Reviewed: Mar. 27, 2012

awesome recipe, easy to follow, gave it four stars because i skipped the water step, freaked me out and don't really wanna deal with a house fire. the only thing is they did not come out crispy but that may be just my fault because i mistakenly turned down the heat on the wrong burner. will try again but besides that very nice recipe, pretty proud of myself, haven't made tostones from scratch in awhile. oh, and one more thing, i also put about a tbsp of salt and a tbsp of sugar in a cup mixed together and sprinkled them on top of the tostones as soon as i got them out the frying pan the second time, delish!! the sugar makes it even better!!

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Reviewer:

bessy988

Cooking Level: Beginning

Home Town: Miami, Florida, USA

Living In: Clarksville, Tennessee, USA

Reviewed: Feb. 18, 2012

Plantains are not bananas, they are related but have a much higher starch content. They should always be cooked as they don't taste good raw, green or ripe.

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Reviewer:

Chef Troy

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Tucson, Arizona, USA

Reviewed: Nov. 17, 2011

I just wanted to point out to those having difficulty with this recipe is that a toston is never to be made with a ripe plantain....the texture will be completely different at that point you simply slice and fry them and they are what we call maduros....always use a firm GREEN plantain and you will end up with a crispy treat with the endulgance of a fry....also follow the recipe to the T yes you can soak them before you first fry them so they do not blacken, however it will ensure a crispier toston if you dip in salted water right before the second fry...hope this helps! =)

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Reviewer:

Kaytlinn

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Orlando, Florida, USA

Living In: El Paso, Texas, USA

Reviewed: Nov. 14, 2011

Good stuff! Definitely let your plantains ripen fully.

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Reviewer:

doristam

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Brooklyn, New York, USA

Reviewed: Aug. 4, 2011

Yummy - Hard to mess these up

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Reviewer:

whtyegirl1

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Orlando, Florida, USA

Living In: Apex, North Carolina, USA

Reviewed: Jun. 28, 2011

well.....I totally don't know how to rate this. I want to 1st say, I've never in my life eaten plantains. So I really didn't know what to actually expect even having people give me an idea. One thing I waited until my plantains were nearly black skinned to be sweet. I followed the recipe but I used 2 plantains but left the amount of the oil and water the same. Another AR'er looked at the recipe and said she was worried about the "dipping in the water" then frying in oil. So I vowed I would do a few to try that way...and glad I did. They splatter so hard, so high, I was reaching for the splatter guard and said..nope. I'm not dipping anymore because it was crazy to do anymore that way. I salted the 1st few that came out and I have to say....didn't like that. And it really was just a dash of salt. Not like salting french fries. At that point I couldn't get past the salt taste. That's just me. Hubby tasted 2 & was like "weird & interesting" So I didn't salt anymore after that. I let 2 of my kids try that were around & they both spit it out. They didn't like them at all. While they did have a sweet taste to them. That part was interesting. I ate a few, trying to keep an open mind, but all in all. I'm now worried about wasting 4 more plantains that are ripening, because no one else will eat them in my house after this. Interesting I'll give that. But can't say that I'd go all out & make again. People who like them, will like this recipe. I just guess I'm not one of them. SO sorry.

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Reviewer:

mis7up

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Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Burkburnett, Texas, USA

Living In: Cave Junction, Oregon, USA

Reviewed: May 23, 2011

great they taste just like Mama would make them when we ran around the mountain in San Juan.

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Reviewer:

Isapizza

Reviewed: Apr. 8, 2011

My husband is puerto rican so we make these a lot. It actually took me a few tries to get the hang of cooking them by myself b/c growing up my mom only taught me how to make the fried plantain chips for eating like popcorn. These, on the other hand are great as part of a meal. Especially with rice and beans. Our sauce is just equal parts ketchup and mayo- so it looks pink. DH also likes to soak them in water and adobo after cutting to flavor them. I like this method of flavoring. I think it makes a big difference than just sprinkling on dry adobo.

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Reviewer:

sugarcookie

Reviewed: Jan. 19, 2011

This recipe is not exclusively Puerto Rican. I am Jamaican and we make the same thing. I never put water on the plantains and it is important that you do not cut them too thick when you fry them the first time. Pick pretty, green plantains. This dish is meant to be eaten with something flavorful like fish with onions, so don't be shocked at its lack of flavor. In Jamaica we eat it with herring, mackerel or codfish. This dish is served in many island countries, as well as Latin American countries.

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