7/1/05 | Uncooked Flour Tortillas
[ Currently Eating: Good Old Coffee ]
In most cases, eating food that is uncooked or undercooked (with the exception of sashimi and a few other things) is definitely not a good idea. Unless your idea of fun includes a residency on the toilet and/or a trip to the doctor’s office. But these uncooked flour tortillas from CostCo were kind of interesting. In the usual manner of CostCo, they come in a double pack of 36 each.
These things are NOT cheap, and therefore I wouldn’t cover them in Cheap Eats, except that I usually get one package of 36 free because my mom buys these and she always gives us a pack because she can never finish both on her own. I believe it’s something like 4-5 dollars for the whole thing, which would make one pack of 36 about 2 bucks. You can probably get pre-cooked flour tortillas (the Mission brand or a variety of others) for pretty cheap at the grocery store.
However, those tend to taste pretty thick and rubbery… I mean if you are going to use it as a burrito wrapper slop a huge amount of ground beef, cheese, lettuce, beans, and hot sauce it’ll do it’s duty of keeping the filling inside. That’s about all it will contribute though. We used to throw the old ones like frisbees for fun.
Anyone who has had “real” flour or corn tortillas either homemade or in a restaurant can attest to just how good a tortilla can be. How good? Well, you just peel one of these uncooked frisbees off the rest in the package, plop it on a hot griddle (you can use a non-stick pan too), and let it puff up… and then you can eat it straight off the grill! No kidding, you don’t need any filling, or even butter or cheese. I cook these up for a snack and just eat them plain. Really delicious.
Granted, they won’t beat the homemade variety, but interestingly, these are made with Canola Oil instead of lard or other animal fats. So I suppose they are not too bad for you.
You can get some really good “browning” marks on these too. They start off looking like pasta dough, but as soon as you put them on a hot griddle they start to puff up like a balloon from the trapped hot air inside. Sometimes, it gets a bit unwieldy with the way it puffs up and that can lead to uneven browning. So I usually take a fork and pop holes in the places that are puffing up. If you decide
to just let it puff away, then don’t worry: they deflate pretty fast by the time you take them off.
As I said, they are great on their own, or you can just fill them with your usual burrito mixtures. And they do make good quesadillas. One thing about these tortillas is that because they are uncooked they are perishable and need to be refrigerated once opened. They won’t last more than a week or so after opening the inner package. Not that they last that long anyway… they usually all end up in my belly in a week’s time. Now, if only they weren’t so darn expensive.
A definite lower score for them, because of the price, but slightly higher because of the usability factors…
Cheap Eats Score: 6/10
January 2nd, 2006 at 6:22 pm
I tried the frozen costco tortillas over the holidays and was very impressed. My mother is old school and has made her own for sixty years or more. In my family we call moms home made “manna” food from heaven. Cut to the chase, they are every bit as good as Moms scratch made.
January 2nd, 2006 at 7:28 pm
mario – you are SO lucky your mom makes her own! That is seriously the best kind… I only get to have the homemade ones at certain restaurants. But you are right that the ones from CostCo are pretty decent for mass-produced ones.
March 7th, 2006 at 6:28 am
I had found uncooked refrigerated tortillas at the Costco in Commerce, MI when they first opened up, but they have not had them in about a year. They were not the Tortillaland brand shown above. Are these refrigerated or frozen? Any other suggestions on where I can locate them?
March 7th, 2006 at 7:41 am
cheryl – the other day, i went to the Costco here in southern California and I looked for the uncooked tortillas but couldn’t find them. They seem to be not a regular item or something, and it depends what Costco you’re at. The brand above was just refrigerated, not frozen… yours were frozen?
I would also like to know where else they sell them, or if they sell then in normal grocery stores. But I would suspect not, unless there is a higher Latino/Hispanic American population…
November 7th, 2006 at 11:40 am
Actually, the uncooked tortillas from Costco are extremely well-priced, especially if you are looking for authenticity. My husband, who was born in Mexico, has been wanting me to learn how to make homemade flour tortillas like his mom used to make, for the 7 years we have been together. The Costco uncooked tortillas are the next best thing to homemade until I get the ambition to learn how to make the real thing. The flour tortillas I usually buy, Guererros flour tortillas, are about the same price as Costco’s and only come in a 30 pack. What I am curious about is the many other recipes the package claims you can make with the uncooked tortillas. Pizza, eggrolls, etc…
November 8th, 2006 at 9:24 am
I live in Kansas and we are hooked on them. We visited my hubby’s mom in Arizona where they are plentiful and stock up before we return to Kansas since they are no where to be found here. I keep searching for someone to carry them locally but too many meat and potatoe eaters in Kansas.
