| How to Roll Tamales Posted: 22 Jan 2020 12:00 AM PST Tamales are a traditional Mesoamerican dish made from masa dough and steamed inside a corn husk or banana leaf. Although both methods taste delicious, they each require a bit of practice using your hands or a tortilla press. Luckily, the techniques are pretty simple and easy to learn! [Edit]Using Corn Husks - Submerge your corn husks in hot water for 2 or more hours. Start by placing your husks into a baking dish or large bowl. Afterward, cover them with hot water and weigh them down with a bowl or plate so that they're completely submerged. Let them sit for 2 hours or until they are pliable.[1]
- When your husks are done soaking you should be able to bend them without causing them to break or crack.
- Simmer hot water in your pot and steam basket. Place your steam basket into the pot and add water until it reaches the base of the steamer. Afterward, place a lid on the pot, put it on an element, and turn your stove dial to low heat until it simmers—you'll know it's simmering when the water starts to bubble slightly.[2]
- If your bubbles are large and vigorous, the water is boiling—turn down the heat.
- Low heat is typically 2 to 3 on your stove dial.
- Drain your corn husks and dry them. Squeeze each husk gently to remove any excess water, which can make them sticky. Afterward, wipe each one dry with a clean paper towel.[3]
- Always dry your husks before rolling them.
- Spread ¼ cup (32 grams) of masa dough over the husk with your hands. Place your drained corn husk onto a flat, clean area with the bottom—or wide edge—facing you. Now, spread your masa dough across the husk so that it's about thick, taking care to leave a border at the bottom.[4]
- If you can't get all the masa dough across the husk, don't worry—focus on making sure it's thick.
- Always roll your tamales with the smooth side of the husk facing upward.
- Spread ¼ cup (32 grams) of masa dough over plastic with a tortilla press. Place a plastic tortilla bag onto your open tortilla press. Start by rolling your masa dough into a small, compact ball. Now, place the ball into your plastic tortilla bag so that one piece of plastic runs across the top and the other runs underneath it. Afterward, bring the top plate of the press onto the top of your dough and then press the handle overtop the plate while applying downward pressure. Finally, open the press, remove the plastic lining, and place your dough onto your corn husk.[5]
- Pat down the ball firmly with your middle, index, and ring finger before pressing it for better results.
- Make sure your tortilla is about thick.
- Leave a border between the bottom of the husk and the dough.
- Spread 1 tablespoon (14.8 grams) of filling through the center of the dough. Scoop your choice of filling into the center of the tamale. Now, use the back of the spoon to spread it in a vertical line down the center of your dough.[6]
- Common tamale filling includes beef, green chile, Yucatan, Mexico del Sur, black bean and cheese, and seafood.
- Pull the corn husk together until the dough meets. Hold each side of the corn husk so that your hands are parallel and the dough is a vertical line directly in front of you. Now, bring both sides of the husk together until the dough touches as it hovers over the filling.[7]
- Use your fingers to press the dough together from underneath the corn husk.
- Wrap the dough firmly in the husk. Start with the left or right side and then continue with the other. Take care to avoid getting any piece of the husk stuck between the dough and filling.[8]
- Don't wrap the dough too tightly or you'll ruin the tamale's shape.
- Close the top of the husk onto itself. The top of the husk is the empty, tapered side—fold this portion over the part of the husk that holds your tamale. For smaller tamales or those that aren't staying closed, tie them off with butcher's twine.[9]
- Repeat this process for each tamale.
- Freeze your tamales or steam them for 2 hours. If you're not ready to eat your tamales, place them in the freezer. If you're ready to eat them, place them into a covered pot of steaming water for about 2 hours and enjoy![10]
- Tamales are ready to eat when the dough sets and they can easily be pulled from the husks.
- Cool your tamales for 15 minutes before eating them.
- To eat them later, store tamales in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or the freezer for 3 to 4 weeks.
[Edit]Using Banana Leaves - Cut your banana leaves into pieces. Start by rinsing your leaves with cold water to clean them. Afterward, remove the stems from each leaf. Now, cut or tear them into square pieces. Take care to keep the edges as straight as possible when cutting or tearing them.[11]
- Use a clean pair of scissors to cut your leaves if you don't want to tear them into pieces with your hands.
