Silly Question: are my corn husks fine to cook with? It’s my first time making tamales and I wanted to make sure these minor holes & dirt specs weren’t a red flag!
by unpeu
Mexican Food
Silly Question: are my corn husks fine to cook with? It’s my first time making tamales and I wanted to make sure these minor holes & dirt specs weren’t a red flag!
by unpeu
8 Comments
you still have to soak them, remember they are natural things, think rocks in beans, so they still have to be washed, well not really washed but need a decent soaking.
No, they’re fine. You will learn how to pick and choose the best ones, even how to make two work as one. Be sure to soak them adequately so you can wrap easily. And don’t worry about a germ or two, you’re going to steam those tamales for a good long while!
You need to wash them, cut some and soak them before using it
They are ok 👌
Rinse them under running water to loosen dirt, remove dried corn silk, and maybe a dead bug or two. Good quality husks won’t have much to rinse off and are a good size and not all split into smaller pieces. Good quality husks won’t look full of holes and brown specks.
Once you rinse them, put them in a big pot or pan deep enough to submerge them in hot water. I boil water, pour it on top, and then put something really heavy on top to keep them from floating up. I use a cast iron lid from my Dutch oven. Leave them soaking an hour or two to make them soft and pliable for you to spread masa on them and fold them easily.
There fine. Just soak them well. Before using them.
When we made them in my family when I was young, we would always wash them and then wipe them before spreading the masa.
Thank you all for the nice replies! I was so anxious of posting this! Thank you all for the sweet words and being super kind to me ❤️ can’t wait to make these tamales 🫔!