November 15th, 2006 at 6:41 pm
A bunch of Indians here in Utah (and my brother in California too) uses these as a substitute for the Indian flatbread – rotis. These are the closest substitute that we’ve found out here in the US so far. I tired quite a few other brands – but as you said, the precooked ones just dont live up.
Is there a way to order these online or something in bulk or if they are available at places other than costco? Not all costcos retail them. Please email me. thanks
December 4th, 2006 at 8:36 pm
This product is super popular among the first genaration immigrant Indians like me. Love this stuff. Everyone I know eats this.
What you guys don’t know is this same company has launched a new product called Rotiland, 12 pack Indian rotis, made with whole wheat and taste exactly like the ones “ma” makes. Check those out folks!
January 3rd, 2007 at 5:10 pm
Man, my husband and I also got hooked on these, purchasing them from a suburban Detroit Costco (Troy).
Tragically, we can no longer find them at that Costco and I stumbled upon your blog while trying to find the name brand to see if I could order some somewhere, anywhere. My husband is Indian and we found them to be a much healthier alternative to oily parathas (Indian flatbreads).
I guess I’ll keep searching… glad to see others found them as tasty as we did. I was afraid they weren’t selling fast enough or something and perhaps that was why Costco quit carrying them. There is a huge Indian population here as well, many are Costco members… Troy Costco, bring those tortillas back!
Thanks for your blog entry with the pic, at least now I know the brand name, and know that there are others out there who really like this product.
January 3rd, 2007 at 10:56 pm
Thanks for all the comments on the uncooked flour tortillas. It’s very interesting that they are popular with the Indian community as well, I never would have thought about that. I haven’t had them in months, but I’ve recently developed a hankering for them so I’m going to go check out the CostCo where I saw them last…
January 10th, 2007 at 9:02 am
For those of you who can’t get the tortillas locally, a Totillaland distributor is willing to ship them by the case (12 dozen) to your home. They freeze beautifully, so 12 dozen is pretty manageable. The phone number to order is (858) 212-9585.
January 31st, 2007 at 4:37 pm
Can you order these tortillias online at costco? Seaside, Ca does not have them either. My Aunt bought them in San Jose, Ca and gave us some. I cant find them locally, any ideas? Wendi
March 20th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
I tried “Uncooked Flour Tortillas” in Califronia and it was delicious and healthy. My wife and kids love it. I can’t find them in Michigan. I tried in Costco but no luck. It was avilabble @ Costco in California not sure why it is not sold in Michigan, Detorit. Can you direct me where it can be bought in Detroit, MI.
Siva
April 7th, 2007 at 7:57 pm
I USED to find another brand at the local whole foods market… they came in an orange/clear package and I always bought several packages.. Recently though, they stopped carrying them and when I inquired, was given a snappish response of “we discontinued them” no reason, no offer to order them…My local costco also does NOT carry them (bah!)
With such a seemingly popular following, so much so that we are going online in search of them, one would think the retailers would at least TRY to stock them…
I’m utterly addicted to them, have been craving them and asking everywhere I go. I’m in SoCal…where you can get just about ANYTHING, in the ethnic food offerings…but these? weird. I plan to keep checking in and i may be calling that number someone offered. THANKS to whoever posted that!
Grace
April 18th, 2007 at 10:26 am
Absolutely love these tortillas. For those of you concerned about not being able to eat them fast enough, you can separate and freeze smaller amount (6 – 12) – they defrost and cook up great.
April 23rd, 2007 at 9:23 pm
I just saw that http://www.tortillaland.com is offering online orders. Seems pretty new, but maybe worth a try for those who cannot find them locally. Cheers.
May 5th, 2007 at 4:44 pm
I live in Tacoma Wa.and can not find them any where here. Not even costco has them. I tried them in Arizona , And they taste alot like the tortillas that my grandmother and mother made. They are the best.Please get a store up here to carry them.
May 26th, 2007 at 4:02 pm
where can I find Tortilla Land Tortilla’s?
June 4th, 2007 at 2:01 pm
Thanks for Diane cooper i called the number (858) 212-9585 and got 13 packs(12 each) for $36 which is a great deal inclusive shipping. Although not the tortillaland brand it is exactly the same, shipping was superfast, nice experience.
