Norpro 6-Inch Non-Stick Tortilla Press - Make Fresh Homemade Flour & Corn Tortillas - Perfect for Tacos, Quesadillas, and Mexican Cooking

I've never made tortillas in my life. I was watching a You Tube video of some women in Mexico making homemade tortillas and they were using a press just like this one. That's all it took for me to want to try since I love Mexican food so much.I bought a bag of "Maseca" (maize corn flour) at the International Market, but I've seen it for sale in the Mexican food section of regular grocery stores. I mixed it up according to the directions (VERY easy) and my first try was a miss. I tried using wax paper and the tortilla wouldn't let go of it. I cut up a ziploc bag and used it for the bottom and top and pressed another tortilla out. It was WAY too big and squished out the sides of the press. The only problem I had was getting the dough ball the right size. I found that using a ping-pong ball size of dough worked best and learned not to press the tortilla press all the way down. I would lift it up and look at the tortilla in progress of being pressed and could easily re-adjust where it was lying by sliding the plastic around. If it was off center I could re-position it and continue to make a pretty nice tortilla.I fried mine in a cast-iron skillet but would like to get a griddle so I can cook more than one at a time. This press works great. The tortillas aren't very big and I'm going to try another brand of maize flour, but it was fun and I will be using this again many times. The press is super easy to clean under running water and a little soap. I lay it open on it's side until dry and put it back in the box it came it.My only suggestion is to use parchment paper to keep it from sticking.I like itThis is our first tortilla maker and we couldn't be happier with it. It is simple to use, but we had to make some adjustments to fix some of its issues:1. Need to use wax paper for both sides, otherwise the dough will stick to the flat sides;2. First press does not thin out the tortilla and because of the lever position the tortilla is not of even thickness. The fix: turn the tortilla 90degress and press. Okay, may loose your perfect roundness, but it made the tortilla thinner and more even for cooking3. Definately place the press over a kitch towel to avoid scratching your surface.4. Yes, the tortilla seems smaller than the 6 inch press, but hey, we are good with the smaller portion control! We all need it, even if we think otherwise!We use Bob's red mill Masa Harina, and it was delicious!!! So much tasier than the store purchase amount. We made what we were going to eat, no leftovers, no waste as we don't eat tortilla that regularly. And we know what was in the tortilla and not all the preservatives! we purchased a red ceramic tortilla warmer, which we warmed up on the oven whilst we prepared the filler: the tortilla warmer kept the tortilla warm for over an hour!! (we didn't want a plastic one in case there is any health issues associated with heat and plastic!)I'll admit that at first I was a bit frustrated with making my tortillas. This quickly ended after I figured out a few things and my second batch was so much fun to make.This is what I do:1) Mix up the maza and keep it moist. I roll out the balls first.2) Use 1 sheet of wax paper.3) Fold the wax paper in half (I do this diagonally so that it fits)4) Put the wax paper so that the open end is at the hinge side of the press and the folded part of the wax paper is at the handle side of the press. This will help in removing the tortillia.5) Put your tortillia ball about 1 inch off center towards the hinge of the press and then fold over the wax paper and close the press. The maza being off center will keep it evenly pressed. If it is in the center it tends to get pushed forward too much and hangs off the press.6) Open the press and run the wax paper with your hand a few times prior to peeling of the paper. This helps to break the bond. Turn the paper over and do the same thing to the other side. The tortillia now will fall out the paper very easily.7) Since the paper peels off the tortilla from back to front, the tortillia will not rip. If the paper were the other way it tends to rip the tortillia as the handle side of my press makes the tortillia thinner there.Hopefully this helps get you started. I love this press. Wish it were bigger though.This tortilla maker is awesome. I use it to make tamales. Easy to use and clean. It came with a few simple receipts. When I use it, I place a wax paper or clear no stick paper place it in the center. I place a medium size ball of mass on the husk and place on the maker close and press! It’s faster, neater and simple. Was worth the money!When it arrived, the package weighed so little, I thought it was empty. Small and lightweight, easy to store and use. I use it about once a week.I'm a beginner but I know how to make a very soft, pliable corn dough. This little press is more than adequate. I use 1 1/2 oz dough balls, made with just masa, water and salt... and with only slight pressure they spread out to the 6 inch diameter, at about 1/8 inch thick.There's a trick to getting these to puff up like a balloon... First you need a wet (slightly sticky) dough and a hot griddle. None of my electrics will get to 500 F. That's what you need. (I use cast iron pan over a flame, and a non-contact laser thermometer.)Seal one side for a minute, flip it and seal the other side for a minute. It's now air-tight. There's still water between the the two sides. This water can steam, and inflate the tortilla.Flip it, wait three seconds, and then press hard in the center of the tortilla with the heel of a spatula, or a folded up paper napkin. Keep the pressure on for a moment, until the edges inflate. Then release it and the whole thing blows up like a balloon.I really like this press, it does a good job of making very nice evenly pressed tacos shells. I have no doubt you could use it to make other foods as well. You may have to off center your dough also to compensate for the angle of pressure otherwise you will risk having one flat side to your circle but if you take time and practice it won’t be an issue long. I suggest using a plastic zip bag to keep the sticky dough off the press and make things easy for cleanup.The press is smaller than what we needed but it is OK, we will keep it. It is very simple to make tortilla raps using this press and there is no hassle of using rolling pin and trying to make a perfect circle.Oh man this has taken so much time off of my rolling for tortillas! It's definitely got some issues but I'm going to write in some helpful tips. It's really great for getting the basic shape that you need but it does require to be finished with a rolling pin depending on the desired thickness. In hindsight 6 inches is definitely pretty small, I would advise a larger one if you dont just want taco sized tortillas. I do not have the issue of it sticking to the press because I'm keto and just making flax seed wraps, but if you make your dough properly it should bind well enough not to stick. If it's still an issue I'd advise adding 1/4th of a tsp of xantham gum to a batch of dough for 4-6 tortillas. This is used a keto in baking to make our tempermental flours bind together and not stick to everything. Adjust the amount needed accordingly and adjust water if it ends up too dry etc. Another thing you can do is cut a freezer bag on 3 sides and press the tortilla between it. I usually press first and then finish in the bag to desired thickness. Another very helpful tip I read in these comments is to put the dough ball closer to the hinge and not right in the middle. Also if you want a good round shape make sure your doughball is as round as you can get it.Overall this thing is great and has been an absolute life saver. My tortilla rolling time has been split at least in half and its not very labourous to finish off because its already the right shape and close to the right thickness!Oh and the shipping was very fast, shipped Saturday and I got it Sunday! On the free shipping option!Easy use lightweight not bulkyBuena calidad, parece muy durable, buen acabado todo bien salvo por la medida descrita no es la adecuada ya que no son pulgadas son centimetros y debe corregirse ya que en mi caso no tengo problema en hacer tortillas pequeñas dado la quiero mas que todo para empanadas y esas son con tortillas chicas pero si alguien quiere una tortilla grande pues no le serviráThis is a great press!It's 6 inches wide which might be small for some people but the size of tortillas this press makes reminds me of tacos from roadside restaurants in Mexico.Make sure to sandwich the tortillas between parchment paper before pressing, they will come out perfectly and will not stick. Grab yourself some Maseca corn flour and make some delicious homemade tortillas with this press.The press itself is very light, which makes me wonder about it's long term durability. So far it works well and without any issues. If you want a heavier press then look for one made of cast iron instead.I wholeheartedly recommend this press for anyone looking for a reasonably priced, high quality press.