perfectly once you try it out.

 

[old sarge]

Nice!

 

[chopsaw]

I’m sure it’ll work perfectly once you try it out.

Thanks . Been used many times in the last 5 years . Works good .
They even reproduced !


Currently collecting dust in the basement .

 

[uncle eddie]

I missed this post! Nice job and great looking press!

 

[mosparky]

Collecting dust ? Thats a shame, but who am I to speak. I found one at a Mexican grocery in St. Charles for a good price and have never used it.
I call it prepping for retirement when I'll have more time than money. Just about 20 months away.

 

[bigfurmn]

chopsaw pretty sure I should be getting a bonus, how much for one?
EDIR : Oh damn me. This thread is almost as old as my son.

 

[JLinza]

I missed this too. Glad it came back around. Great idea and great craftsmanship. Nicely done Rich

 

[chopsaw]

Collecting dust ? Thats a shame, but who am I to speak. I found one at a Mexican grocery in St. Charles for a good price and have never used it.

I have one that I use , but it's been awhile . The ones in the picture have never been used ,
That " collecting dust " pile is getting big . This is about half of it .