The Clever Fork Hack That Makes Filling Hard Shell Tacos A Breeze

Many people have strong preferences when it comes to hard shell versus soft tacos. However, even soft taco lovers would have to admit that sometimes, the delicious crunch of a hard shell taco just takes the dish to the next level texturally. While hard shell tacos are delicious, they can create a few difficulties, like when they break and all the insides drop onto the plate (or floor) and when they refuse to stand up on their own and instead fall over while you are trying to stuff them with meat and toppings. Luckily, there is an easy hack to prevent your hard shell tacos from falling apart and keep them standing while you layer in the toppings — and all you need is a fork.

Yes, grabbing an everyday table fork and sticking it onto one side of the tortilla is a great way to fortify your hard shell and keep it standing on its own while you fill it. This hack is perfect because it allows you to use both hands to work with the ingredients instead of needing to use one to hold the taco upright. So, how do you do it?

Performing this hack is as simple as placing the taco shell you'd like to fill on a plate or the table and holding it upright. Then, take the fork and slide the prongs between one side of the taco shell near the bottom so that the fork can lay on the table horizontally while holding the shell upright. Then, let go of the fork, and your taco shell should stand on its own. According to a viral video on TikTok titled "Things I wish I knew earlier in life," once you've accomplished this, you can start stacking ingredients.

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Things i wish i knew earlier in life

♬ original sound – Shawn Kondash

Now that you've solved the taco stand problem, you can look to other ways to help your hard shell taco be the best it can be. If you are looking for a way to have a no-mess taco experience, using one large piece of lettuce as the first layer inside the shell is a great way to make sure no taco juices leech into the hard shell and cause it to become soft and fragile. If you don't want to add lettuce to your taco, you can also use cheese as the base layer because, as it melts, it will hold the shell together and prevent it from cracking.

If you are looking for a way to hold a group of hard shell tacos upright, then it may be worth investing in a taco holder stand. These stands are often made of metal or plastic and are easy to find on Amazon. The advantage of these holders is that they can hold multiple hard shell tacos at once, which is super convenient if you are prepping a bunch of tacos for a party or if you host Taco Tuesdays quite often. However, if hard shell tacos are only a once-in-a-while thing in your household, a taco holder stand might end up just being another thing in your kitchen that clutters up much-needed drawer space.

If you are looking for a taco-holding hack that uses something you probably already have, you can try the egg carton trick. For this method, simply grab an empty egg carton and flip it upside down. Then, you can line up each taco shell in the divots of the overturned egg carton. While a regular 12-egg carton will do the trick, it might be easier to use an 18 or 24-egg carton for more stability when adding in your toppings.