Where to get large tortillas?

[Muse]

You go to a Mexican restaurant and they serve up burritos wrapped in really large tortillas, I'm guessing 14" diameter, maybe bigger. I don't think I've encountered those in the markets.

I make a lot of burritos. I'd settled on the not-quite-big-enough "Jumbo" 10" Las Fortunitas packs of 30 sold by Costco, lately for $3.19/pack. They aren't big enough to wrap around my fixin's so I serve it open face. After you eat some of what gets enclosed in the wrap, you can fold the thing into a small burrito. That sort of works. But recently, Costco decided to discontinue this item. All but the business Costco outlet in Hayward will stock nothing larger than 8". The Business Costco stocks 12" packs of 24 for $3.99. It's a pretty long drive for me.

I'm in Berkeley. Safeway has ~11" tortillas in packs of 8 for $2. Trader Joe's has 10" in packs of 10 for $1.79. I'd like to find a source for big packs of the kind of tortillas they use to make burritos in the Mexican restaurants around here. A pack of 50 would be fine. There MUST be a source. I'm not seeing anything online or in the yellow pages. Do you know of any?

 

[KLin]

La Tapatia super burrito is what I buy. 8 costs about 3 bucks.

http://www.tortillas4u.com/our-products/

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Have you considered the possibility of having 2 ordinary burritos instead of 1 giant burrito? It's so crazy it just might work.

 

[Ns1]

large tortillas? from Berkeley? You trying to make mission burritos? if so, you need one of these:

but really though, why aren't you hitting up a mexican market for your giant tortilla needs?

 

[Obsy]

Have you considered the possibility of having 2 ordinary burritos instead of 1 giant burrito? It's so crazy it just might work.

Bro the only reason I go to Chipotle is because they serve me one giant burrito, not two tiny-ass ones

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Bro the only reason I go to Chipotle is because they serve me one giant burrito, not two tiny-ass ones

Oh, I thought it was because you liked paying twice as much for inferior food. My mistake.

 

[Ns1]

Oh, I thought it was because you liked paying twice as much for inferior food. My mistake.

fully decked 1200 calorie chicken burrito for $6.70

 

[Muse]

large tortillas? from Berkeley?


but really though, why aren't you hitting up a mexican market for your giant tortilla needs?

Well, I suppose there are in close proximity, but I don't know of them. Maybe down on San Pablo Avenue near (just south of) University Avenue, I think there may be one or more there. I should look... I encountered something like that a year or two ago IIRC.

It seems like sources of large tortillas is something of an underground thing.

 

[Ns1]

Well, I suppose there are in close proximity, but I don't know of them. Maybe down on San Pablo Avenue near (just south of) University Avenue, I think there may be one or more there. I should look... I encountered something like that a year or two ago IIRC.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/mi-tierra-foods-berkeley

?

 

[Platypus]

...any Mexican grocery store ever?

 

[Muse]

http://www.yelp.com/biz/mi-tierra-foods-berkeley

?

Yeah, I think that's the place. Nice authentic vibe. Not a hole in the wall either. They cater to the latin clientele, the kind of folks who don't converse in English! :awe: I'm going down there and check it out, I think they're my best bet right now. There's a lot of ethnic stuff going on down there, a little India sprouted up around the corner from there in the last couple of decades.

 

[twinrider1]

I'm betting there are a handful of real deal Mexican tortilla factories within 25 miles of you. 14" is a pretty standard size.

 

[KLin]

La TAPATIA SUPER BURRITO, MOTHERFUCKER

 

[mmntech]

Make them yourself. All you need is a little masa.
http://www.amazon.com/Instant-Corn-Masa-Mix-4-84/dp/B0000IJYK4

 

[Muse]

I'm betting there are a handful of real deal Mexican tortilla factories within 25 miles of you. 14" is a pretty standard size.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I don't know how to find them! I Googled stuff like: large tortillas 94703, some other things and didn't come up with anything. My yellow pages under restaurant*, nada.

If I could find a factory near me that sells 14" or even 12" flour tortillas at a decent price to the general public, that would be great.

