Two heavy hinged plates, cast iron, aluminium or wood, closed with a lever to flatten a ball of corn masa into a thin, even round tortilla in one press. The masa ball is set between two sheets of plastic so it releases cleanly, pressed, peeled off and laid straight onto a hot comal. Also called a tortilla maker or tortillera. Heavier presses give thinner tortillas with less effort; a 20 cm press suits taco-size rounds.
Flour tortillas are usually rolled, since wheat dough springs back from a press, but the same press flattens arepas, pupusas, dumpling wrappers and roti. Two sheets of plastic cut from a freezer bag work better than cling film. Without a press, a heavy pan or a cutting board pressed on the ball gives the same result.