What’s the Difference Between Corn and Flour Tortillas

What’s the difference between corn and flour tortillas?

Corn Tortillas:

The most common type of tortilla used in Mexican cuisine. They are made from white flour, usually masa harina (corn meal) and water.

The masa is ground into a fine powder with salt and other ingredients like oil, sugar, vinegar or even coffee grounds. The mixture is then heated until it becomes soft and pliable. Then it is rolled out thin enough so that when fried they have a crisp exterior but not so thin that they become soggy inside.

Flour Tortillas:

These are typically made from white all purpose flour, which is mixed with water and salt to make a thick batter. They are usually slightly smaller than corn tortillas, although some brands use tapioca starch instead of regular flour.

Some brands also add egg whites to give them a runny consistency.

Whole Wheat Tortillas:

A brand new tortilla product that was introduced in the United States recently. These tortillas are made from whole wheat flour, which is mixed with water and salt to form a sticky dough.

The dough is kneaded several times until it forms a ball, which is then stretched out into a long rectangle and cut into strips. These strips are then stacked and cut into circles using a round cutter. The circles are placed into a hot pan until they begin to puff up and the edges become light golden brown. These tortillas are usually slightly thicker than regular flour tortillas.

Tortilla Chips:

These crunchy snacks are made from corn or flour tortillas that are deep fried until crisp. Some tortilla chips are made with real cheese to add flavor and more calories.

Are Tortilla Chips Corn or Flour?

Tortilla chips can be made from either corn or flour tortillas. In the United States, most of these chips are made from corn tortillas. The term “corn chips” is widely used to refer to both corn and flour tortilla chips, this is because in the United States it is difficult to trademark the name for a food product. Most non-American countries refer to this food as “tortilla chips” because it is easier to defend the name against competitors.

How Are Corn Tortillas Made?

Masa harina, which is treated corn that has been flattened into a dough-like substance and then dried, is mixed with water to form a thick paste. The paste is then placed between two large round stones, which are then pressed together until all the water has evaporated and the dough has formed into one large pancake shaped piece. It is then flipped and pressed again until it is paper thin. The dough is then passed through a round cutter to form individual tortillas. These tortillas are then fried in hot oil until they are puffed up and double in size.

How Are Flour Tortillas Made?

The most common brand of flour tortilla that you can buy in the United States is Mission Brand, which uses white all-purpose wheat flour, salt and baking powder to make a thick batter. The mixture is fried in hot oil until it puffs up and turns light golden brown. The brand also makes a blue corn version, which uses the same method except blue corn meal is used instead of all-purpose flour.

How Are Corn Tortilla Chips Made?

The process for making tortilla chips is very similar to making tortillas. A large round stone presses the ball of dough until it is flat, then it is fried in hot oil until it puffs up and turns light golden brown. The edges may be cut into triangles before or after the tortilla is fried.

How Are Flour Tortilla Chips Made?

As with making tortilla chips from corn tortillas, a stone is used to flatten a ball of dough. However, with flour tortillas, the dough is not fried until it puffs up because it does not do this as easily. Instead, the dough is fried until it turns a golden brown. The edges of the tortilla are usually cut into triangles before frying so that they puff up more easily in the hot oil.

How Are Corn Tortilla Chips Made at Home?

Making tortilla chips at home is a simple process and can be very cost effective. Corn tortillas can be cut into triangles and fried in hot oil until they turn a golden brown. This may take a few minutes for the first side and only a few seconds for the second because the tortilla chips puff up considerably. These chips can be salted immediately after cooling or they can be seasoned with spices such as chili powder, paprika and cayenne before or after frying.

How Are Flour Tortilla Chips Made at Home?

Flour tortilla chips are even easier to make than corn tortilla chips. A large round stone is used to fry both sides of the tortilla until they turn a golden brown in color. As with corn tortilla chips, these can be seasoned with spices before or after frying. Unlike corn tortilla chips, if you let them cool and then season them, the seasoning will not soften and soak into the chips, but will remain on the surface.

Sources & references used in this article:

Iron bioavailability from iron-fortified Guatemalan meals based on corn tortillas and black bean paste by L Davidsson, T Dimitriou, E Boy… – … American journal of …, 2002 – academic.oup.com

Effect of different corn processing techniques in the nutritional composition of nixtamalized corn tortillas by JC Morales, RAG Zepeda – J. Nutr. Food Sci, 2017 – researchgate.net

Predicted contribution of folic acid fortification of corn masa flour to the usual folic acid intake for the US population: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey … by HC Hamner, J Mulinare, ME Cogswell… – … American journal of …, 2009 – academic.oup.com

Functionality of rice and sorghum flours in baked tortilla and corn chips by X Quintero‐Fuentes, CM McDonough… – Cereal …, 1999 – Wiley Online Library