Tostones are life! They are the ultimate side dish to any meal and practically go with everything. They also make any day brighter. Now as popular as this side dish is and as easy as it is to make, it’s also super easy to mess it up. In fact, I mess this dish up time and time again whenever I’m making it in a rush or not paying close attention.
Tostones are fried green plantains that are fried to perfection! First you peel the green beauty, then you cut it, fry it, flip it and take it out. Then you mash them flat and fry them one last time to seal in the ultimate crispiness. Now this sounds simple enough, but again you’d be surprised to see just how many people mess this up. My number one tip to getting tostones perfect each and every singe time is to fry them on a medium to low flame. This does require patience, but I guarantee that your Tostones will be perfect every time that you make them. Nonetheless, here are some other tried and true tips to getting perfect Tostones
Tip #1: Fry them on a low to medium flame. This will make sure that the oil heats evenly and maintains even temperature. Most importantly, your platanos won’t burn the minute that you place them into the oil
Tip #2: Don’t cut your plantains too thin. I recommend cutting into medium to thick slices. You want your Tostones to be crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. If you want them super crispy, be sure to check out my recipes for Platano Chips aka Mariquitas. I also have a video on how to make these amazing — and vegan friendly snacks.
Tip #3: ALWAYS make your Tostones fresh. Tostones are fresh when they are Made To Order. You don’t want to make them too soon before dinner is ready or before your guests arrive. Tostones are amazing when they’re warm. They also don’t reheat too well. You can also freeze them, but you’re much better off making them fresh. Trust me on this.
Tip #4: Make sure your oil is hot before you fry them. If you fry the plantains with cool oil, you risk your Tostones getting oily, which is never fun. You especially want to make sure that your oil is hot whenever you fry them for the second time. This is where you risk your Tostones getting too oily.
Tip #5: When you fry them for the second time, only fry them for 30 secs-1min. All you want to do is seal is that crispiness and color. Frying them too long or with oil that’s too cool will make your Tostones too oily
Bonus: Enjoy your Tostones with salt, fresh lime, Mojo Sauce, or even Chimichurri. You can find all of these recipes right here on my blog and on my YouTube Channel: Made To Order
For step-by-step instructions on How to Make The Perfect Tostones be sure to visit my YouTube Channel: Chef Zee Cooks
Ingredients
- 2 Green Plantains Peeled and Sliced
- Vegetable or Canola Oil
- Salt *optional
Instructions
- Peel and slice green plantain into medium to thick slices
- Heat up oil on low to medium flame
- Carefully add plantains
- After about 2 minutes, flip plantains over making sure that they fry on both sides
- Once plantains are fully cooked and reach beautiful golden color, remove from oil. Drain excess oil from plantains on a paper towel
- Using a Tostonera or bottom of a cup, mash plantains flat
- Once all of the plantains are mashed flat, place plantains back into hot oil to fry again for 30-60secs