- Pass your banana leaves over a stove burner to decrease their stiffness. Turn your gas or electric stove burner to low heat—2 to 3 on the dial—and hold the leaves over the flame until they soften. You should see the color change from a drab color to shiny, which is a sign that the waxes are melting off the leaf.[12]
- Don't heat your leaves too much—keep them about above the burner.
- Add ¼ cup (32 grams) of filling onto the banana leaf. After adding your filling, pat it down with your fingers into an oblong strip approximately halfway up the leaf and to the right.
- Keep about between the right side of the filling and the right side of the leaf.
- Add 2 tablespoons (14.40 grams) of beans and 1 strip of cheese to half of the leaf. Use your spoon to flatten out your beans and cheese and press them to one side of the leaf. For the best results, press them toward the half to the left.[13]
- Skip the cheese if you're not a fan of dairy.
- Roll your banana leaf into a vertical tube over your filling. Start by using your right hand to hold the banana leaf vertically and fold it over the tamale. Keep this part pressed down and fold the other side over the top. Now, fold the bottom up and the top down and tie the leaf closed with a small strip of banana leaf.[14]
- Don't worry too much about the shape of your tamale—as long as it's sealed and closed, you're good to go!
- Steam your tamales for 75 minutes and serve them. Add a bit of tomatillo salsa for a great taste! Just be sure to give your tamales about 10 minutes to cool prior to serving.[15]
- Store your tamales in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or in the freezer for 3 to 4 weeks.
[Edit]Things You'll Need - Corn husks or banana leaves
- Baking dish or large bowl
- Plate
- Steamer basket
- Measuring cup
- Large pot
- Measuring spoons
- Small bowl
- Tortilla press (optional)
[Edit]References |
| How to Become Ambidextrous Posted: 21 Jan 2020 04:00 PM PST Most people are naturally inclined to use one hand as their dominant hand. However, you can also train yourself to be able to use both hands equally well. The first thing you have to do is get used to using your non-dominant hand for daily activities. Then, move on to practicing the fine motor skills involved in writing and drawing. [Edit]Getting Comfortable with Your Other Hand - Do exercises to strengthen your non-dominant hand and fingers. Your non-dominant hand is most likely a lot less strong than your dominant hand, which makes it harder at first to become ambidextrous. Lift some light weights with your non-dominant hand every other day, with a focus on keeping a tight grip to work your hands rather than your arms. Use heavier weights as you go to continue strengthening your hand.[1]
- Lifting weights is one of the best ways to strengthen your hand, but you can also use a grip exerciser to work out your hand.
- You may also benefit from juggling or simply tossing a ball up into the air with your non-dominant hand. This will make you more comfortable using that hand while also developing better hand-eye coordination.
- Use your non-dominant hand to work the computer mouse. There are lots of benefits to switching your mouse hand, but one of the main benefits is that it increases the dexterity in your non-dominant hand. Simply move your ordinary mouse over to the opposite side of the computer and use it as you normally would from here on out.[2]
- You can also opt to invest in an "ambidextrous" mouse from a tech store, but it's much simpler to just use an ordinary mouse.
- Start performing small daily tasks with your non-dominant hand. Use your non-dominant hand to do things like brush your teeth, open doors, put on accessories, or clean up around your home. Do this as consistently as you can to make using your non-dominant hand feel less awkward.[3]
- Try to do as much as you can with your non-dominant hand, such as applying soap and shampoo when you bathe. You may not realize it, but you probably do most of these small tasks with your dominant hand.
- Make sure to brush your teeth correctly when using your non-dominant hand. If you're not comfortable brushing with this hand, you may inadvertently underbrush.
- If you play an instrument, try playing with your non-dominant hand instead of your ordinary method of playing.
- Eat and cook with your non-dominant hand after a few days. Use your non-dominant hand to move pots and pans, to stir food, and to serve it. Hold your silverware with your non-dominant hand and use it to move the food to your mouth. You may have to do this slowly at first to avoid dropping the food, but it will get easier with time![4]
- It's best to spend a few days getting used to performing small tasks with your non-dominant hand first, since cooking with boiling water or other heated materials can be a bit more dangerous.
