Will be watching this thread. I'm curious too!

There is a number of ways to get the job done.

1. Use a taco press (tool). It looks like pair of long-handled tongs with a two-piece basket that holds and forms the taco while frying. Check Amazon.com for a Norpro Taco Press - http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-1061-Taco-Press/dp/B00004UE8A/ref=pd_bxgy_k_img_y

2. You can do the same thing in a pan/electric skillet of oil with a pair of regular tongs and you can find videos on YouTube.

3. Another method is to drape the tortillas over two wires of your oven rack and bake them (see link below). I have a rack I can sit them in and bake and form them.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: One Good Thing

My Mexican friend used to fry tortilllas in a skillet of hot oil for a few seconds then using tongs fold one side over the other creating a shell, while cooking for a few seconds longer then drain on paper towels. You could probably do many mini shells quickly if you had some type of dowel to hang them over and shape them after quickly frying.

Di

I make homemade corn tortillas and use the leftovers to make "taco shells".

To get the corn tortilla to hold its shape, you need to fry it in oil, and after it has fried for a few seconds, use tongs to fold the taco in half and continue frying holding it first on one side of the fold and then turning it and frying the other side.

I made these taco's a couple of weeks ago. I fried the shells to keep their shape, but I didn't make them really crisp. You just need to fry longer if you want them as crisp as the kind you buy in a box.

If you are interested in making corn tortillas I've included a link to a pictorial.

Here is a link that might be useful: Corn Tortilla Pictorial

I have always made them using the frying method mentioned above. However, I bought 6 year old grand daughter a set of those tortilla salad bowl makers. They call for baking them which works for Lily's salad but the taste just wasn't as good as fried. Lily was okay with the taste so that's all that counts in this kitchen.

I do mine like Ann T and diinohio mentioned, put the tortilla into the hot oil for a few minutes, then fold it over and hold it with tongs until it keeps the right shape. Fry both sides.

That might be time consuming with little tiny tacos, though, if you could think of a way to fry many at once, or bake them, that would be way faster.

Annie

I think you can brush them lightly with oil and then hang them on your oven racks and bake until crisp. Let them cool in the oven (make sure they don't overbrown). this recipe uses cooking spray, but I'd prefer oil.

Here is a link that might be useful: baked taco shells

Thanks for the ideas. Because they were mini the frying idea didn't work - they cracked too much when I went in for the fold. Baking on the rack led to them ripping. I think I will go with chili and give them tortilla chips to dip - saves me time. I still like the idea of mini tacos though. I will try again when I have more free time. I will also try normal sized shells.

Steam them first. They will be very soft to be bent to any shape, then bake.

dcarch

You may have had old or stale tortillas, and even if you steam them, they will never be as pliable as when they were fresh. Always check the date on the package when you buy them. I have a tortilla shop close to my house, and so if I need very fresh tortillas, I can get them there. You can also make them yourself with a tortilla press, which I also have but have not used yet!

I also bought the molds for making taco salad but have only used flour tortillas for that. I brush the tortillas with olive oil before putting them into the mold, and they taste almost as good as fried. I take them out of the mold and put them back in the oven upside down for a couple of minutes to get the bottom crisper. I love taco salad, and I prefer making it myself because I layer it differently from what I get at a restaurant. I put the lettuce on the bottom, and the restaurants often put the lettuce on top, or at least over the beans and meat (and rice, if that is used). In Texas, a layer of bean dip/spread goes on the bottom of the tortilla bowl, followed by the meat and then the salad part on top of that.

I made bean dip last night so that I could make crisp tacos using the baking method here, which I will try tonight. Normally I make soft tacos, which is the Mexican way, but crisp tacos are more common in Texas, and that's what my mother would make. I'll have to harvest most of the cilantro in my back yard to make the tacos, but I'll try to leave some as well. It grew by itself anyway - I haven't planted any this season yet although I plan to this week-end.

Lars

Lars, lucky you. I wish we had a Tortilla shop in the area. I don't mind making them. They really are easy, but it would be nice to have the option of picking some up on the way home from work.

~Ann

I made them fresh. I probably had too much moisture in the dough. My sister sent me a link of putting the shell on the bottom part of a muffin tin and then baking them. I will try this tomorrow. I usually use soft shells too but I thought a novelty item would be cute for a party.