Culinary yoU: Tacos, The All-American Mexican Food

That's right, you read the opening graphic correctly, tacos as we know them made with ground beef is an all-American version of the Mexican sandwich. While tacos made with ground beef share a Mexican heritage with carne asada (shredded beef) and al pastor (shredded pork) the seasoned ground beef filling is uniquely American in origin. During the 1960's several small Mexican fast food restaurants began serving American 'style' tacos made with seasoned ground beef. These included Taco Bell (1962), Del Taco (1964) both in California, Taco Bueno (1967) in Texas, Taco John's (1969) in Wyoming, and Taco Casa (1974) in Alabama. Many others have followed suit over the years, but these companies were the ones that helped make tacos famous in America.

In America the term 'taco' has become known by most people as a spicy chili powder based ground beef mixture served on a flour tortilla or crunchy taco shell with shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, and diced tomatoes. Only hamburgers and pizza are more popular fast food choices than tacos. In fact, according to the website 'How Things Work', the Taco Bell taco is listed as the third most famous American fast in the United States. In addition, according to the research obtained from The Daily Meal website, Taco bell's “Crunchy Beef Taco remains its current best-seller, with over 2 billion sold in the past year alone”.

Whether Taco Bell is famous or infamous is a matter of personal opinion. In this article, I am going to teach you how you can make better tasting, less expansive tacos than those from Taco Bell, Del Taco, Taco Bueno, Taco Casa or the any number of fast food TexMex or Mexican restaurants. In addition, I will share with you my recipe for taco seasoning that tastes better than any prepackaged taco seasoning you can buy, and it is a whole cheaper to boot!

Ingredients

Taco seasoning mixes are pretty straight forward with all of the ingredients being essentially the same, with only Old El Paso containing monosodium glutamate (MSG). All except for the homemade taco seasoning contain some form of preservative. Most of them are gluten free except for Lawry's and Old El Paso which use flour alone or in addition to cornstarch as a thickening agent. As always, making your spice mix, in this case taco seasoning, gives you the most control over the additives in the food that you serve your family.

In this article I have included to versions of my taco seasoning, one which includes beef bouillon which contains monosodium glutamate (MSG), and one without. Personally, I prefer the flavor of the taco seasoning made with beef bouillon so this is the one I use most often. If you have concerns about MSG, then the non-MSG recipe is the one for you. I have supplied the following information so that you can examine the ingredients of each of the prepackaged taco seasonings as well as the homemade version so that you can make a well informed decision regarding any future purchases.

French's Taco Seasoning – Cornstarch, Chili Pepper And Other Spices, Maltodextrin, Salt, Dehydrated Onion, Dehydrated Garlic, Paprika (As Color), Red Pepper, Disodium Inosinate, Paprika Extractives (As Color).

Great Value Taco Seasoning – Spices, Onion, Whey Solids (Milk), Salt, Sugar, Paprika, Garlic, Potato Starch, Citric Acid.

Lawry's Taco Seasoning – Spices (Including Paprika And Chili Peppers), Onion, Salt, Lactose (Milk), Sugar, Garlic, Enriched Wheat Flour (Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Cocoa Powder, Citric Acid, And Natural Flavor.

McCormick Taco Seasoning – Spices (Including Chili Pepper, Cumin, Oregano, And Red Peppers), Onion, Whey Solids (Milk), Salt, Sugar, Paprika, Garlic, Potato Starch And Citric Acid.

Old El Paso – Salt, Maltodextrin, Chili Pepper, Onion Powder, Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), Corn Starch, Yellow Corn Flour, Spice. Contains Less Than 2% Of The Following: Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Silicon Dioxide (Anticaking Agent), Natural Flavor, Ethoxyquin (Preservative).

Homemade Taco Seasoning – Chili Pepper, Cumin. Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Cornstarch, Paprika, Beef Bouillon* (optional).

*Beef bouillon contains quite a few additives including monosodium glutamate (MSG). For further reading on the ingredients of powdered bouillons, see my previous article: 'Restaurants Use Them, So Should You?' http://culinaryyou.blogspot.com/search/label/Bullion.

Cost Analysis of Pre-packaged Versus Homemade Taco Seasoning

Prepackaged taco seasoning mixes are one of the few prepackaged items that you can buy that are almost as cheap as making them yourself, however, ounce for ounce making your own is 30% cheaper than the cheapest prepackaged mix (Great Value at 40 cents per ounce). Occasionally you can even find them on sale for half of their original retail price. On those occasions it makes sense to purchase these mixes and keep a few on hand in your pantry, especially if you can get them for less than 35 cents per package. If you do not have a decent sized pantry or stocked spice rack it may actually be cheaper to buy the prepackaged mixes as opposed to making your own, however, most of you should have the ingredients to make your own mixes on your shelves right now.

