What size steamer for tamales
The capacities I could open for a steamer pot are about 34 tamales in 12 quarts, about 62 in 20 quarts and 84 to 120 in 32 quarts. For a big tamalada the pot decides how many loads you steam, and the loads decide how long the evening runs.
Pot size and capacity
| Pot | Tamales | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 12 quart | about 34 | Bustle, best tamale steamers |
| 16 quart | no figure found | I did not open a page that gives one |
| 20 quart | about 62 | 5280 tamale party guide |
| 32 quart | about 84 (7 dozen) | MexGrocer 32 qt vaporera listing |
| 32 quart | up to 120 | Bustle, best tamale steamers |
Bustle writes that "a 12-quart pot holds about 34 tamales" and that "a 32-quart pot easily steams up to 120 tamales." 5280 says: "Save-A-Lot sells 20-quart ones—which hold about 62 tamales—for around $16." MexGrocer's listing says the steamer "holds about 7 dozen tamales."
These are guide and shop figures, not measurements, and none of the pages I opened gives a tamale size.
Why the numbers spread
The 32-quart pot shows the problem: 84 and 120 differ by more than a third. Three things can explain a gap like that. The pages do not say which one applies, so all three are my reasoning.
- Upright or stacked. 5280 stands tamales upright with the fold against their neighbors. Laying them in layers leaves gaps. Bustle does not say how its 120 are arranged.
- Tamale size. A large tamale takes more room than a standard one (my guess). A pot that holds 84 standard tamales would hold fewer large ones and more minis. My guess is that the lower numbers come from bigger tamales.
- Rack height. The rack or insert sets how much of the pot the tamales can use. The listings give no rack dimensions.
My suggestion: read each figure as a range for its pot, and plan with the low end so you do not count one load too few.
Worked example: 8 dozen
Eight dozen is 96 standard tamales. The planner divides that by what one load holds, rounds up, and multiplies by 45 to 50 minutes per load (the Food Network Kitchen figure on the steaming page). Loads run one after another, not counting the time to bring the water back to a boil. 5280's time for a full 20-quart pot (2 1/2 to 3 hours) is far longer than these per-load times, so treat the totals as a floor.
| Pot (source) | Holds | Loads | Total steaming |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12-quart (Bustle) | 34 | 3 | 2 h 15 min to 2 h 30 min |
| 20-quart (5280) | 62 | 2 | 1 h 30 min to 1 h 40 min |
| 32-quart (MexGrocer) | 84 | 2 | 1 h 30 min to 1 h 40 min |
| 32-quart, best case (Bustle) | 120 | 1 | 45 min to 50 min |
The 12-quart pot needs 3 loads, and the last one holds only 28 tamales. The 32-quart pot needs 2 loads at 84 and 1 at 120. Run the planner for 96 tamales in a pot of 34, or in a pot of 84, and change the pot to yours.
If you already own a pot
5280 says any big stockpot with a lid and a rack works. Divide your tamale count by what the pot holds and round up to get the number of loads. The steaming page has the time per load, including 5280's 2 1/2 to 3 hours for a full 20-quart pot, and how to tell they are done.
My suggestion: if the last load would be small, like the 28 above, make a few more tamales to fill it instead of steaming a nearly empty pot. A second pot running at the same time cuts the number of loads each pot handles. Open one tamale to check before you trust the clock.
How to host a tamalada puts the loads on a timeline. Back to the tamalada planner, or see how many tamales for 100 people.