 

[Muse]

Make them yourself. All you need is a little masa.
http://www.amazon.com/Instant-Corn-Masa-Mix-4-84/dp/B0000IJYK4

Ah, well, I once bought some masa to make corn tortillas. But these are flour tortillas.

I actually used to make my own large flour tortillas and it occurred to me that I could do that again. I used to make it from scratch by hand totally, bowl+flour+water+salt+(a little yeast), maybe some bacon grease or oil, knead, divide, roll out on floured board and fry both sides, store in plastic bag in refrigerator. They come out well, it's not hard to do. It makes something of a mess, it's impossible to not get flour around, not a big problem, but way easier to buy in store. Well, I have a bread machine now, so it would be easier. I could, but if I can find a source I like for what I like, I'll probably do that. My next try will be that Mexican market west of me by around 1.5 miles on San Pablo Avenue, linked above.

 

[QueBert]

No stores sell large large tortillas, I'm not sure where the hole in the wall spots get theirs from. I've never opened one up to measure it, but the spot I like in SD the burrito's as long as my forearm and weighs about 3 1/2 pounds. The largest tortillas I've seen for sale, even at the Mexican markets pale in comparison to the size of the ones you get at a lot of hole in the wall places. I found some 14" ones at a local Mexican market, but they seem tiny compared to what I'm use to. I guess it's all in perspective.

 

[Muse]

No stores sell large large tortillas, I'm not sure where the hole in the wall spots get theirs from. I've never opened one up to measure it, but the spot I like in SD the burrito's as long as my forearm and weighs about 3 1/2 pounds.

The largest tortillas I've seen for sale, even at the Mexican markets pale in comparison to the size of the ones you get at a lot of hole in the wall places. I found some 14" ones at a local Mexican market, but they seem tiny compared to what I'm use to. I guess it's all in perspective.

Actually, for me there's a plus side to not having gigantic tortillas, that's a lot of carbs. I was OK with the 10" ones from Costco, some of them measure closer to 12", it's odd how uneven their size was. But Costco cut them for some reason I can't fathom.

A 3.5 lb. burrito is not what I want to make! When I fed one of mine to my brother he asked for another and I complied. But to me, two is too much for dinner. :$ What I make would have to be well under 1/2 of a 3.5 lb. burrito.

I always heat up my tortillas in the process of making my burritos. I fry them on pretty high heat on both sides, not so much that it doesn't remain pliable, but nicely toasted. The pan I use wouldn't accommodate 14" tortillas, though. I think it would accommodate a 12" tortilla.

Actually, I just measured and the pan I use to heat my tortillas isn't much bigger than 10". I have another pan, cast iron, that's 10.5", maybe 11" being generous. I'm looking now online for larger griddles!

I've found a couple online that look interesting. What I've been using for over 20 years is an aluminum square 10+" griddle that has a plastic handle, a nonstick surface that has endured many extremely high heat experiences! You know, when there's basically nothing on it and it's sitting there with the gas burner at the highest flame! I never expected the coating to be able to withstand that, but it has. I don't know if one I buy today would hold up, which has me thinking cast iron. But these two are aluminum with a non-stick coating:

All Clad for $60

12" quesadilla pan at JC Penny for $27

Edit:

Actually, this looks like it might be ideal. It looks to be the same as the JC Penny one and for $18.60 including tax if I pick it up from Macy's! It's discounted 15% 'cause it's on sale. I went and ordered it, what a deal! I generally am in that neighborhood every two weeks, hopefully I can pick it up in a couple weeks. Macy's is the last place I would have thought would have the best deal on a pan!

 

[twinrider1]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I don't know how to find them! I Googled stuff like: large tortillas 94703, some other things and didn't come up with anything. My yellow pages under restaurant*, nada.

If I could find a factory near me that sells 14" or even 12" flour tortillas at a decent price to the general public, that would be great.

Tortilleria.....that is the word you need. Good luck.

 

[Dirigible]

http://www.yelp.com/biz/mi-tierra-foods-berkeley

?

If you're there, stop by the Country Cheese store too. Because cheese.

 

[Muse]

If you're there, stop by the Country Cheese store too. Because cheese.

