How to Make Tacos 🌮🎬

This lesson is 356 words, a 1 min 25 second reading time. It is the eighth lesson of Lunch 2.0.

Crispy tacos with jack cheese, leftover sautéed onions, & ground chicken. Garnished with cilantro & sour cream.

📍 Introduction: 

Pre-dating the arrival of the Spanish in Mexico, tacos are now beloved globally. Consisting of a corn or wheat tortilla heaped with fillings and garnish, tacos are nutritious, tasty, and versatile. 

Additionally, they are fun to experiment with. Traditional varieties consist primarily of meat & garnish, but chefs have embraced the taco as a palate for broad creative expression. Give yourself license to experiment. You might discover something divine. 

🧂 Ingredients: 

• Tortillas (e.g., corn, wheat) 

• Fillings 

• Garnish 

✅ Instructions: 

Stovetop-warmed: 

1. Heat large pan (cast iron recommended)

2. Add tortillas. Don't crowd. 

3. Warm ~15-30 sec on each side. 

4. Keep warm by wrapping in a kitchen towel. 

Oven-warmed: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350-400°F.

2. Wrap tortillas in foil. 

3. Heat 5-10 min, depending on the stack's size.

Crispy w/ cheese:

1. Heat pan & add oil. 

2. Add tortillas. Flip after ~1 min. 

3. Add thinly sliced cheese. 

4. Top with a lid (optional, cover loosely to speed up melting)  

5. Remove when crisp/melted to your preference. 

📝 Notes Tips & Tricks

• Microwave warming is okay in a pinch but not recommended. It can lead to rips & odd texture. 

• Tortillas freeze well. Defrost them individually or together.  

• To make a quesadilla, use a larger, flour-based tortilla. Fold it over, or top with a second. 

• If using leftovers, dice & reheat before using as filling. 

📓 Taco Inspiration Reference Guide: 

• Crunch: cabbage, lettuce, onion, slaw

• Sweet: salsa, pico de gallo, pickled red onion, corn

• Creamy: cheese (e.g., jack, cotija), sliced avocado, guacamole, sour cream, queso

• Seasoning: herbs (e.g., cilantro), chiles/jalapenos, lime juice, hot sauce

• Protein: meat, poultry, fish, seafood, deli meat, beans, scrambled eggs

• Leftovers: roasted vegetables, roasted chicken, boiled/blanched vegetables

🗂 Recipe: Breakfast Tacos 🍳

• Ingredients: corn tortillas, eggs, olive oil, salt, cheese (optional), toppings/garnish (optional) 

• Instructions: (1) make crispy tacos, (2) make scrambled eggs (🎬 demo), (3) top tacos with eggs & garnish as desired.

• Video recipes/demos 🎬 : 20-sec version, IG step-by-step

🎓 Further Study

• Taco [Wikipedia]

• Our Best Tacos (44 recipes) [NYTimes]

• 40+ Recipes for Taco Tuesday

• Breakfast Tacos 🎬 [Life School, Instagram]

• Breakfast Tacos 🎬 [Life School, TikTok version]

• How to Scramble an Egg 🎬 [Life School]

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📚 Want to learn more? Check out the Table of Contents or Collections.

🎧 Prefer to listen? Subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, or Overcast.

🎳 Team for this lesson: Michelle Tandler & April Word