The Taco Rack, Senior

Product: "The Taco Rack, Senior"Rating: 2/5 (below average)Just to briefly contextualize: For soft tacos, I generally prefer to use either commercially pre-made corn tortillas or make fresh ones from scratch (with masa and a press) - i'll toast them on both sides on a cast iron griddle (I have a 9" round for solo use, a 10x20" indoor griddle when cooking for 2-4, and a 16x18" outdoor flat-top for parties). It works well, and tastes great. It's a completely different preparation from turn corn tortillas into hard-shells, which must be deep-fried in order to taste and crunch properly.OK, on to the taco rack ...Likes:* Compact Storage: Because the device is simply 4 stamped pieces of metal, it stores compactly.* Hard Taco Shell Toasting: Depending on their moisture content, hard-shell tacos can turn somewhat pliable during re-roasting, so deformation is possible. However, it does improve flavor and texture, so if you're a purist, it's worth it.* Hard Taco Shell Assembly & Service: This is the only task that this device works well for. However, it's just as easy to make your own by cutting notches in a convenient length of wood, or drape a folded dish towel atop a serving platter and make some parallel pleats for tacos to rest upright between. Tacos are an informal cuisine, and informal service is par for the course.Dislikes:* Overpriced: For a device that's simply 4 roughly stamped pieces of sheet metal that you assemble yourself, a price of $20 USD lands this firmly in the realm of "overpriced gimmicks".* Clumsy Design: Although the rack looks sturdy in the picture, the device is clumsy to assemble (you have to align and jiggle the parts to get the slots to slide together), it has more than a few sharp edges, and cannot be lifted (unless placed on a tray or sheet pan) once loaded with tacos - otherwise the 2 cross supports will drop out and the entire setup will collapse.* Fails for Soft Tacos: This requires a bit of explanation. The description for this product deliberately tries to mislead novice taco cooks into thinking this device will successfully turn a fresh corn tortillas into a hard taco shells without having to deep fry them. The only problem is, IT DOESN'T WORK. If you load this device with fresh commercially made corn tortillas and try to bake them until crispy, they'll simply soften and flop down between the uprights, and the result is a shapeless mess. Why ? Because uncooked commercial corn tortillas turn soft and pliable during pan-toasting as their moisture turns to steam - they do not become firm enough to support their own weight until AFTER they are cooked and are cooling down. You have two and only two choices when it comes to making tacos with fresh corn tortillas: (1) you pan toast them on both sides atop a hot griddle, thus turning them into 'soft shell tacos', or (2) you clamp them into a v-shaped cage and deep fry them until crispy. Of the two methods, freshly hand-seared soft-shell tacos are widely considered superior, whereas pre-fried hard-shell tacos are a convenience food and a culinary step down. Turning a homemade soft-shell taco into a hard-shell taco is a bit like turning a silk purse into a sow's ear ... if you want hard-shell tacos, you're much better off buying pre-made hard shells and optionally re-crisping them. It's that simple.Bottom Line: This item is only suitable for assembling and serving hard-shell tacos, and even then only with a tray underneath it. It is NOT suitable for soft tacos, nor can it reliably transform (soft) corn tortillas into "baked" hard-shell tacos. If you want an assembly stand for hard-shell tacos, buy it for that, and only for that, otherwise save your money. I gave mine away after only a few uses.

I first saw these at Tacos 4 Life. I think this is a great idea as you can put them individually on your plate instead of some which hold multiple tacos. I also like that they're stainless steel so they don't break when dropped and can go in the dishwasher. The only thing I didn't like was removing the protective covering. I purchased four 4-packs for a total of 16 each. Each unit has the company info engraved into the stainless steel which is fine but removing the plastic protective covering was a nightmare. It took about 15 minutes for each unit using a sharp knife tip or thick needle to scrape out the little bits of plastic from the engraving. The engraving is on the top where the taco rests instead of on the bottom that faces the plate. So I had to remove all traces of the plastic before using. Suggestion to the manufacturer is to engrave your company info on the bottom instead of the top or use a protective coating that's easily removed.

I love tacos and for years have wanted a way to heat the shells without the shells deforming and collapsing. This rack solves that problem. It is simple to assemble, and it separates into four flat pieces that are easily stored in its original package in a drawer. Functionally, this rack is perfect. I can heat up to 6 taco shells standing them upright on a baking sheet. The shells keep their original shape after heating them making it easy to fill them with taco meat. Even better, I can toast the shells, fill them with meat, and then melt some cheese on top by putting the rack back into the oven for a minute or two. Overall, I absolutely love this taco rack. It seems over-priced, but for me the higher price s worth paying for the convenience of creating perfect tacos in the oven.

I love this product. Finally I can fill tacos with little trouble. It is nicely made and it is wonderful that you can disassemble it. It takes up no storage space as so many other kitchen gadgets do. It is fine quality with nicely finished edges. I had used something similar years ago, but without much success. I also like that you can heat premade taco shells directly on this (over a cookie sheet), take them out of the oven, easily and quickly and efficiently fill, then eat and enjoy. I plan to get others, as gifts and to use when we have company, and for out winter home. I highly recommend this. I hope the developer of this product reads this. You had a brilliant idea to solve a cooking problem. Kudos to you.

3/16/12These just came in the mail today, and upon opening the box, I have to say that they are impressive. They're very well made, no sharp edges, even have a bit of heft (weight) to them. Since there are only 2 of us, 4 of these should suffice.If we had all of the ingredients for tacos right now, that's what we would be having for the evening meal today. Will rate these at a later time. These also could be put on a half-size baking pan so that the shells could be heated up a bit, which I will also try as well.On the appearance & quality of these racks, I would recommend them. The picture doesn't do them justice. They are a bit heavier than they appear.Only 4 stars now, hopefully 5 after we have used them.UPDATE:Changed this to a 5 star rating. Highly recommend these.

What can I say? I finally got tired of making the perfect taco only to have the contents puked out when the shell fell over. I tried different bowls, plates, props, etc to no avail. Finally I decided it was time to get professional help which is where these come in. I was looking for something contemporary that had a nice clean look and was functional. These fit that just right.The only reason for 4 instead of 5 stars is that putting them together and moving them around can be a bit tedious. Somewhat like stainless steel Jenga. This is a pretty small issue, but worth mentioning nonetheless. If you're tired of tippy tacos these are the solution to your issue!