There are several great brands available locally. Most highly recommended and made right here in Chicago, El Milagro tortillas are delivered fresh to many stores weekly in paper bags.
In its May 23, 2016 survey of local tortillas sold in grocery stores, the Chicago Tribune awarded El Milagro corn (wrapped in paper) first place, saying:
"Made that morning (no preservatives) and cradled in a white paper package. Our winners were supple, elastic, and fragrant with the sent of roasted sweet corn. The corn flavor was pleasant but subdued -- all the better to be the backup singer for your favorite taco fillings."
(Note: El Milagro is working to attain Non-GMO Project certification for their tortillas, as I have learned from personal communication with them. Some of their products, such as their tostadas -- which are made with oil -- already bear the Non-GMO Project seal and others are in the process of attaining this. If you would like to see El Milagro's letter to me about this, please write to me in the "Keep in Touch" box at the sidebar. )
El Milagro Corn Tortillas in the paper bags are available at many outlets in Chicago area including Many Whole Foods and Treasure Island stores. If you can get them, this is by far my first choice.
I buy a few packages at a time and freeze them, putting the paper sacks in a plastic bag. When ready to thaw them overnight in the fridge I take them out of the plastic bag. I store them just in their paper bag with a rubber band to keep the top of the paper bag folded over. They get a little air this way and do not get moldy. (They don't have preservatives so this is important. Plastic bags hold in too much water and they get moldy!)
An interesting national brand is Food for Life Sprouted Corn Tortillas. These are sold at Whole Foods Markets. I find them kind of tough.
Sad to say, Whole Foods own 365 Brand of tortillas is near the bottom of my list (and the Tribune's as well I should add) for texture and flavor. I only buy them when I cannot find brands I like better.
There are other brands too but they may not all be fat free or wheat free (if that is important for you), but some should be just fine.
READ THE LABELS! You are looking for 0% fat! And even though there may be a few milligrams of sodium, the amount should be 0% or close to it. The ingredients should be limited to corn, water, and lime. (This is not the kind of lime that grows on a tree; this is calcium hydroxide, the chemical used in turning corn meal into masa harina, the principal ingredient in making tortillas.
To learn more about masa harina and how it is made, click here. )
While this is a form of processing, it is not without its advantages. It allows cornmeal (which has no gluten to give elasticity) to be made into a pliable dough for making tortillas. Also, the chemical reactions involved in exposing the cornmeal to calcium hydroxide (or "lime" as it is known) is said to allow niacin to be more readily absorbed by the digestive tract. (See reference in link above). This is said to reduce the incidence of the nutritional deficiency disease pellagra in populations that depend largely on corn.
Tortillas taste the best when they are prepared in some way such as softening them by warming or making them crispy. BY FAR the best way to do this just for one or two El Milagro tortillas is in your ordinary toaster. This is something you'll have to watch, however, but it won't take long. In much less than a minute the tortilla will get soft and even a little puffy. Now it's perfect to take out to use for an enchilada wrap or just to fold over for a little sandwich with your favorite filling (see http://wfpbn.blogspot.com/2016/08/recipes-hummos-salsa-and-more-east.html.)
If you leave it in the toaster a little longer it will get harder, more like a tostada or thick tortilla chip, if that's what you prefer. These can be nice crumbled into a soup!
If you leave it in longer than that, however, they may burn, so that's why you need to watch it!
Here are some other ideas that may work with other kinds of tortillas but they are a little more work than I usually have time for:
Here are two internet articles about this:
http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/cooking-tips-techniques/cooking/how-heat-corn-tortillas
http://www.thekitchn.com/ready-to-eat-three-ways-to-war-117346
What works well for me is just wrapping a tortilla - especially one that has dried out in the fridge- in a paper towel moistened with a little water and put in a warm place. The pan or the steamer of the rice cooker works well (be sure to put water in the pan if you use the steamer) and so does the Lunch Crock but it takes a little longer and you have to fold the tortilla a bit. The George Foreman grill works well for this too. Or, as noted below, just a quick "warm" of one tortilla in an ordinary toaster, pulling it out before it becomes crisp. (Don't use a wet towel for this however!)
Here are some of the other things I have done (but I still like the toaster method best):
-- Made a quick quesadilla in my old "George Forman" grill. I could do the same thing in a little pan on the stove. Put a stuffing you like (maybe some hummus and little salsa?) on a softened tortilla, fold it over, and cook it into a little sandwich.
-- Wrapped in a slightly moistened dish towel and warmed in the oven.
-- Used one of the commercial warming bags intended to be used in a microwave. To see some of these products click here. This is one of the few occasional uses I have for a microwave.
Luckily fresh local tortillas are modestly priced, so experiment! Find out what you like the best. Tortillas can be a great part of a meal or a filing and nutritious snack!