June 4th, 2007 at 5:25 pm
Interestingly, I just found the Tortillaland uncooked tortillas again at my local CostCo. They restocked it after a long absence. The other day, I was in line at the checkout and the person in front of me had the tortillas, I was pretty surprised… the checkout lady actually brought it to my attention because it turned out she was a big fan of them too. I’ll never understand why companies take away products that people like so much – I mean clearly, from the response on this post plus what I heard from people in the store, this is a popular product. CostCo seems to stock these very regionally and depending on demand, so perhaps if enough people in your area ask for them they might do something about it. They have always had these tortillas without interruption at a different CostCo slightly farther away from me.
June 5th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
oh my i am fed up of asking for these uncooked tortillas in my local costco. No one beleives that i took the membership of costco just for these tortillas, a month ago when i was in Texas, and now I am in maryland and am not able to find them.
I really want to tell them that i no longer want the membership as for a family of 3 costco does not matter a lot without those tortillas.
if u are in maryland columbia, please everyone who goes to costco , ask for those fresh tortillas, may be they start stocking it.
July 2nd, 2007 at 12:00 pm
I have also been searching for these tortillas at my local costco, here in Raleigh, NC. I am going in there today to find out if I can request them to order it. The costco item # is 288575. I called up my old costco for the item number. The Boise Costco always carries them and reorders them too. Maybe due to the big Hispanice population there. But all my Indian friend and families buy them too. Not sure why it’s not available here even though Raleigh has a huge Hispanic and Indian community.
Will have to try that option.
This product is the best roti you can get in North America hands down and it ain’t oily like the ones you get from the Indian stores. Thanks for posting the distributor’s number. Worst case, I will get it from them. It seems like you can order from TL’s website but I can’t get to it from work
July 13th, 2007 at 9:30 pm
What up with the low carb tortillas, I haven’t been able to find them anymore. Are they still available? Please let me know.
July 14th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
I LOVE the new find of tortillas. My family loves to warm precooked tortillas on our gas stove and put butter on them. We also used them in our sandwich maker(something we got 14 years ago for a wedding gift and wondered if we’d ever use it) The tortillas are GREAT in the sandwich maker. We add cheese and salami for a quick lunch. My husband made dessert for our boys last night. He used the uncooked tortillas and added jelly inside and folded the extra tortilla into the maker. He then sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar r could use powdered sugar too. We are so hooked! I sure hope our costco continues to carry them!
August 3rd, 2007 at 4:15 pm
These uncooked tortillas are available at Walmart Supercenters in a 12 pack for less than $2.00 a package. They keep them in the refrigerators near the cottage cheese and sour cream.
August 17th, 2007 at 3:14 pm
FOUND SOMEONE TO SHIP THESE TORTILLAS ON EBAY!!!!!!! Cost a little bit more, but they know they are in high demand! Plus I have tried everywhere to find these, and even bought a friggin Sam’s Club Membership just for these only to find out they don’t carry them in my store!!!! These are by far the best tortillas ever!!! I already paid extra to have mine shipped overnight! LOVE THESE! Grew up in Texas and now live in Florida and can not get these anywhere!!!
August 22nd, 2007 at 12:50 pm
Does anybody know if and where I can find these tortillas in Orlando. I moved from UT to Orlando and like all ofyou guys I absolutely loved it, good source of carbs.
Sharon, who on Ebay is selling them? I’d greatly appreciate if you could mention the username?
August 25th, 2007 at 8:23 pm
GGonzo63 is the user on ebay
August 31st, 2007 at 5:55 am
Thanks Sharon! The seller sells Guerrero brand tortillas. Is that what you purchased? Do they taste the same as Tortilla Land tortillas?
August 31st, 2007 at 9:57 am
I live in aliso viejo, ca where can I buy this tortilla? They used to have it at my Costo, vons, ralphs, henry’s, but this week when I tried to find them, no one seem to be carrying it ….My neighbor & I love them but can’t seem to find them………
September 11th, 2007 at 7:19 pm
I haven’t tried the Tortilla Land ones. I saw these online, and have bought several times from there…They were the Guerrero Brand, and were to die for!!! Just like when I lived in Texas years ago…Brought back childhood memories!!! The ebayer ships them priority mail, so you have them in days! Its great!!! Plus they ship them fresh! Buy in bulk, its cheaper…
September 12th, 2007 at 1:04 pm
I bought the Guerrero ones, and they are smaller in size when compared to the trortilla land and they are a little harder too but all in all they taste great! Thanks to you Sharon!!!
I bought 4 packs and stored 2 packs in the freezer so they wont go bad…
January 14th, 2008 at 10:06 am
They carry raw tortillas at Stater Bros. in S. CA (Aliso Viejo) But you better get there soon after delivery because in a couple of days they are gone!