- Tie your dominant hand behind your back to be even more immersive. This method will force you to exclusively use your non-dominant hand to do everything. This is a great way to make your mind and body quickly adapt to using this hand, but you may want to do it after a few days of practice first.[5]
- The easiest way to do this would be tie your dominant wrist with rope, then tie the other end of that rope to the belt loop on the back of a pair of pants. This is a bit difficult to do by yourself, so you may need to have someone help you.
[Edit]Writing and Drawing with Your Non-Dominant Hand - Hold a pen or pencil with your non-dominant hand the same way you would with the other hand. Write with your good hand in the mirror to see how it would look writing with your other hand. This gives you a clear visual cue to the method and helps your brain to picture the same action for your non-dominant hand. Then, practice holding the pen or pencil with your non-dominant hand so that it feels more comfortable.[6]
- Don't "claw" your hand. It may be tempting to grasp the pen as tightly as possible, causing your hand to ball up like a claw, but this will only stop you from writing effectively and can end up hurting your hand.
- Start by tracing the alphabet with your non-dominant hand. This will "introduce" your other hand to the ordinary movements involved in writing in a very easy way. Aim to produce straight lines and clean curves, but don't worry if you make a lot of mistakes at first. Perform this practice routine for at least 10 minutes a day until you feel comfortable making clean movements.[7]
- Your hand may strain at the beginning, but just take a break and try again later. The tension will eventually go away.
- Be sure to trace out the alphabet using your non-dominant hand in lowercase, uppercase, and cursive letters (if you know cursive).
- Move on to writing letters without tracing and drawing simple shapes. Pin down some paper and start drawing butterflies, vases, symmetrical objects, letters, shapes, and whatnot. Although you may think your writing is awful at first, write a couple of lines every day from the start. You will only get better with practice![8]
- It may be helpful to buy a handwriting book designed for children and follow along with the exercises. Using your non-dominant hand to color in a coloring book is also a good idea.
- As you do this, pay attention to which letters you struggle with the most and spend some extra time practicing them.
- Practice writing your name and full sentences. Your name will be the writing movement that you're probably most familiar with, so it's a very good set of letters to practice on. Try writing out a 3- to 5-sentence paragraph every day to get more comfortable with writing at length with your non-dominant hand.[9]
- Don't keep writing the same paragraph every day. Write a different one every day so your non-dominant hand doesn't get used to one paragraph only.
- Be sure to practice writing every day to improve your skills. Practice these techniques daily for at least a month, maybe longer. Soon, you'll be writing much more comfortably with your non-dominant hand, with very few mistakes.[10]
- Try keeping a daily journal that you write in exclusively with your non-dominant hand.
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
| How to Paint the Inside of a Mason Jar Posted: 21 Jan 2020 08:00 AM PST Mason jars are usually clear, but you can find them in a wide range of tints and colors. However, if you have some clear mason jars that you'd like to transform into decorative items, there are easy ways to paint the inside of them yourself. You can coat the inside of a mason jar with paint to provide an opaque color, or you can tint the inside of a mason jar with food coloring for a transparent color. The paint or food coloring will dry on its own, but you may also cure it by placing the jar in your oven if desired. [Edit]Coating a Mason Jar with Acrylic Paint - Mix acrylic paint in a bowl to achieve the desired shade. Measure out 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of acrylic paint and pour it into a small bowl. You can use a 50/50 mixture of 2 different colors to achieve a specific shade or add a few drops of 1 color to another to adjust the shade slightly. Mix the paint colors together well using a spoon or fork.[1]
- For example, you could use 1 tablespoon (15 mL) each of blue and white to create a pastel or light blue shade. Or, add a few drops of green to 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of white paint for a light mint green paint.
- If you don't want to adjust the shade of your paint before coloring the inside of the mason jar, pour it directly into the jar.
- Pour the paint into a clean, dry mason jar. Wash out the jar with dish soap and water, then rinse it out thoroughly. Let the jar air-dry upside down or use a paper towel to dry it out. When the jar is dry, pour the mixed paint into the jar.[2]
- If you're painting the inside of multiple jars, measure out 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of paint per jar.
- Twist and turn the mason jar to coat the inside of it. Swirl the paint around in the jar by slowly turning the jar on its side and rolling it around in your hand. Keep turning and tilting the jar until the inside of it is completely covered in paint.[3]
- This may take a few minutes since the paint will move slowly. However, do not use a paintbrush as this will result in an uneven appearance.
