Just Rankin’ Sh!t

The 5 Best Ways to Reheat a Tortilla, Ranked

There’s still hope for your leftover tacos

Omar L. Gallaga
LEVEL
Published in
2 min readJul 15, 2020

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Photo: Omar Gallaga

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5. Microwave

Real talk, just make a sandwich instead. Nuking is the worst way to revive the spirit of store-bought or leftover tortillas. Half-assed efforts like wrapping multiple corn tortillas in a moist paper towel still result in mealy, desiccated discs. Remember in Hellraiser when Pinhead arrives, saying, “We’ll tear your soul apart!” That’s what microwaves do to tortillas.

4. Grill

You may be a whiz at perfectly charred ribs or using mesquite chips to give chorizo some smoky flavoring in your fancy gas grill, but tortillas are tougher on the big stage. It’s easy to burn them while getting distracted with meat-cooking duties, and unless you’re a neat freak, they’re going to get gritty-ass grill mess all over. If you don’t have a side burner, choose a different battle.

3. Ovens and toaster ovens

A worthy method, but it’s all about timing: If the toaster oven is set too high, any time savings are negated by the burnt, too-crispy result. (Or just look…

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Omar L. Gallaga
Omar L. Gallaga

Written by Omar L. Gallaga

Tech culture writer and podcaster, now freelancing in Texas. Bylines: Washington Post, WSJ, CNN, NPR, Wired, Texas Monthly. Here for all your wordy needs.