Yeah, I used to live closer to that store, not far now. I haven't stopped in there in many years. They used to be named Old World Cheese Company, but I think they decided that the locals didn't get the vibe that they were talking about Europe or the Balkans and environs (where cheese has its great traditions), so they changed it. They had a lot better pricing before they changed the name, which I'm thinking must have been in the 1980's. I have no idea what's going on in there now, but I'm not optimistic. Anyway, I don't get down there on a bike much anymore. I used to go in, hoping they weren't so expensive anymore but was continually disappointed and just stopped checking them out.

 

[Muse]

Tortilleria.....that is the word you need. Good luck.

Ah, thanks!

Reading the reviews for Mi Tierra down near San Pablo and University in West Berkeley, I'm getting the idea that they have stuff, maybe not as good for me as what I could find in the Fruitvale area of Oakland. I went into a market down there, I'm trying to remember, must have been maybe at Fruitvale Avenue and 14th street, a really big market with a very Mexican vibe. I was in there a bunch of times, but not for maybe 20 years or more now.

 

[Dirigible]

Yeah, I used to live closer to that store, not far now. I haven't stopped in there in many years. They used to be named Old World Cheese Company, but I think they decided that the locals didn't get the vibe that they were talking about Europe or the Balkans and environs (where cheese has its great traditions), so they changed it. They had a lot better pricing before they changed the name, which I'm thinking must have been in the 1980's. I have no idea what's going on in there now, but I'm not optimistic. Anyway, I don't get down there on a bike much anymore. I used to go in, hoping they weren't so expensive anymore but was continually disappointed and just stopped checking them out.

Damn. I havent been there in years either. Used to be good cheese for cheap.

 

[EliteRetard]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NBWRU2/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=

Cheap 14" stainless steel fry pan. Over double the cooking surface of a 10".

You do get what you pay for, this pan is roughly machined and made from very thin material. There is a thicker "clad" bottom plate but it's not effective enough to provide even heat on a normal electric burner.

It works fairly well on a large gas burner though, and you can sand the inside to smooth it out a bit. Then it works well for the price as a large high temp fry pan. It's all metal, so it's oven safe and fire proof. Can potentially season it like a cast iron, to get a more stick resistant surface (if smoothed out first).

 

[Muse]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NBWRU2/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=

Cheap 14" stainless steel fry pan. Over double the cooking surface of a 10".

You do get what you pay for, this pan is roughly machined and made from very thin material. There is a thicker "clad" bottom plate but it's not effective enough to provide even heat on a normal electric burner.

It works fairly well on a large gas burner though, and you can sand the inside to smooth it out a bit. Then it works well for the price as a large high temp fry pan. It's all metal, so it's oven safe and fire proof. Can potentially season it like a cast iron, to get a more stick resistant surface (if smoothed out first).

I dig what you're saying. I have a pan that's 100% cast iron, its dip from rim to center on the vertical axis is maybe 3/8". It was in my garage when I bought the house, my landlord had stored stuff in there which he never removed (I was a renter before). The pan's interior was quite rough, and I went after it with my Makita 1/4 sheet orbital sander until it was quite smooth. I don't use it to hot-up tortillas, though, I use my square aluminum with coated griddle for that, it heats so much faster over my gas burner.

Now I'm worried that the "12 inch" pan I just bought from Macy's will actually not be big enough. I say this because taking a tape measure to the cast iron pan I just described (with it's essentially 10 1/2" interior dimension), I see that edge to edge, measuring it with the pan turned over, it measures 12". When I bought the 12" inch pan last night online I assumed that 12" is the interior dimension, and I realized that assuming that is likely overly optimistic. Well, I have to pick it up at the store and I will ask to see one out of the box before I accept my purchase and I imagine I will be allowed a refund if I want one. Meantime, I'm going to try to find my next source for tortillas on a regular basis (that will give me a good idea what I need in a pan). Looking up "tortillas" in my yellow pages I came up with 4 places, all in east Oakland, IIRC. I don't know if they will sell to the general public, but I can call them and find out. I will also visit Mi Tierra in West Berkeley and see what they have and maybe check out the Fruitvale area of Oakland, sticking my nose in the hardcore Mexican markets!