High Sierra Topix

gary c. wrote:A couple of years ago I bought a package (2 per pk) of "cooling racks" from the .99 cent store. One weighs next to nothing and fits in a 1gl Ziplock bag. They turned out a little too flimsy for grilling a steak but would be excellent for your tortillas.

Those are easy enough to find, or steamer pot inserts are another wire tray thing that would work. But the problem is there's no easy way to hold them.

Eiprahs wrote:You can make your own in the field from willow. Seems a lost art now, but we used willow twigs for fish stringers and hotdog/trout skewers when I was a kid. Our predecessors on the land used split willow to make baskets and any number of useful items.

Green willow will hold up to heat until it dries. I don't have any willow on my stream bank, but I do have stream bank dogwood, Cornus cericea, which I used to make the illustrated tortilla rack in about 5 minutes. I used green garden ties on the handle simply because I had them--fishing line, hair ties, dental floss, duct tape could all be used.

Quite an artist! Yes, when I was a kid we used willows for fish stringers and toasting hot dogs and marshmallows but I would not have thought of a tortilla device!

longri wrote:

gary c. wrote:A couple of years ago I bought a package (2 per pk) of "cooling racks" from the .99 cent store. One weighs next to nothing and fits in a 1gl Ziplock bag. They turned out a little too flimsy for grilling a steak but would be excellent for your tortillas.

Those are easy enough to find, or steamer pot inserts are another wire tray thing that would work. But the problem is there's no easy way to hold them.

Maybe that is where those ultralight tongs come in. But I think something along these lines is probably the most promising alternative. I will start scouting the Asian food markets and dime stores.

I thought I would circle back and give you an update.

This is what I eventually got:

https://www.amazon.com/RuiLing-4-Pack-9 ... den&sr=1-2

These bamboo tongs weigh .7 ounces and are 9.5 inches long. I hold the tortilla with one hand and the tongs on the opposite side. I put the tong-side of the tortilla directly over the burner of my stove and toast it, then shift a little counter clockwise and repeat until the whole side is done, then reverse and repeat.

The tongs get singed and blackened a bit but not too bad, the tortillas taste so much better when hot and browned than when cold and chewy, and these tongs are incredibly light. I got my tongs in a two pack and have been using the other pair for my toaster at home. When I went back to find them so I could post I only found them in the four pack, but they may still be available in smaller quantities if you look around.

Many of the lightweight titanium tongs I found were shorter. I need all 9.5 inches--it takes a little practice not to singe your fingers as it is. Shorter tongs would not be recommended.

You could take two pair of tongs and it would speed up the toasting process considerably. I decided to make do with one.

Great find kpeter! Like it that they are not plastic and think you might even able to use them instead of chop sticks.