There is a way to make them crispy without added all the fat from frying. Spray them with coooking spray and drape them over the rack in your oven. Bake until crispy.
Other posts were right, make sure your oil is hot. It doesn't take much. I take them out of the oil with the handle of a wooden spoon then feed each end over a wire on a cooling rack placed above the sink. Leave a wire or two in between. This makes them in a U shape so that it can hold the goodies in there without falling over. ;> )
if yours are chewy, it means the oil wasn't hot enough!
Actually I think the mistake is that you use too much oil at once. You only put as much as you would to cook an egg then as you make more and more shells you add a little oil each time that way they aren't as oily nor chewy.Hope this helps and I explained to your understanding!
This is a great recipe. Once you master it you never go back to store shells. I've been frying hard taco shells like this for years like my mom and grandma. We love taco night and it's not so hard once you get the hang of it. I use a bigger pan cook 3 shells at once and reuse my oil. I have special "tortilla oil" that I keep in a container. As you continue to use it and add oil to the pan the flavor continues to season beautifully.
This is really neat. I tried making the shells using both flour and corn tortillas. In my honest opinion... GO WITH THE FLOUR. I cooked mine on my cast iron griddle with just a dribble of oil and they turned out wonderful. Thanks!
Tastes a lot better than the ones you buy pre-cooked in a package. I don't think you need to add salt if you're using them for tacos.
Taco shells cooked at home give your tacos a very authentic taste and make a meal that is restaurant quality! I followed this recipe and had wonderful cruchy flavorful tacos. I sprinkled mine with seasoned salt right after removing from the oil. Put down your packaged taco shells and give this recipe a try - you don't know what you've been missing!
It is probably my fault but these turned out really greasy and chewy even when served 2 minutes after cooking.....maybe I should bake them after cooking them in the oil?? Suggestions???
