An apparatus for cooking tamales includes a lid, a base, and a hinge. The lid comprises a semi-rigid, food safe material. It may have an elongated shape and a plurality of perforations to allow steam to pass through the lid. The base comprises a semi-rigid, food safe material. It may also have an elongated shape and a plurality of perforations to allow steam to pass through the base. The hinge connects the lid and the base such that the lid and the base define a cavity when closed against each other. The cavity defined by the lid and the base is shaped to hold a tamale for cooking.
