Download ArticleDownload ArticleThis article was co-authored by Jennifer Levasseur. Chef Jennifer Levasseur is a Personal Chef and the Owner of The Happy Cuisiniere based in Breckenridge, Colorado. She has over 12 years of culinary experience and specializes in Mountain and Contemporary Rustic cuisine. Moreover, she can craft dishes and modify menus to accommodate dietary restrictions, such as gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, and dairy-free diets. In addition to a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Management from the University of Houston, Chef Jennifer holds Associate’s degrees in Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry Arts from Houston Community College.
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The perfectly-rolled burrito is art worth aspiring to. Rolling is crucial to making a burrito. There's not much more frustrating than beginning to eat a burrito, only to have the contents fall out in a miserable show of rebellion. For this reason, man invented a technique that would honor the contents of the burrito without letting them escape the clutches of the tortilla. If you want to know how to wrap a burrito, read on!
Tips for Wrapping a Burrito
- Add moisture to your tortilla with a microwave, steamer, or panini press.
- Scoop the contents to the center of the tortilla.
- Carefully lift the tortilla by joining the front and bottom flap.
- With the tortilla on a flat surface, pull the left and right flap over.
- Tuck the top flat underneath the contents and roll outward.
Steps
Make sure your tortilla is large enough for its contents. A good rule of thumb is to have your burrito at least twice as big as the contents you'll put in it. That means that you have fold the burrito in half, with the contents inside, and easily reach both ends together with room to spare.- Put some moisture into your tortilla. This step is essential. Getting your tortilla warm and moist makes it pliable, meaning that it's easier to work with.[1] To get that warm moisture into your tortilla, try any one of the following:
- Place the tortilla under a large panini press on medium setting for 20 to 30 seconds.
- Place the tortilla on a plate in the microwave for 30 seconds, using the high setting.
- Steam the burrito, using a commercial steamer.
Advertisement - Carefully add the contents of the burrito to the center of the tortilla. You probably already have an idea of what you want to put into your burrito, but if not, you can take a cue from these examples:[2]
- Beans (black, refried, pinto, etc.)
- Rice (white, brown, or "Spanish")
- Meat (carnitas, carne asada, chicken, etc.)
- Cheese
- Lettuce
- Salsa ("red," i.e. pico de gallo, or "green," i.e. tomatillo salsa)
- Sour cream
- Guacamole
- Join the front and bottom flap and quickly lift the tortilla into the air. Make sure to keep the contents of the burrito in the tortilla. Set it back down again, open faced.[3]
- Pull the left flap of the tortilla over the burrito contents, toward the center. Hold this flap in place. It likely won't reach the center, but it should create a pocket that holds one side of your fillings in place.
- Pull the right flap of the tortilla over the burrito contents, toward the center. Your tortilla flaps probably won't overlap at this point.
- Don't pull too hard on the ends of the flaps as you fold them over to the center. This could rip the tortilla, causing the contents to spill out before they spill into your mouth.
- Tuck the top flap of the tortilla underneath the burrito contents using one or two hands. In this step, you should be pulling all of the burrito contents toward your body, into the center of the burrito.
- Starting from your body and moving outward, roll the burrito forward. This will bring the burrito together into a cylindrical shape. If you can, let the burrito rest on top of the last little flap for a minute or two; this helps fuse the ends of the tortilla together, making them stick together.[4]
- Wrap the burrito in foil. This does three things: It provides insulation to keep the burrito warm; it helps compact the burrito even more; it gives the person eating the burrito a mold to help keep the burrito together.[5]
- Put some moisture into your tortilla. Again, this step is essential. You can microwave your tortilla, steam it, or put it through a panini press to get the desired heat and moisture. Whichever works best for you.
- Carefully add the contents of the burrito to the center of the tortilla, being careful not to overload. Place a smaller amount of burrito filling directly into the center of the tortilla.
- Fold the left and right sides of the tortilla toward the center. Either the tortilla sides will meet, or the contents of the burrito will tell you when you should stop.
- Grab the bottom flap of the tortilla and tuck it over and then under the contents of the burrito. This is much like the tuck motion you performed rolling a larger burrito.
- Continue rolling the tortilla until it assumes its traditional cylinder. Your smaller burrito has been successfully rolled.
- Wrap the burrito in foil. This provides insulation to keep the burrito warm; helps compact the burrito even more; and gives the person eating the burrito a mold to help keep the burrito together.[6]
Expert Q&A
- QuestionWhat ingredients do you recommend putting in a breakfast burrito?
Jennifer LevasseurChef Jennifer Levasseur is a Personal Chef and the Owner of The Happy Cuisiniere based in Breckenridge, Colorado. She has over 12 years of culinary experience and specializes in Mountain and Contemporary Rustic cuisine. Moreover, she can craft dishes and modify menus to accommodate dietary restrictions, such as gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, and dairy-free diets. In addition to a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Management from the University of Houston, Chef Jennifer holds Associate’s degrees in Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry Arts from Houston Community College.
Personal ChefYou will enjoy breakfast meats, potatoes, eggs, and then cheese to bind it together. Chorizo, chicken sausage, and peppers are also great things to include. A great vegetarian option is to use peppers, egg, potato, and cheese. You can add spinach too, but cook it first to release the water the spinach contains. - QuestionWhat if you are putting chicken breast in the tortilla?
Community AnswerShred the chicken and wrap the burrito normally. - QuestionDoes this work with a hard shell?
AudreyCommunity AnswerNo. You could make a hard-shell taco, but it would crack if you tried to wrap a burrito out of a hard shell.
Video
Tips
- Just don’t overfill the burrito. This is where most people have the biggest problems with rolling their burrito. There is a finite amount of space inside your tortilla. Once you can wrap your brain around that, you will have a successful burrito rolling experience.Thanks
Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about burritos, check out our in-depth interview with Jennifer Levasseur.
References
- ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-wrap-a-burrito-so-it-doesnt-fall-apart-when-you-eat-it-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-189756
- ↑ https://www.foodnetwork.com/how-to/packages/food-network-essentials/how-to-fold-a-burrito
- ↑ https://www.foodnetwork.com/how-to/packages/food-network-essentials/how-to-fold-a-burrito
- ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/how-to-fold-a-wrap-step-by-step-article
- ↑ https://www.pbs.org/food/recipes/grab-and-go-breakfast-burritos/
- ↑ https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/how-to-roll-a-burrito
About This Article
To roll a burrito, start by folding the left and right edges of the tortilla toward the center, but not all the way. At this point, the edges shouldn't be overlapping. Next, bring the top edge of the burrito down over the fillings and wrap it underneath them so it stays in place. Finally, roll the burrito toward yourself until it reaches the bottom edge of the tortilla. If you want to learn how to wrap your burrito so it doesn't lose its shape, keep reading the article!
Reader Success Stories
"Absolutely delicious! Try putting in different ingredients for mor e deliciousness. I tried pumpkin and feta, and also cheese and bacon. Burritos are also great if your vego or vegan, because you absolutely do not have to put meat in a burrito! If youre a vego, try my pumpkin and feta, or if youre vegan, try salad! "..." more
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