How To: Skip Store-Bought & Make Your Own Crunchy Taco Shells in Minutes

When a craving for crunchy tacos hits, it's undeniable.

Normally, you'd head to the store to get your fix. But store-bought taco shells get stale too quickly, and, more often than not, they're broken when you finally rip open the package.

Don't despair and resign yourself to nachos instead of tacos. Thanks to this clever hack, you can make your own crunchy taco shells in just minutes with soft tortillas, a mug, and microwave.

First Things First: Flour or Corn Tortillas?

After trying both types of tortillas, I'd have to hand the victory to flour; corn tortillas stick to the bottom of your mug and nearly break in half when you try to get them out. If that doesn't deter you, the extra chewy texture and "microwaved taste" will. It's no bueno.

However, I found flour tortillas to be sturdy and delicious, even after a bout in the microwave. So flour tortillas it is!

Let's Microwave!

First, make sure you're using the correct size for your tortillas—this trick only works with the smallest tortilla rounds.

Next, grab a standard-sized mug and loosely fold your tortilla in half; then, insert the tortilla into the mug. The mug will hold the shape of the taco in place while it cooks. (Honestly, coffee mugs are pretty handy to have around in general—they're great for making delicious singles-serving cakes and even work well as potato mashers.)

Based on my personal experience, it's best to nuke one tortilla and mug at a time. For multiple shells, you need to increase the cook time, and it's harder to gauge the exact amount of time needed.

I should note that each microwave cooks at different times depending on their wattage; for my microwave at 1,550 watts, the cook time was 1 minute and 5 seconds. This timing created a taco with crispy edges and a hard, strong center for supporting tasty toppings. However, you'll want to adjust the time for your own microwave—if it's a lower wattage, cook the shell for a longer time, and vice versa.

For an even crunchier taco, add 5-10 seconds to the time. Unfortunately, with this extra crunchiness also comes a shell that is more likely to break.

Allow Your Tacos to Cool Down

Gently remove your taco from the mug and allow it to rest for about 5 minutes so the shell will harden a bit more.

Sometimes large air bubbles appear from the microwave. If this happens, just insert a knife into the bubble, make a slit, and slowly press the air out.

Looks like these tacos are ready to be filled...

Pack & Devour

Feel free to fill your taco shells with whatever your heart desires—I like my tacos with chorizo, spicy coleslaw, pineapple salsa verde, fresh guacamole, and cilantro.

I really love this easy tip because the tacos can hold more than a store-bought shell—they taste much better, as well. You get a nice crunch when you bite down, but the shell doesn't fall apart on you either; it really is the best of both worlds.

I guarantee that you'll be heading back to the microwave to make more shells once you give it a try.

Now go stock up on flour tortilla rounds so you can be ready when the next craving strikes!

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