TORTILLA COCINA MEXICAN COOKWARE

What to Expect When Using The Gonzalez Tortilla Maker

The Gonzalez Corn Tortilla Maker is not a "run right out of the box" appliance and will require some effort and patience to set-up and to learn to use. You will need to invest some time and energy experimenting with adjustments and technique to obtain effective results. This is mentioned to head off frustration and unrealistic expectations. Before you know it you will be cranking out perfect corn tortillas and having a lot of fun using this unique Mexican tortilla machine. If you are new to making corn tortillas, you may want to invest in an inexpensive cast iron tortilla press and begin hand making tortillas first.

1. Getting Started – First Use (Please Read Carefully)

 Important: Retain the original packaging in case necessary to return the machine. If the machine arrives damaged please notify the seller immediately so a delivery carrier claim can be filed. You will need to hold the damaged unit and original packaging for inspection.

 

Wash all parts of the machine except the drive gears using warm soapy water. Do not get the drive gears wet or submerge the machine. The tortilla cutter rolling pin can be removed from the bottom of the machine for easier cleaning if desired. The pin is held in place by two spring loaded retainers at each end. The non-geared end has a lever that can be pressed down to release the pin, pull the pin down until it can be carefully pulled away from the gears and released from the retainer. Observe how the pin fits into the retainers so you can replace it.

A plastic bag inside the box contains the crank handle, two replacement wires for dough stripping, and two wood screws for optionally securing the base to a wood platform or table. Attach the handle by turning onto the threaded crank shaft and tighten by holding the roll steady with your hand.

The masa hopper sits on top of the rollers and there is a pin which fits into a slot on the machine frame to assure it is mounted the right way. The masa hopper has a stripping wire strung across the bottom which fits down in between the two rollers of the tortilla maker when it is mounted. Use caution in handling the hopper both for safety (taut wire is sharp) and to avoid breaking the stripping wire. Make sure the hopper is sitting on the center of the top roller and the positioning pin is in the slot on the frame.

The tortillas will exit from between the rollers at the front of the machine. The drive gears are located to your left as you face the front of the machine. Behind each end of the rollers you will see a butterfly finger screw with a wing nut on it. These screws are used to control the space between the rollers and the thickness of the tortillas. Make sure that as you look down into the top of the machine the rollers appear to be an even distance apart. If one end is wider apart that the other, use the screws to even them up. It is easier to begin working with the machine by making thicker tortillas; you can reduce the thickness as you get the hang of things.

On the upper right of the machine as you face the front you will see a thumb screw which controls the tension of the stripping wire that stretches across the roller in the front. Make sure this wire is taut (not so tight as to break). If this wire has been broken or come loose during shipping see the section below on how to replace the stripping wires.

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You should now be ready to begin making tortillas.

 

*Optional: Mounting the Tortilla Machine

Under the base of the machine is a detachable mounting bracket that can be used to attach the unit to a platform or work table for a more permanent and stable mounting. This detachable bracket allows the machine to be removed from the mounting for cleaning, repair or to be positioned in different directions by releasing the large wing nut located on the top surface of the base under the forming pin. The “X” shaped bracket can be fastened down with wood screws using the predrilled holes. Mounting the machine is optional but recommended if it will be frequently used. The machine is designed to sit up off the work surface on a raised platform or pedestal otherwise the crank handle (when attached) will strike the work surface. It is easier to remove the scrap as it falls away if the machine is raised off the work surface. I found that placing a 3” block of wood underneath gave plenty of clearance. Feel free to email the seller if you need ideas or help in mounting the machine, we may offer a pre-fabricated wood mounting for sale at some time in the future.

 

2. OPERATION AND USEAGE - MANUAL CORN TORTILLA MAKER

 

Adjusting the Machine

There are some adjustments possible on the machine:

Tortilla Thickness - the gap between the rollers can be adjusted by turning the two backward facing screw keys (one on each side). It is important when setting the gap between the rolls to control tortilla thickness that the gap is the same on both ends. You must visually adjust until the gap seems even. Thicker tortillas are easier to work with in the beginning.

 

Stripping Wires - One wire crosses the front roller at a diagonal and the other wire is across the bottom of the masa hopper. The wires each have a screw key adjustment to tighten them. It is important that the wires are kept taut (but not overly tight). These wires will loosen over time and need slight adjustment. Do not over tighten or they will break. If either wire breaks it can be replaced using extra wire included with the machine. (See section below on “Replacing Stripping Wires”.)

 

Tortilla Size - one of the features of the machine is that it is simple to remove and replace the forming pin which determines the size of the tortilla. The forming pin is the helical shaped cutter located at the bottom of the machine and held in contact with the front roller by spring loaded retainers on each end. The machine comes with a standard 5-1/2” diameter pin installed but additional sizes can be purchased. It is handy to be able to produce several sizes for different purposes (i.e. tacos, tortilla chips, enchiladas, etc.). Available sizes are 3-3/8”, 4”, 5-1/2”, 6” diameters and a special flauta forming pin. Additional pins can be purchased from our web catalog.

 

Remove/Replace Forming Pin

To remove the forming pin: reach behind the machine on the right side and locate the small pin release lever. Press this lever down until the forming pin is released from the right side retainer clip. Pull the pin down and away from the drive gears on the left until you can release it from the spring loaded retainer on the left.

 

To replace the forming pin: Use a flat headed screw driver to push down the retainer clip on the left side until you can fit the forming pin with its gear into the drive gear and fit the retainer clip into the small groove in the pin’s end. Press the right side release lever down all the way and fit the right end of the pin into the retainer clip. Make sure that both retainers are fitted into the grooves at each end of the forming pin.

