In this video, Alton Brown (Good Eats TV show) shares his expertise on how to use a tortilla press (and a whole lot more).
How To Use a Tortilla Press
Given the choice between a wooden tortilla press, electric tortilla press, aluminum tortilla press, and a cast iron tortilla press, Alton chose the press made of cast iron.
He uses a 1.5 oz. scooper to form the right size ball of masa dough. After forming balls of dough Alton places them on a cookie sheet covered with a wet towel (to prevent them from drying out).
He states that traditionally, in Mexico, tortillas are cooked on a special earthenware or thin cast iron griddle called a comal but that he is just using a heavy-duty cast iron griddle. His griddle has been heated to 400 degrees fahrenheit which he says is key to cooking tortillas.
Mr. Brown also shows how he uses a heating pad (set on high) to keep the tortillas warm after cooking them.
The program shows how the balls of masa dough are placed off-center in the tortilla press in between plastic. The plastic is from a large gallon-size zip-top baggie which has had the edges and top trimmed off.
Alton Brown says if your tortillas are stale, you should spritz them with water on both sides, wrap them in foil, and place them in a 300 degree fahrenheit oven for a few minutes. Good as new!
Alton also discusses how to make tortilla chips using a recipe of lime juice and salt. He compares the prices of homemade vs. store bought tortillas and shows how much cheaper they are when you make them yourself.
Overall, a pretty good video by Alton Brown on how to use a tortilla press.