This $9 Tortilla Warmer Has Single-Handedly Saved My Taco Tuesdays

If there’s one thing I truly can’t stand, it’s cold food. I’m the girl posted up by the microwave at family gatherings because the spread is never hot enough, and I wouldn’t be caught dead settling for tepid green bean casserole. Cold pizza is not for me. And unless my soup is scalding, I’d rather not partake. (I will however make an exception for cold Publix fried chicken, but that’s a story for a different day.)

My disdain for a lukewarm meal coupled with my family’s penchant for weekly taco nights had me searching for a solution to the ever-present problem of cold tortillas. I found the answer to my room-temperature woes in a $9 sunburst tortilla warmer from IMUSA. In a very short amount of time, the 12-inch cloth pouch has become the star of our Taco Tuesdays. I like to think my homemade guacamole is still a close second.

BUY IT: $8.99; amazon.com

Now, instead of warming our tortillas in the microwave one by one, then rushing to polish off a taco before the tortilla has time to cool, we simply fill our warmer, microwave it, then bring our newly warm tortillas to the table. Long gone are the days of me bellowing for my husband to sit down as he hurriedly scarfs a burrito over the counter. Even my husband, who’s typically skeptical of kitchen gadgets (especially after I convinced him to add a hot dog toaster to our wedding registry), admits this was a good buy.

It's cute, takes up minimal space in our kitchen, and is extremely functional. To test the warmer’s limits, I left a couple tortillas in mine long after dinner was over, then came back to check on them an hour later. Much to my surprise, they were still warm. I can only imagine how useful this would have been last Cinco De Mayo when I (unsuccessfully) tried to keep enough tortillas for 12 warm using only aluminum foil and an oven set on low. The number of times I climbed up and down our back patio stairs to rewarm them was outrageous. But this year, I’ll have my secret weapon ready.

Now that I know how great this tool is for taco nights, I’m dreaming of endless use cases. We’ll stuff it with naan when we get Indian takeout or attempt chicken tikka masala at home. We can use it for pita bread when serving hummus at a party. And I’m fairly sure it would be a Godsend for Saturday morning pancakes. Come to think of it, this may be the best $9 I've ever spent.