Puerto Rican Kitchen Essentials: Tostonera, Pilón and 25 Classic Dishes
The tools every Puerto Rican kitchen needs—tostonera, pilón, caldero, greca and classic seasonings—how to use them, and 25 traditional dishes to cook with them, from mofongo to arroz con dulce.
Puerto Rican food is the result of centuries of blending: Taíno cassava and corn, the rice, olive oil and pork that came from Spain, and the root vegetables, plantains and frying techniques of African heritage. The result is criollo cooking—flavorful, generous and unmistakable, recognizable by sofrito, the pilón and the smell of tostones in the pan.
This guide covers the Puerto Rican kitchen essentials—starting with the tostonera and the pilón—and the 25 classic dishes you'll make with them.
The tools of a Puerto Rican kitchen
The tostonera
A wooden press that flattens fried plantain in one move, so every tostón comes out the same size. It can also shape tostones into cups for tostones rellenos. We carry large carved tostoneras in several designs, Christmas tostoneras and the wooden tostonera and spoon set, a great gift.
How to use a tostonera: fry green plantain rounds until soft, place them in the tostonera, press, and fry again until golden. Salt and serve.
The pilón
The wooden mortar and pestle is the symbol of Puerto Rican cooking: garlic and salt are crushed here, mofongo is made here, homemade adobo starts here. A good pilón lasts a lifetime and gets better with use. Our wooden "Puerto Rico" pilón with the flag is a store best-seller.
The caldero
The heavy aluminum pot for rice. It distributes heat evenly and is responsible for the pegao.
A small saucepan
For sauces, sofrito or warming milk for coffee. The red "Puerto Rico" saucepan is practical and looks great on the stove.
The greca
No Puerto Rican kitchen is complete without a greca. Learn how to use a greca.
Kitchen textiles
A coquí apron, San Juan houses kitchen towels and oven mitts complete an island-style kitchen.
The flavor base: sofrito, adobo and sazón
Almost everything starts with sofrito: a blend of recao, culantro, sweet ají peppers, bell peppers, onion and garlic. Add adobo for seasoning meats and sazón for color and flavor in rice and stews. A Boricua pantry always has Goya adobo with pepper and a good sazón like Nolo's by Rosario.
25 classic Puerto Rican dishes: mains
- Mofongo. Fried green plantain mashed in a pilón with garlic and pork cracklings, served plain, with broth or stuffed with seafood or meat.
- Arroz con gandules. The national rice: sofrito, pigeon peas and pork, cooked in a caldero.
- Lechón and pernil. Roast pork, star of parties and Sundays.
- Pasteles. Green banana and root vegetable masa filled with pork, wrapped in plantain leaves. More in Puerto Rican Christmas food.
- Arroz con habichuelas. The everyday plate: white rice with stewed beans.
- Carne guisada. Beef slow-cooked with potatoes, sofrito and tomato sauce.
- Pollo guisado. The chicken version, with potatoes and olives.
- Asopao. A soupy chicken or seafood rice, perfect for rainy days.
- Sancocho. A hearty stew of root vegetables and meats.
- Bacalao guisado and serenata de bacalao. Salt cod stewed or as a cold salad with root vegetables.
- Trifongo. Like mofongo, but with green plantain, sweet plantain and cassava.
Fritters and appetizers
- Tostones. Twice-fried flattened green plantain—the universal side.
- Alcapurrias. Green banana and yautía fritters stuffed with meat; queen of the beach kiosk.
- Bacalaítos. Thin, crispy salt cod fritters.
- Pastelillos. Fried turnovers filled with meat, cheese, pizza or guava and cheese.
- Rellenos de papa. Mashed potato balls stuffed with meat and fried.
- Sorullitos de maíz. Cornmeal and cheese fingers, fried, with mayoketchup.
- Piononos. Sweet plantain rolls filled with meat.
- Arañitas. Shredded green plantain fried into little nests.
Sides
- Amarillos. Fried ripe plantains, sweet and caramelized.
- Guineítos en escabeche. Green bananas marinated in oil, vinegar and onion.
- White rice with pegao. The crispy layer at the bottom of the caldero is the prize.
Desserts
- Arroz con dulce. Rice with coconut milk, cinnamon and raisins.
- Tembleque. Coconut pudding with cinnamon.
- Flan. Cheese, coconut or vanilla, always with caramel.
Finish with greca coffee and some Puerto Rican candy.
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Puerto Rican kitchen FAQ
What is a tostonera?
A press, usually wooden, used to flatten fried green plantain into evenly sized tostones.
What is a pilón used for in Puerto Rican cooking?
To crush garlic and spices, make homemade adobo and prepare mofongo.
What is the national dish of Puerto Rico?
Arroz con gandules with pork is widely considered the national dish, with mofongo as the most iconic plate and pasteles at Christmas.
What is Puerto Rican sofrito?
A blend of recao, culantro, sweet ají peppers, bell peppers, onion and garlic that forms the base of rice, stews and beans.
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