February 21st, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Wow, surprised to see that so many people are fond of these tortillas… Usually my friend buys these from costco and whenever I go to his house I eat these tortillas…
Now I am thinking to take Costco membership just for this one product…
Do anyone know if they sell these tortillas or any similar brands in any other grocery stores like safeway,foodmax,raleys, luckys,etc,…
I live in bay area california.
Your help is appreciated.
March 9th, 2008 at 11:19 am
These are the best..next to mom’s. Reminds me of how good they were when I was a kid. They are great right off the griddle,
spray them with “I Can’t Believe It’s not Butter” and roll’em up for a great lo cal snack. No oil or grease needed to cook them,
just lay them right out of the bag onto a hot griddle or pan, let them puff up and lightly brown on each side. Bet you can’t eat just one….
March 31st, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Hey I come from Washington DC. Can anyone tell me if there are good fresh roti’s (chapatis) available anywhere around this area?? I have tried all varieties from Patel.
I tried Rotis by Rotiland which my friend bought from NC. Does anyone know where I can find these in my area???
Please let me know
Thanks,
Deepa
April 21st, 2008 at 4:08 pm
JUST got these from COSTCO and they are my new favorite thing!! About making pizza… my husband has PERFECTED the recipe. This is what you do: preheat your oven to 450, place 1 tortilla on the rack for 1 min, 30 seconds. (of course oven times will vary…mine tends to be fast) It will have puffed up into a giant balloon (maybe you can prick it with a fork first so this doesn’t happen, but don’t prick all the way through, bc the pizza sauce will leak through) Now, when it’s done, flip it over so that the crispy side is up. That is the side you’ll put the sauce, cheese, toppings on. Once you’ve “dressed” the pizza, you put it in the oven again at the same temperature for about 7-12 minutes. Be careful to not over-cheese it. This is a very thin-crust pizza and is delicate. Always put it directly on the rack. My husband has perfected this recipe, so shortcuts won’t work!
Enjoy! It’s our new favorite dinner/snack/treat!!
September 28th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
I live in Boca Raton Florida, could you tell me where can we get these tortillas are the best ever and we all enjoy at breakfast, lunch and dinner.
November 12th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
OMG..these are the next best thing to Indian Homemade Rotis(even better if u’re a lousy roti maker like me)..kindof reminds me of the Romali rotis..I’m lucky we have these in our local Costco’s(Houston)..the membershipi’s worth it just for this..
November 15th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Love these tortillas. Would like to know if they work good for enchilada’s. or…. any other recipe they work in.
November 25th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Hard to find Rotiland Chappathi @costco in BayArea,
IF you happen to find in any bay area location ,Please let know.
January 13th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
Let me give you a super-easy recipe that simulates a Turkish dish (Cig Borek – pronounced as Chih Borek). This is pretty similar to quesadilla, only it is done with ground beef.
CIG BOREK
You need about an ounce of ground beef for each tortilla.
Grate a couple of tablespoons of onion (use the medium size grates to obtain some onion juice as well).
Mix well ground beef, onions, a tablespoon of water for each ounce of ground beef, and add salt as desired.
To assemble: Put a tortilla on a plate, thinly spread the beef mixture to cover bottom half of the tortilla (leave about 1/4 in empty around the edges), wet the edges with a few drops of water, fold top half over to obtain “D” shapes. Press the edges – it won’t seal, but it helps to hold shape.
Pre-heat pan or griddle on medium heat. Then cook each side until brown marks appear (no oil needed) – 3-4 minutes each side.
When cooked, put on a plate and spread a little butter on top and bottom, and serve warm.
January 26th, 2009 at 11:18 am
We have been using the Costco tortillas. No doubt they are best substitute for Indian rotis, I was just wondering are they healthy. We take it almost everyday, so just wanted to know how healthy it is.
January 31st, 2009 at 8:44 pm
I thought not many people bough it, I work on circle foods warehouse, we produce eeeeeeeeeeeevery day tortilla land uncooked 36 and 44 tortillas, as well as roti land chapati, and others… xD i’ve been working there like about 3 months now… and still I haven’t taste any of those, just a cooked tortilla from “porkyland” which taste veeeeeeeeeeeery good.
February 18th, 2009 at 11:47 am
We have been using the rotiland rotis on a daily basis since past 6 months and simply love it. But, I was concerned abouth the health aspects. What preservatives are used and will it have any adverse effect on health in the long run? I don’t get a lot of information from the ingredients.