BREAKING NEWS! Panhead John Discovers Groundbreaking Taco Technique…..Possible James Beard Award Being Discussed!

[Panhead John]

Anywho….I don’t make hard shell tacos that often, but when I do I’ve always baked the shells in the oven and just laid the shells on their side. Every time I’ve done it, the top width of the shells have shrunk up, making it hard to scoop the ingredients inside, resulting in many cracked and broken shells. I remember we’ve discussed this in the past and someone mentioned stuffing the shells with a ball of aluminum foil, or something like that, not sure. Years ago I never even baked the shells first, didn’t know that they taste much better if you bake em first. I was in the mood for some hard shell tacos tonight so I googled my problem with the shrinking of the opening of the top of the shells. Come to find out, all you have to do is turn them upside down on your baking sheet before baking them! I did it tonight and it works perfectly! After taking mine out of the oven, there was no shrinkage at all.

Before putting them in the oven….



After baking them….



I also thought I’d try these larger size taco shells I found from Old El Paso……highly recommended! Taste was good and leaves more room for filling your taco than the standard size, they were perfect for me.



Tacos weren’t finished, but just a visual.

[Oak Smoke]

We agree on taco sauce and shells.

[RonB]

I thought everyone knew that John. We've been doin' that for years.

I just turn the toaster oven on at 220° when I start fixing the meal and put the tray in then. Half the tray gets chips and the other half gets taco shells.

[Panhead John]

Well why didn’t you tell us before?! 🤓

[BKYDBBQ]

Panhead John and James Beard in the same sentence...Is that a sign that the apocalypse is upon us...

[dpearce]

I will eat shrunk and unshrunk shells equally. I do not discriminate... I also agree on the taco sauce and shells.

[TripleB]

True comfort food. But, I don't think I've ever made a hard shell taco at home. Looks good. Off to Taco Bell to get me some hard shell tacos

[realdocBBQ]

Baking the shells? Who knew?

Never baked the shells... I always just ate 'em "cold" and out of the package. I like a crunchy taco (or three) on occasion. I also like making up some refried beans and smearing them on a soft flour tortilla and the wrapping them on a hard shell and then stuffing the hard shell to make the old double-stack taco style Taco Bell used to sell. Not sure if they still do, I don't eat there but maybe once a year. Hell, it's probably been 2 years since the last time, I guess.

So how long do you bake them? Like 10 minutes? 20? Does it really change the flavor of them? I always assumed these were fully cooked already and ready to eat, but they've been somewhat disappointing, just the only option I had. Of course, I'm the guy who got the fresh butter tortillas from H.E.B. and didn't realize they needed to be cooked more - and then didn't like them because they tasted uncooked. Yeah, I'm that guy.

I really like the double-stack tacos, though. They're more hearty than either a regular crunchy OR soft taco and adds the additional benefit of your taco not cracking and falling apart onto your plate when either stuffing OR on your first bite. The downside is the crunch factor diminishes after a couple of minutes as the beans soften the inner shell. It's all a compromise, sadly. Maybe this would enable the crunchy tacos to hold their texture a little better for longer? I'm always up for new possibilities.

Sad to admit, I actually like Pace picante sauce on my tacos, at least the plain ground beef traditional style. I did get some of the salsa at H.E.B. when I was there and I like it better than Pace, but it's pretty close. When I make other taco styles - pulled pork or chikkin bacon ranch or something, I like Tapatio on them, but for some reason the plain-Jane beef/lettuce/cheese tacos just cry out for regular old picante sauce. It's probably a nostalgic flavor from childhood or something.

I'll give this method a try and continue searching for a way to have a double-decker taco that doesn't de-crunchify in 5 minutes as I'm putting things together and cleaning up the shrapnel from prep before eating. Always open to ideas, if anyone has any.

[Panhead John]

RonB An hour at 220?! 😵💫 The directions on the box say……..Preheat oven to 325*. Bake for 5-6 minutes. That’s all it took for me, came out great.

[RonB]

The statement was that they will not burn - even if left in the 220° for an hour. And the last sentence sez give them at least 5 min to crisp up. And as Chief of the Grammar Police, you shoulda got that.

[jfmorris]

Baking them gives them a fresh crunch. Most of the ones I get cold from the box seem on the verge of staleness. This revives them. And I think it is just 5 minutes or so!

[Panhead John]

What I have learned…..always bake your store bought hard taco shells according to the package directions. I also never used to do this, only because I didn’t read the directions and didn’t know you had to. It makes a big difference in taste! Also, with any tortillas, flour or corn, also heat them up on your skillet until slightly charred or bubbly. This also makes them much better!

[SheilaAnn]

Yup…. old El Paso and Ortega…. The stuff JB Awards are made for. While you’re at it, how about some Pace? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

now I want hard shell tacos!

[jfmorris]

Hey - I like Pace! . Actually, I get their picante sauce, as I prefer it to the chunky salsa.

[glitchy]

I like that combo too, but for the last couple years this is my crispy taco lineup. I still keep Ortega sauce around for my taco salad dressing though (1 part taco sauce to 1 part Italian dressing).

I never knew the upside down trick, seems so duh and obvious once you see it.

[realdocBBQ]

I do love me some Taco Bell Fire Sauce...

[jfmorris]

Well, those are the flat bottom shells - they might bake better standing up, than upside down? I bought those the last time I got shells.

[glitchy]

jfmorris They will stand for heating, but still tend to close up without falling over.

[DavidNorcross]

We have a true legend in our midst.....

[Panhead John]

David, if I win that James Beard award, and I probably will, I’ll still talk to you guys…..

[klflowers]

The heck with James Beard. I think you should get the Nobel Peace prize for rescuing intact, non shrinked taco shells. And shrinked is a word. “look honey, I shrinked the kids”.

I didn’t know about heating the shells until you told me about it. I thought the last couple of boxes I had were stale.

[Panhead John]

Yeah, same thing with me. I thought they were stale when I didn’t bake em.

[jfmorris]

They probably ARE stale. Who knows when those factories made them? But the bake revives the crunch.

[Panhead John]

I’m thinking it doesn’t matter how fresh they are, you’re still supposed to bake them. Now that I’ve been paying attention, all the boxes I’ve seen tell you to bake them first.

[TomfromtheSoo]

Amazing. I also fall into the never before baked category so will try that next time.

It doesn’t bother me that the top closes up because I usually break the hard shell in half and make an open face taco. Or like a big nacho

[jayjordan]

(Rolls eyes at Panhead John). Doesn’t seem to matter how I heat up hard shells, they seem to break down the middle upon first bite!

[RiverJeff]

Yep me to

[texastweeter]

I hang them from the bars on the rack upside down, air flows through them well in our convection oven, you can get a bazillion on there, no sheetpan required, and they dont collapse like when you put them on their side.

[texastweeter]

Panhead John there is this recent invention called tongs....

[Panhead John]

Should we start a Go Fund Me to get you a sheet pan? 🥸

[texastweeter]

Nordic Ware please.