Comment by SOLAR_FIELDS | Hacker News Reader

Comment by SOLAR_FIELDS | Hacker News Reader

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For those curious what a properly wrapped burrito is like: I was taught to do it as follows (worked at a burrito joint, not Chipotle):

- Lay out your tortilla flat with all ingredients on top. Try not to overstuff for the first time you try this because getting it right takes a bit of practice

- Place the tortilla in front of you, ideally positioning the ingredients in a line running perpendicular to your field of vision (straight ahead).

- Take each hand, make the "sign of the horns"[0], except stick your thumb out instead of placing it against your fingers like in the article.

- Gently fold inward the left and right sides of the tortilla about 1 inch/2.5cm (this is slightly variable depending on tortilla size and ingredient stuffing, but a good rule of thumb) using your horn fingers and slide your thumbs under the area of the tortilla closest to you.

- Use your thumbs to push up and roll the tortilla away from you, trying to position the edge being rolled such that it grabs all of the ingredients when you close the burrito. Keep your horn fingers in the tortilla during this step and roll as tightly as possible.

- Once you have rolled the tortilla such that it covers all ingredients, push the top of the tortilla back towards you as tightly as you can before removing your horn fingers and then use your hands to finish tucking and wrapping as tightly as possible.

If done correctly, you should have a wrapped burrito that can be held and eaten without any sort of wrapping or worry about ingredients falling out from either side.

0: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sign_of_the_horns

The key is to not overfill the damned tortilla. The top and bottom "flaps" should be able to fold down to the middle of the ingredients. If they can't at least fold down that far your burrito will deconstruct itself mid-meal. I like to create a polar burrito where the bottom flap reaches past the ingredient center to give more surface to attach to the side flaps. I'm ok if the top flap isn't super secure as it's eaten in the first two bites.

An inedible wrap should not be the only thing keeping the burrito together. Biting the burrito will cause it to leak inside that wrap then it makes a mess. Overstuffing a burrito might give you more food but at the expense of the burrito being an entirely self contained unit of perfection.

Also if you've got store bought tortillas stick a damp paper towel between them and microwave them for 10-20 seconds on a plate. You'll get a partial steam and they'll be more pliable and you'll get an easier wrapping experience and a superior burrito over a tortilla fresh out of the package.

Concur:

- Absolutely have to nuke the tortilla or it won’t flex. 45 seconds with the cheese (UK grated 4-cheese blend from As/co works great) until it just goes melty. Have the fillings ready and work fast, it stiffens right up.

- Don’t overstuff. UK “white wraps” are too damn small :|

The steamers they use at burrito shops make the flour tortillas soft and flexible so they can wrap, fold, & stretch without breaking, and the steam moistened flour sticks to itself better when wrapped.

Steamers are well and good but not typically found in people's kitchens. Microwaving pre-packaged tortillas is an easy way to make them burrito-capable. Even "good" packaged tortillas benefit from the microwave treatment.

My home method: keep a spray bottle handy or, in a pinch, dribble some water along the edge of the tortilla while it’s in the pan. Can get a very tight seal if you then roll it over or spread with a spoon/spatula.

I'll have to try out a spray bottle. I usually go for the microwave because I usually am scooping the meat out of the pan I cooked it in. I microwave the tortillas on a plate I'm eventually using to serve them. Everywhere I've lived saved my current house has had cramped kitchens so I'm used to a cramped meal prep area. I optimize for fewer dishes as I've never had the room and I hate doing dishes post-meal anyways.

I'm curious to try the spray bottle as I'm sure it'll do a better job steaming tortillas than my microwave technique.

With a small tortilla you can eschew structural purity and leave the top of the burrito open. In such cases if the bottom flap can fold up 1/3rd the way from the bottom on the ingredients you're probably good. Then wrap the sides in tightly and plate with the solid "back" of the burrito down. It'll last long enough to serve without the contents spilling. If wrapped well enough you can still eat it with one hand.

This was invented by university students, who are known to fill burritos past theoretical limits

These are the keys. You need a larger tortilla and or a lower amount of filling than you probably realize.

Also, after you build that burrito, you can optionally toast it in a pan with some oil to get the exterior crispy and rigid.

Do you have a video of this being executed as described? I lack burrito shells and filling, and am having a hard time following your description.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlirQ2SeGTw and many others.

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