- Place the mason jar upside down on a piece of cardboard to dry. After the inside of the jar is completely coated with the paint, place the jar on a piece of cardboard. The excess paint will continue to drip down, so pick up the jar and move it to a different spot on the cardboard about once every 15 minutes.[4]
- The jar will take several hours to dry, so plan to wait 24 hours before you use the jar for decorative purposes.
- If you don't have cardboard, use a few layers of newspaper or paper towel to catch the paint that drips down.
[Edit]Tinting a Mason Jar with Food Coloring - Combine water and food coloring in a small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of water into a small bowl. Then, add 20 or more drops of food coloring to the water and stir the food coloring into the water until they are well-combined.[5]
- You may use any color or combination of colors you like to tint the jar. Try using blue food coloring for a blue-tinted jar or red and yellow for an orange-tinted jar.
- Pour the mixture into the jar and add 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of white school glue. Use a fork or spoon to stir the food coloring a water mixture with the glue right inside of the jar. Stir until everything is well-combined.[6]
- You can also use clear PVA glue if you don't have school glue.
- Twist and turn the jar to coat the inside. Pick up the jar and start twisting and turning it in your hand to coat the inside of the jar. Turn the jar to the side and roll it around in your hands to get an even layer of the food coloring mixture all over the inside of the jar.[7]
- Do not turn the jar upside down until the inside is fully coated with food coloring. Then, pour the excess into the small bowl to use on another jar or discard it.
- Place the jar upside down on a paper towel to dry. Use 2 to 3 layers of paper towel to catch any excess glue that drips down while the jar is drying. Pick the jar up every 15 minutes for the first hour to prevent the glue from collecting and adhering to the paper towel. Then, turn the jar right side up and let the jar dry overnight.
- If you don't have paper towels, you can also use a few sheets of newspaper or a piece of cardboard to catch the glue.
- Make sure to keep the jar away from pets and children while it dries.
[Edit]Curing the Paint or Food Coloring - Pre-heat your oven to . Turn your oven up to this temperature and allow about 10 to 15 minutes for it to reach it. Do this right after you finish painting or tinting the inside of your jars to cure the paint or food coloring while it's still wet.[8]
- Bake the jar upside down for 15 minutes. Place the jar upside down on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Then, carefully put the cookie sheet in the oven. Set a timer for 15 minutes to keep track of how long the mason jar is baking.[9]
- While the mason jar is baking, try making another jar or simply use the time clean up your supplies.
- Turn the jar over and bake for another 15 minutes. After the time is up, put on a pair of oven mitts and carefully remove the cookie sheet from the oven. Then, turn the jar over so that the open end is facing up and put it back into the oven. Bake it for another 15 minutes.[10]
- Do not touch the mason jar with your bare hands! It will be very hot and it will burn your skin.
- Remove the mason jar from the oven and let it cool. Use oven mitts to remove the cookie sheet from the oven and set it on a potholder or trivet. Then, let the mason jar sit on the cookie sheet until it's completely cool. This will take about 20 to 30 minutes.[11]
- After the mason jar is cool, use it for all your decorating needs!
- Put down a layer of newspaper or paper towels before you begin. This will help to protect your work surface. You may also want to put on an old t-shirt before you begin.
- Fill your painted or tinted mason jars with silk flowers for a simple centerpiece, or place a single tea light candle inside of one for decorative ambiance.
- If you need to wash the jar after painting it, use a small amount of dish soap, lukewarm water, and a non-abrasive sponge. Don't scrub the jar or put it into the dishwasher.
[Edit]Warnings - Don't store food in a mason jar after you paint or tint it.
[Edit]Things You'll Need [Edit]Coating a Mason Jar with Acrylic Paint - Mason jar
- Acrylic paint
- Small bowl
- Spoon or fork
- Cardboard, paper towels, or newspaper
[Edit]Tinting a Mason Jar with Food Coloring - Mason jar
- Water
- Food coloring
- White school glue
- Small bowl
- Spoon or fork
- Paper towels, cardboard, or newspaper
[Edit]Curing the Paint or Food Coloring - Oven
- Cookie sheet
- Wax paper
- Oven mitts
- Trivet or potholder
[Edit]References |
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