If you are epicurean about food and want to explore varieties of exclusive food items, then definitely you have heard of one of the most exquisite Mexican items, which is called “Tamales.” It is a familiar, savory, and dynamic type of food item which you must try at least once in your life. It is traditionally made of starchy, corn-based sweet and savory masa and enriched chicken, vegetables, cheese, and green beans. Then it is wrapped with banana leaf or corn husk.
This delicious item can be preserved and used in the future. For the purpose of preservation, we need to freeze this. When you need to consume this, just reheat and unfreeze the item, and yes, that is ready to eat. But wait, there are a lot of lengthy and complex processes of reheating it. If you make a silly mistake, then you have to pay for it. Your tamales may suffer from overturning, which may affect their actual taste. To avoid these problems, properly reheating tamales is a must. This article may find all the necessary information regarding the best ways to reheat frozen tamales.
What are Tamales?
As I mentioned earlier, the tamale is a popular food item in Mexican and South American portions. Tamale is usually made from a mixture of dough, specifically corn dough, which is called masa, and the entire fillings have been wrapped in a banana leaf or a corn husk. This wrapper may not be edible, but it certainly adds a special smoky flavor when steaming. That’s the core element that makes it a unique food. Most of the time, tamale contains slow-cooked seasoned meat, it may be chicken or red meat, or you can also stuff this with mashed potatoes, corn, peppers, Carrots, beans and dry fruit, cheese, and many other stuffing items. It is really a delicious item, and anyone may appreciate its unique taste of this item.
Health Benefits of Frozen Tamales
Most of the food contents have some nutritional and culinary benefits, and there are no exceptions. Tamales contain a high volume of nutritional components. Some of the benefits of Tamales are being discussed below,
- It offers a healthy diet, and it is simple to cook
- Tamales contain a large number of nutrients and essential fatty acids
- Tamales are good for Travelers and professional hikers as they can preserve them for long journeys.
- The Vegan Frozen Tamales offer nutrients including Vitamin A, Zinc, Potassium, and Iron.
- Frozen Tamales’ can provide 19.4 grams of essential fats and more than 10 grams of proteins that can boost your body functions.
Different types of Tamales
You can find several varieties of tamales. In different parts of the world, different types of tamales are made as it is a traditional dish in many countries. Let me show you different types of tamales so that you can gather knowledge before the preparation of this delicious item.
Tamales Verdes and Tamales Rojos
This is one of the greatest iconic and classic items in Mexican recipes. They are made with chicken or red meat. Red or green chile sauce is the life of this dish. This kind of tamale is consumed dominantly all year round. That means this dish is a purpose dish, and it is a wonderful thing that is regarded as a national food in many countries.
Nacatamales
This version of the tamale originates from Nicaragua and is an entire meal in itself. It uses plantain leaves filled with lots of masa. Other items are used in tamales like rice, tomatoes, potatoes, raisins, olives, and even meat. But it is disappointing that this takes really a long time to be prepared and the raw materials are comparatively more difficult to find as usual.
Tamales Colorados
This unique type of tamale has lots of interesting and flavorful components. It is a colorful variant of tamale. They look deep reddish, and the color is being taken from the achiote and tomatoes. Sesame seeds are used to flourish the bitter taste of the tamales. You can include these items to bring an even more strong taste to this dish, like tomatillo, onions, cloves, cinnamon, and garlic. The filling includes either chicken or red meat. They are wrapped in Mexican leaves that perfuse the tamal with a solitary taste. This kind of tamale is mainly served with slices of bread. This tamale signifies the festivals as these are massively consumed in the western countries during their festivals.
Dulce Tamales and darasa
The main stuffings for this kind of tamal are the mighty while sugar; many also add dulce de leche, pineapple, dried fruit, whole berries, and coconut powder. Suppose you do not know what dulce de leche is. It is a caramelized milk jam, and the procedure of making it is very slow and lengthy as the milk and sugar are being heated nicely for a long time.
Garifuna-style tamales are a bit different in nature as they don’t have any cornmeal. You can use coconut milk and grated green bananas to create this unique variant in lieu. They are wrapped in Mexican leaves and heavily steamed, and tamales are savory in taste, and you can consume this with fish soup.
How to freeze tamales properly?
If you follow step-by-step procedures for freezing the tamales, then you may find an excellent result.
- The very first step is to Cook the tamales according to your recipe.
- Completely cool down the tamales. Remember that these get ruined if it is settled down for two hours at room temperature.
- Take some aluminum foil and wrap them up with two layers of tamale. Check that all sides of the tamale are wrapped nicely; otherwise, the vapor may cause harm and make the tamales dumpy.
- Put the foil-wrapped tamales in a freezer bag or air-tight container. Extract all the air from the container so that it can not oxidize the inner side of the tamales.
- The last step is to label the tamales. It is essential to keep a record of when it is produced, and according to that label, you may find out the expiration date of the tamales.
