The Foil Trick That Makes Building Tacos So Much Easier

The crunchy texture of hard-shell tacos adds another layer of enjoyment to everyone's favorite Tuesday night meal. However, unlike flour tortillas, hard corn varieties can be a little tough to manage when adding your taco ingredients. In this case, there's a neat little trick you can use to make building tacos a real breeze. All it requires is a bit of aluminum foil and minor effort on your part.

Take two sheets of aluminum foil and form them into a ball. Then, nestle your taco shell between the two foil balls to keep it steady. Use as many foil balls as you need for the number of tacos you're making. Now that the corn shells are upright, you can add a variety of ingredients (for a bit of inspiration, check out these fun and fresh taco recipes perfect for any occasion). 

Along with making it easier to build a better taco, this trick allows you to get a layer of melty cheese to the top of your fillings. Simply sprinkle on some shredded cheese and relocate the taco-laden baking sheet to your oven for a few minutes.

There are a few taco building steps to keep in mind when adding fillings to your shells. When it comes to meat filling, don't simply plop it at the bottom of the shell. Instead, distribute the meat on one side of the taco shell to increase its stability. Remember that corn shells, while delicious and crunchy, can be brittle and prone to breakage. You can incorporate cheese next and distribute it the same way you spread out the taco meat. If you're not sure which selection to choose from, check out Daily Meal's survey on which cheese is best for tacos.

This is where you should pop your tacos back into the oven with their foil ball supports to get the meltiest cheese possible (whatever type you ultimately choose). However, it's best to add other fillings after removing the baked tacos from the oven.  Toppings like guac, sour cream, veggies, and salsa should be cool when they're incorporated, as heat may negatively impact the texture and consistency of these ingredients. Also, this placement limits contact with the shell and stops it from getting mushy. Now you can enjoy tradition-breaking taco recipes with ease and convenience in the kitchen.