My grandma's handwritten tamale recipe beat the online version I tried last week.

I made the online one first, which called for a full cup of lard and said to steam for an hour, and the masa was super dry. Then I followed my grandma's note that says 'a fist of lard' and 'steam until the husk pulls away clean, maybe 90 minutes', and they were perfect and fluffy. Has anyone else had a family note that just works better than a modern recipe?

3 comments

3 Comments

coleman.jamie2mo ago

Used to think exact measurements were everything until my aunt's pie crust recipe. Her note just says "butter until it looks like cornmeal" and "ice water until it holds." Tried a fancy blog version with grams and milliliters, total disaster. @michaela16 is right, those old notes just work on a different level. They teach you how to cook by feel, not just follow steps.

the_thomas1mo ago

A full cup of lard is probably more consistent than some vague fist worth that could mean anything.

michaela162mo ago

Yeah, grandma recipes just hit different. That "fist of lard" measurement makes way more sense than a strict cup.