Enjoy Christmas tamales in the new year
Nothing says the holidays in Texas quite like tamales. Whether made at home during an annual tamalada, picked up at the store or slyly purchased from a cooler in a parking lot, countless thousands of tamales will be joyously consumed here during the Christmas season.
But unless you have the appetite of an army, there’s a good chance you’ll have tamales left over once the festivities have ended. And you can make those corn husk-swaddled delights last well into the new year.
Tamales have a relatively short shelf life in the refrigerator. They’ll only be at their best for about three days wrapped in their husks and placed in a plastic bag or other airtight container. After that, they run the risk of becoming overly dry and brittle, although they won’t start spoiling for a week.
Tamales freeze, thaw and reheat quite well if handled properly. The secret is to avoid letting the tamales come in contact with the frigid air of the freezer, which will cause them to dry out and form jagged ice crystals in the masa and fillings, damaging their texture.
If you bought tamales in foil-wrapped bundles, just wrap those, foil and all, in a layer of plastic wrap and place inside a sealable plastic bag with air squeezed out to stave off freezer burn. Handle unbundled tamales the same way, leaving the husks on and tightly wrapping them in plastic before bagging. For individual servings, wrap one by one or in pairs in plastic before bagging and freezing.
Tamales can be safely stored in the freezer indefinitely, but the quality will begin to suffer after roughly six months.
Place the bag of tamales in the fridge the night before you intend to reheat them so they have enough time to thaw completely. If you’re in a hurry, you can use the defrost setting on your microwave, although the results won’t be as good.
Place the thawed tamales, still wrapped in their husks, in a steamer basket or a rack over about an inch of water in a large pot. Bring that water to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and cover the pot. It’ll take 10 minutes or more to heat the tamales all the way through.
A microwave can also be used to reheat tamales if you re-create the environment of a steamer. To do that, place the tamales, still in their husks, inside a loosely closed plastic bag along with a tablespoon or so of water. Microwave that bag of goodness on high 2 to 5 minutes, depending on the quantity. Check them every minute or so, jostling the tamales around a bit, to ensure they heat evenly. pstephen@express-news.net