French's Taco Seasoning $1.12 for a 1.25oz packet (90 cents per ounce)

Great Value Taco Seasoning $0.50 for a 1.25oz packet (40 cents per ounce)

Homemade Mild Taco Seasoning $0.38 for 1.3oz (29 cents per ounce)

Homemade Spicy Taco Seasoning $0.44 for 1.3oz (34 cents per ounce)

Lawry's Taco Seasoning $0.58 for a 1oz packet (58 cents per ounce)

McCormick Original and Hot Taco Seasoning $0.58 for a 1.25oz packet (46.4 cents per ounce)

Old El Paso Original Taco Seasoning $0.78 for a 1oz packet (78 cents per ounce)

The individual costs of the spices used my our homemade taco seasoning mix are based on those found in my local Walmart. You may find that there is some variation in price based on your location, but generally the cost should be about the same. The following is a cost breakdown of the individual spices that I used in this recipe. Bandia Chile Powder $2.92 for a 9oz container (32.4 cents per ounce), Bandia Ground Cumin $2.38 for a 7oz container (33.8 cents per ounce), Knorr Beef Bouillon $4.48 for a 35oz container (12.8 cents per ounce), Argo Corn Starch $1.48 for 16oz container (9.25 cents per ounce), Great Value Iodized salt $0.54 for a 26oz container (2.1 cents per ounce), 5^th Season Garlic Powder $0.88 for 3.62oz container (24 cents per ounce), 5^th Season Onion Powder $0.88 for 3.25oz container (27 cents per ounce), Badia Smoked Paprika $1.42 for a 2oz container (71 cents per ounce), McCormick Red Pepper Flakes $3.24 for a 2.62oz container ($1.24 per ounce). Total cost for your homemade taco seasoning per the recipe below is 38 cents for mild seasoning (without the red pepper flakes) and 44 cents for medium heat (with the red pepper flakes).

Cost Analysis of Fast Food Tacos Versus Homemade Tacos

So making your own taco seasoning can save you 30 to 70% over the prepackaged taco seasoning mixes depending on the brand you purchase. However, if you want to see the real cost savings associated with making tacos at home, we have to look at the total picture.

Ground Beef 1lb, $1.88 on sale, 11.75 cents per ounce

Homemade taco seasoning $0.38 cents for one recipe

Mission Crunchy Taco Shells 12ct $1.28 (10.6 cents per shell)

Great Value Fiesta Blend Shredded Cheese $7.94 for 32oz (24.8 cents per ounce)

Marketside shredded Lettuce $2.98 for 16oz package (18.6 cents per ounce)

To make one taco similar in weight and ingredients found in the original Taco Bell Crunchy taco it costs us approximately $0.67 (3oz ground beef (1/3 cup) with seasoning $0.38, $0.11 for the taco shell, $0.12 cents for ½ ounce cheddar cheese, and $0.05 for ¼ cup shredded lettuce). The original Taco Bell crunchy taco costs $1.31 plus tax. That means that the taco you just bought at the drive through cost you 51% more than if you made it yourself. Let's look at it in one more way. If you bought 12 tacos from Taco Bell it would cost you $15.72 (with our local 1.08% sales tax), to make those same 12 tacos at home it only costs you $8.03. That is a 51% savings by making your own tacos at home.

Because in this section we are comparing our homemade tacos versus the original Taco Bell 'Crunchy Taco' I thought you would like to see exactly what Taco Bell lists as the ingredients for the seasoned beef they use on their tacos compared to the recipe here. I know which one I would rather serve my family.

Taco Bell Seasoned Beef – Beef, water, seasoning [cellulose, chili pepper, onion powder, salt, oats (contains wheat), maltodextrin, soy lecithin, tomato powder, sugar, soybean oil, spices, garlic powder, citric acid, caramel color (C), disodium inosinate & guanylate, cocoa powder, natural and artificial flavors (contains gluten), trehalose, modified corn starch, lactic acid, torula yeast], salt, phosphates. Contains: Soy, Wheat

Homemade Taco Seasoned Beef – Ground beef, Chili Pepper, Cumin. Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Cornstarch, Paprika, Beef Bouillon* (optional).