Best ways to Reheat/Steam/Cook Frozen Tamales
Tamales are one of the weirdest but most special food items and are very popular among the south and north Americans. It is consumed in a festive manner as it is regarded as one of the most special items. You may have additional Tamales, so you need to preserve these anyhow. The most effective way is to freeze them in the freezer. After freezing them, you can not just bring them out and consume them when you need to consume them. You must reheat them to make them ideal for consumption. Now let’s see some exciting ways of reheating the Tamales.
How to cook frozen tamales in the microwave?
The easiest and simple method of reheating the Tamales is just microwaving this. There are some exciting facts when you want to microwave the Tamales. In the first phase, you need to check if your Tamales are frozen or thawed. If It is thawed, use a damp paper towel to moisten them. Then put it in the microwave. But before microwaving, take a close look at if the aluminum foils have been removed or not. Then put a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave and gently set the timer for one minute. After thirty seconds, just flip it out for the even heating of the Tamales. And that’s how you; can easily reheat frozen Tamales.
Use the steamer to reheat frozen tamales.
Using the steamer is another great way to reheat Tamales. Just fill the steamer with water about three inches. Ensure that water does not touch the Tamales; otherwise, they will become mushy and soggy. After filling this with water, make sure that the upper basket and the cover are tightly sealed, and steam doesn’t come out. Now put the Tamales vertically into the steamer and apply medium heat. This process usually needs 20 to 30 minutes. The best thing is that you do not have to monitor the Tamales all the time as there is no chance to overburn.
How to cook frozen tamales on the stove?
If you do not have a microwave or a steamer, then the best way of reheating your Tamales is to heat them on the stove. Take a nonstick fry pan, put two to three tablespoons of oil into it, and heat it. Then put the Tamales in it and shallow fry them until they turn dark brown. The most important thing that has to be considered is that before frying Tamales, gently remove the corn husk as it gets burnt easily on the stove. Continue the heating and frying process for about ten minutes. By applying this process, you can get crunchy and brown-colored Tamales.
Deep fryer: A true rescuer to steam frozen tamales
If you do not have an issue with extra moist oily Tamales, then this process is for you. In this process, take the oil full to its brim and then preheat the oil for a few minutes. Then take out the corn husk and put Tamales in the hot oil. Be careful not to stand too close to the deep fryer. As soon as you put Tamales in the hot oil, it will splash and may harm your skin. Finally, cook the Tamales for two to three minutes. When it converts into a golden brown color, stop the deep fryer. Keep in mind not to fry them for so long that it turns black. Those who like crunchy Tamales can follow the s method.
Skillet in operation
If you want smokey and crunchy flavored Tamales, then you can follow this process. First, take an iron skillet and preheat it by putting pure ghee or vegetable oil In it. Then remove the corn husk and simply shallow fry them. Fry each of the sides for about ten minutes, and when it starts to turn light brown, turn the heat off.
How to reheat frozen tamales in an instant pot?
This process is very similar to the steamer as in both cases, and you have to boil water and then put Tamales in it. Let the water boil and then vertically place the Tamales in it and close the lid. Carry on this process for 15 to 20 minutes. As soon as Tamales are boiled decently, take them off from the instant pot and serve them.
Summarizing the Article
You may be a tamale freak person, and, commonly, you may end up with some leftovers. That’s why it is important to know the methods of preserving tamales and, after preserving them again, consume them. It is really important to know the actual reheating process of the tamale. If you know the actual reheating methods of the tamale, you may find the original and flavorful taste of the tamale. So my recommendation is simply to go through the whole article with a careful eye then. You will be able to consume fresh, crunchy, and unique flavored tamales.
FAQs
Can you freeze and again reheat tamales?
You can save more time by Freezing cooked tamales and again defrosting and reheating them. You can thoroughly thaw them in the refrigerator overnight or for a day and then reheat them either in a microwave or oven,
Should you thaw frozen tamales before cooking?
It is really wise to thaw frozen tamales before cooking them. It may become dumpy if you cook them without thawing, and the crunchiness will not last for too long. So thaw the tamales nicely before microwaving or frying this.
Can you cook frozen tamales in an air fryer?
There is a nice way to cook frozen tamales, and that is to heat them up in the air fryer. Warm up the air fryer and then place the tamales in the air fryer basket. Then gently cook them for five minutes. Your tamales will be ready to serve.
How to cook frozen tamales without a steamer?
If you do not have a steamer, you can cook the tamales using an oven. If you cook in the oven, then the first and foremost thing is to wrap the tamales with aluminum foil paper. Otherwise, it will become so dry that the outer layer may become fragile. Wrapping with the foil paper keeps tamales soft and edible.
How long are tamales good for in the fridge?
If you want to store the cooked tamales, make sure that they are cooled down nicely, then put the tamales in a zippered bag and let them settle down in the refrigerator. The life span is dependent on the fact of what tamales are made of. If it is a Frozen meat tamale, it may last two months in the freezer, but the regular vegetable tamales last for about up to six months. And storing them in the fridge will keep them fresh for only 4-7 days.
