Let's face it -- no one invented the tostonera!
At all our events when a TOSTO-FAN asks "did you invent the TOSTOBUENO®," I quickly reply "No one invented the tostonera . . . it always was."
All we did was:
1) Make it look a lot better. Many have called our Tostobueno ® a "work of art."
2) We designed it with an eye towards longevity. Our Tostobueno® LASTS.
A Tosto-fan. From "A TASTE OF THE BRONX 2010," an annual fundraiser for the YMCA there.
3) We made it user-friendly and dual purposed.
A Tosto-fan. From "Cuba Nostalgia 2010," South Florida's BIGGEST under-one-roof Cuba-Fest.
4) We decided to protect the environment. Or in other words "who needs another plastic tostonera?" No one! So instead of using the environmental nightmare that plastic is, we went with bamboo. And like a proud parent pulling out those baby pictures -- how many tostoneras can boast of being recognized by the:
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, Washington DC as a Latino Enterprise Leading the way for Latinos in the Green Economy*
*SCROLL DOWN TO PAGE 7
The Evolution of the TOSTONERA
PLANTAIN PEEL
In Latin America the plantain is the center of the universe. The mythology of the toston is rich. The first tostonera was a banana peel. Some still use the banana peel to flatten the hot fried plantain.
Rock to Brick
Next, to keep from burning their hands, some went to a rock which in modern times was replaced with a brick – effective but hard to control – and lots of smashed fingers.
Brown Paper Bag & Coffee Can
The brick would get messy and dirty and eventually was replaced by the brown paper bag and the coffee can. The bag to absorb the oil, and the coffee can to do the smashing. Unfortunately, the bag got dirty and needed to be replaced very often.
Bargain Wooden Tostonera
Then someone figured two pieces of wood could do the trick and the first modern tostonera was born. Unfortunately, simple engineering was not considered. The hinges were often too tight and the wood too soft and these bargain tostoneras had a very short life span. Plus, you could only make one plantain chip at a time. If you wanted to make toston cups, you had to buy another device specifically for toston cups that made one at a time – too much work.
The Ultimate Tostonera®
At last…a tostonera that makes sense. The Tostobueno® allows for the chips and cups to be made all on one unit…and you can make more than one at a time. When you buy our doble, trio or sexto no trees get killed because the Tostobueno® is made from eco-friendly bamboo.
AND COMING IN 2012
I've been working on an e-documentary on the plantain. Yes, you read right: the plantain! We may have many things in common as Hispanics/Latinos -- but nothing more so than our love of the plantain or patacon or tachino or as I was told yesterday "tronco." Annette E Alvarez
