Store-Bought TortillasStore-Bought Tortillas

There is nothing better than a fresh, handmade tortilla. It has a tender, melt-in-the-mouth quality and a delicious hominy corn flavor that doesn’t call for any embellishment besides a swipe of butter or a dip of salsa.

Tortillas of this quality take great skill to make and are difficult to find, which may explain why flour tortillas have gained so much popularity in Mexican recipes. But flour tortillas are not appropriate for enchiladas.

Fortunately, it is possible to make good enchiladas with store-bought corn tortillas. If the tortillas are a day old, they are still perfectly useable and can even make the job of preparing enchiladas easier, because an extremely fresh tortilla will quickly fall apart when softened in hot oil or a sauce.

In many cities, tortillas made from white or yellow corn are available, and both make excellent enchiladas. Red tortillas are the traditional choice for recipes such as Tex-Mex enchiladas served with chile gravy. Unfortunately, commercially made red tortillas add color and nothing more to the dish—originally, their rosy hue came from chile paste mixed into the masa, but today it comes from food coloring.

When shopping for commercially made tortillas, avoid the frozen kind, which tend to be leathery. A local Mexican grocery store usually offers reliable brands and has a quick turnover that improves the odds of the tortillas being fresh. Avoid more expensive “artisan” tortillas as they are often too thick to make a tender enchilada.