Taco Seasoning Mix Recipes

Because I know some people do not like to use monosodium glutamate (MSG) I have included to recipes for homemade taco seasoning in this article. In addition each taco seasoning mix can be made as either mild (no red pepper flakes) or spicy (with red pepper flakes). Included with these recipes is the individual weight of the spices and the cost of each to make the taco seasoning mix. In making thes mixes all spices were individually weighed to ensure the most possibly accuracy.

Homemade Taco Seasoning (With MSG)

2 tablespoons chili powder (0.6oz = 19.4 cents)

2 teaspoons cornstarch (0.2oz = 1.85 cents)

2 teaspoons beef bouillon (0.1oz = 1.28 cents)

1 teaspoon ground cumin (0.1oz = 3.38 cents)

1 teaspoon onion powder (0.1oz = 2.7 cents)

1 teaspoon garlic powder (0.1oz = 2.4 cents)

1 teaspoon paprika (0.1oz = 7.1 cents)

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional), (0.05oz = 6.2 cents)

Total Cost: Mild $0.38, Spicy $0.44

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Omit the red pepper flakes if you want a mild taco seasoning, or plan to add diced jalapenos or a can of Rotel Tomatoes and Green chilies to your meat mixture.

Homemade Taco Seasoning (No MSG) Total Cost $0.43

2 tablespoons chili powder (0.6oz = 19.4 cents)

2 teaspoons cornstarch (0.2oz = 1.85 cents)

1 teaspoon ground cumin (0.1oz = 3.38 cents)

1 teaspoon iodized salt (less than ¼ of a penny)

1 teaspoon onion powder (0.1oz = 2.7 cents)

1 teaspoon garlic powder (0.1oz = 2.4 cents)

1 teaspoon paprika (0.1oz = 7.1 cents)

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional), (0.05oz = 6.2 cents)

Total Cost: Mild $0.37, Spicy $0.43

Homemade Tacos (Serving Size 6 tacos)

1 pound ground beef (73/27)

1 recipe taco seasoning

¾ cup of water

1 large onion, diced (optional)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Add oil to medium skillet pan and put on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the diced onion and sauté' until translucent. Remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon.

Add the ground beef to the skillet and brown, then drain in wire mesh strainer in the sink, rinsing with hot water to remove the unwanted grease, rinse out the skillet as well. Once the ground beef and the skillet have been rinsed, return the skillet and ground beef to the stove and add the sautéed onion.

Add the dry taco seasoning mix, and the ¾ cup of water. Bring the ingredients to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes making sure to break up any clumps of ground beef. Then remove the lid and continue to simmer as necessary until the meat mixture has absorbed almost all of the liquid. Serve with crunchy taco shells or flour tortillas, shredded lettuce, and cheddar cheese.

Taco Tip – My wife and I often purchase 3 to 5lb packages of ground beef (73/27) on sale for $1.88 to $1.99 a lb (a 50% savings from regular price) and cook it in batches with sautéed onions. We rinse the meat thoroughly in a mesh strainer with hot water and set aside to allow it to dry as much as possible. We then weigh the cooked ground beef and store it in 1lb packages in zip lock bags and pace it in the freezer. Now when we want to make tacos we simply set it in the fridge the night before, or thaw it out in the microwave (just takes a few minutes). And we can have tacos ready faster than you can drive to the local fast food Mexican restaurant and back. To see why we rinse our ground beef check out the article on our blog 'Cheap Ground Beef Can Be Just As Healthy As Lean' http://culinaryyou.blogspot.com/search/label/Healthy%20Beef

Additions

Tomatoes and Green Chilies - Drain them thoroughly and reserve the liquid, then combine that liquid with any additional water as needed to make ¾ cup of liquid.

Pinto Beans – Adding a rinsed and drained can of pinto beans to your taco meat with the rest of your ingredients is a good way to almost double the yield of your taco meat mixture. It is even cheaper if you have left over pinto beans from a previous meal, or if you cook dried pintos just as an addition. Pinto beans are not only rich in protein, but help to lower the overall cost of your meal, while allowing you to feed more hungry mouths.

Conclusion

This bottom line, making tacos at home can save you up to 59% versus fast food tacos, and the best thing is that you can make them start to finish in just about the same amount of time as it takes you to drive through your local fast food Mexican restaurant. And as always, you have total control over the ingredients you use. The great thing about making tacos at home is that it is a quick and easy dish, and it is one of the few dishes I never had to beg the kids or grandkids to eat. In fact, I get requests for my homemade tacos on a regular basis. The great thing about tacos, is you can setup a taco bar and let everyone can help themselves.

I must admit this article was way longer than I expected it to be, but there just so much information to share with you to help you make better informed food purchases for you and your family. If you have enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends. Don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Google+