Tamales are packaged by when they'll be eaten. A fresh, steamed dozen eaten that day goes in butcher paper, which lets steam out so the masa doesn't turn soggy. A hot order for a party goes in a foil pan with a lid, which keeps them warm and moist for the drive. Frozen tamales, the dozen people take home for later, go in a freezer zip bag, which recloses so a few can come out at a time, or a vacuum-sealed bag, which keeps out the most air for dozens that sit longer in a grocer's freezer. Cool steamed tamales before freezing them, and label every frozen dozen with "keep frozen", how to reheat, and a date. In the example below, a Maryland tamale maker prices four options: 7 to 65 cents a dozen. Below are the options, the label, the example, and a free cost calculator.
The short version
- Fresh, eaten that day: a butcher paper bundle, so steam escapes.
- Hot orders and catering: a foil pan with a lid.
- Frozen to take home: a freezer zip bag, which recloses.
- Frozen in a grocer's freezer: a vacuum-sealed bag, least air.
- Cool tamales completely before freezing.
- Label frozen dozens with "keep frozen", reheating steps and a date.
- Count the package in the cost; a foil pan costs ten times a paper bundle.
- TaroStack keeps each batch's lot and date, and the packaging in every batch's cost. More below.
The options
| Option | Keeps them | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Butcher paper bundle | Fresh, for the day | Market and counter sales |
| Foil pan with lid | Hot, for a few hours | Parties, catering |
| Freezer zip bag | Frozen, recloses | Dozens to take home |
| Vacuum-sealed bag | Frozen, least freezer burn | Grocer freezers |
The label and the date
Packaged tamales carry the label your license requires: the name, such as pork in red chile, net weight, ingredients, allergens such as milk in cheese tamales, and the name and place of business. Tamales with meat or cheese need time and temperature control, so frozen ones say "keep frozen" and how to reheat, and fresh ones sold for later say "keep refrigerated". Some cottage food laws don't allow meat tamales from a home kitchen at all. How to tell which foods need temperature control is in TCS foods list, and how to word the date in best by date format.
An example: four options for a tamale maker
Paint Branch Tamale Co., the made-up tamale maker in Hyattsville, Maryland, I use in these examples, makes pork, chicken, rajas and sweet tamales, about 150 dozen a week in the holiday season, fresh and frozen:
| Option | Parts | Per dozen | 150 a week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freezer zip bag | Bag 13¢, freezer label | $0.18 | $27.23 |
| Vacuum-sealed bag | Bag 30¢, freezer label | $0.36 | $54.45 |
| Foil pan with lid, hot | Pan and lid 60¢, label | $0.65 | $97.31 |
| Butcher paper bundle, fresh | Paper, tape and sticker | $0.07 | $9.95 |
Frozen dozens go in zip bags, hot holiday orders in foil pans, and fresh market dozens in paper. On a pork dozen that sells for $28 and costs $15.65, even the foil pan is small; at $20, which leaves $3.75, a 65-cent pan is a sixth of the profit. How the tamales are priced is in how to price tamales, and frozen packaging in general in how to package frozen food for sale.
Get the calculator
Download the tamale packaging calculator. Two sheets: components, each part of each option with its pack price, units, how many a dozen uses and waste; and compare, each option's cost per dozen and per week at your volume, with notes. It's an ordinary Excel file with no macros, and it works in Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Numbers.
Where this stops working
A December of holiday orders, four fillings, fresh and frozen, and a freezer full of dozens from different days. A cost sheet doesn't say which batch is in which bag, or how many pork dozens are left frozen.
How TaroStack does it
TaroStack keeps each batch's lot and date, and the packaging in every batch's cost.
Each batch dated. A batch of pork tamales records the pork, masa and chile lots it used, automatically, gets a lot with its production and best-before dates, and lot labels print for the bags.
Fillings as sub-recipes. The masa and each filling are sub-recipes, so a dozen's true cost follows what the pork and husks really cost that week.
Oldest first. First-expired-first-out is the default, so the oldest frozen dozens go out first.
| The job | Notebook | In TaroStack |
|---|---|---|
| Which batch is in a bag | Written on the bag | The lot on its label |
| Pork dozens left frozen | Counted in the freezer | Stock by item and lot |
| What a dozen costs this week | Worked out once | Each batch's true cost |
Lots, expiry, recipes and batches are on every plan, from $49 a month. The first 30 days are free, with no credit card. If you'd like a hand setting up, ask, and we'll do it with you.