 

Important!

Caution: When operating the machine keep hands, fingers and loose clothing away from the exposed drive gears on the left side of the machine.

 

Making Corn Tortillas With The Gonzalez Tortilla Machine

Prepare masa using your favorite corn tortilla recipe. It is important that the masa be very smooth, well kneaded and not sticky. Masa that is too dry and crumbly will make using the tortilla machine difficult. Masa should roll in your hand cleanly without sticking or crumbling. This machine is for making corn tortillas only not wheat flour tortillas.

 

Place a loaf about the size of your fist into the masa hopper and press it down, make sure the masa spreads across the entire width of the hopper. Carefully turn the crank ½ turn. Position your left hand to catch and support the tortilla as it is stripped away from the rollers in front. The first tortilla to come out is usually mangled. The scrap should fall away. Turn the crank in a steady and slow manner. Keep practicing until you get whole, unbroken tortillas. As scrap builds up under the machine gather it up and top off the hopper. Keep the hopper somewhat full rather than let it run empty in which case you have to start over.

 

If you are cooking tortillas alone, you will need to pause as you work. To keep the masa in the tortilla machine from drying out, have a large piece of plastic wrap or large plastic bag that you can place over the hopper to keep moisture in. If you are cooking tortillas on a large commercial griddle it is best to have one person cooking and another making the tortillas.

 

Troubleshooting The Gonzalez Tortilla Maker

• If the tortilla machine is not pulling masa down into the rollers, press the masa down into the hopper firmly.

• If the tortilla is not stripping from the rollers, make sure that the wire is taut and riding against the roll firmly. Make sure the hopper is securely seated so that the wire is against the rollers.

• If the tortillas are falling apart or coming out ragged, check the forming pin for masa that has built up on it. Clean build-up off with your fingers.

• One of the most common problems in using the machine is not having the consistency of the masa right. The masa must be smooth and not sticky or too wet. It also should not be allowed to dry out and become crumbly. If you are having trouble using the tortilla maker try adjusting your masa, that is often the problem. Do not attempt to make wheat flour tortillas using this machine.

• Start out making thicker tortillas. It becomes more difficult to get consistent tortillas when making them thinner. Thinner tortillas are more likely to tear or stick to the rollers. To make thin tortillas your masa must be very smooth, soft and non-sticky.

• Turn the crank slowly but steadily. Catch the tortilla gently and don’t allow it to fall away from the roller without support.

• Keep trying, don’t get discouraged. Once you get the hang of using the machine it is a lot of fun!

Clean-up After Using The Gonzalez Tortilla Machine

Remove the machine from its mounting (if mounted) and remove the masa hopper. Wipe down the rollers and especially the wires with a damp sponge. Rinse the hopper under running water. You may need to remove the forming pin to get it clean. Be careful handling the hopper so you do not break the wire across the bottom. Be careful of sharp edges or burrs on the machine castings when handling it.

 

3. REPLACING THE STRIPPING WIRES

You may need to replace one or both of the stripping wires if they break during usage or were damaged during shipment. Replacement stripping wires are located in the plastic bag containing the crank handle included with the machine. We have additional wires available for a nominal charge.

You will need a small flat bladed screwdriver and a pair of needle nose pliers.

 

Masa Hopper

The Masa Hopper has a wire stretched across the bottom between the two protruding grooved brackets that accommodate the wire. On the left side of the hopper is a thumbscrew assembly to adjust the wire tension. Starting inside the hopper thread the wire through the hole in the right side, the knot in the end of the wire should catch in the hole. Stretch the wire down and through the grooved bracket, across the hopper and through the grooved bracket on the left side then up to the tension screw bracket.

 

Turn the thumbscrew so that the tension control bracket is as far down as it will go before attaching the end of the wire to it. Thread the wire up through the hole in the tension control bracket from the bottom and then wrap the end of the wire around the small screw in the side of the bracket (loosen it first). Wrap the wire several times around the small screw using needle nose pliers and tighten screw down to hold wire in place. Trim off excess wire (leave an inch or so). Use the thumbscrew to tighten wire. Do not over tighten or the wire will break.

 

Front Roller

The main stripping wire is stretched across the front roller of the machine at a diagonal and strips the formed tortilla from the roller. You will need to remove the forming pin from the machine before replacing the wire (see above for instructions on removing pin).

 

There is a large “C” shaped bracket that is attached to the front of the machine on the left side and protrudes out between the rollers and forming pin. At the end of the bracket there is a small hole through which the stripping wire must be threaded. Feed the wire through the hole from the inside so that the knot in the end of the wire catches in the hole. Stretch the wire across the front of the roller and feed it through the hole in the end of the straight bracket protruding from the right side of the machine’s frame. Pull the wire along the side of the bracket and around the knob sticking out from the frame below the tension control screw and plate assembly.

 

Turn the thumbscrew so that the tension control bracket is as far down as it will go before attaching the end of the wire to it. Thread the wire up through the hole in the tension control bracket from the bottom and then wrap the end of the wire around the small screw in the side of the bracket (loosen it first). Wrap the wire several times around the small screw using needle nose pliers and tighten screw down to hold wire in place. Trim off excess wire (leave an inch or so). Use the thumbscrew to tighten wire. Do not over tighten or the wire will break.

 

Note: When cleaning the machine after use gently run a damp cloth along the stripping wires to remove any build-up.

 

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