Do you love different types of dumplings and cannot imagine life without them? On the other hand, do you find it too time consuming to prepare them on a regular basis? To save time and always have your favourite type on hand, fine out how to freeze dumplings!
Do you love different types of dumplings and cannot imagine life without them? On the other hand, do you find it too time consuming to prepare them on a regular basis? To save time and always have your favourite type on hand, fine out how to freeze dumplings!
Preparing dumplings for freezing
A quick dinner after a hard day’s work, or maybe more efficient preparation of orders in a restaurant kitchen? If you are tempted by the thought of constant, easy access to your favourite dishes, learn how to prepare dumplings for freezing!
How should raw dumplings be frozen?
Are you wondering how to freeze dumplings – both pre-cooked and raw? Both can be frozen, and there are fans of both methods. In the case of raw, uncooked dough, it is necessary to do a few things beforehand:
- Sprinkle each dumpling with flour.
- Raw dumplings should be placed on a tray or board, slightly apart from each other, and stored in the freezer.
- After two hours, you can take them out and put them into ziploc bags – they don’t need to be separated any more. Remember to close the bag tightly to prevent the dumpling dough from drying out.
How to freeze pre-cooked dumplings?
Freezing pre-cooked dumplings is also common practice. However, you should be careful how you prepare them, and make sure that the dough is not too thin or overcooked – after defrosting it could crumble. Storing pre-cooked dumplings in the freezer for too long will also make the dough dry out. How to freeze dumplings so that they do not stick together? Before freezing, it is a good idea to cover them in oil – this will also protect the dough from drying out when the dumplings are cooling down after cooking. Pre-cooked dumplings are also best kept in a ziploc bag.
How to freeze blanched dumplings
What’s the best way to freeze dumplings? A good way is freezing something between raw and boiled dumplings, i.e. blanched dumplings. To prepare them, boil and salt the water, and then cook the dumplings in it for approx. 30 seconds. After drying, dumplings cooked this way can be smeared with oil, left to dry and then frozen the same way as raw dumplings – first separately and then in bags in portions of your chosen size.
How long can dumplings be kept in the freezer?
You probably know how long meat and other food can be kept frozen. But do you know how long dumplings can be frozen? It depends on how you prepare them. Raw dumplings can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months, while cooked dumplings can only be stored for 4 weeks. This is due to the fact that cooked dumplings lose more moisture, which causes them to split and fall apart during cooking, thus destroying all the effort put into their preparation.
Freezing dumplings according to their filling
Are you wondering how to freeze dumplings filled with meat, fruit or vegetables? Dumplings can prepared in numerous ways, depending on local cuisine and personal preferences! Dumplings with spicy vegetable fillings are a good idea in the winter months, while dumplings with seasonal fruit, such as blueberries and strawberries, will be great in the summer. An all-year favourite are dumplings filled with different kinds of meat.
The number of possible combinations is unlimited. But how should these types of dumplings be frozen? Fortunately, the filling does not affect how they can be frozen! So you can enjoy the taste of summer in the middle of winter, or choose winter flavours on a hot summer afteroon!
The best temperature for freezing dumplings
You can adjust the temperature in your freezer to your needs – how should you freeze dumplings so that you can store them for as long as possible? The good news is that the optimal temperature for freezing dumplings is no different than that for most food products and is approx. -18°C. We don’t recommend higher temperatures – but if you have no choice, remember that the higher the temperature, the shorter you can keep the dumplings in the freezer!
Necessary equipment in commercial kitchens
How should you prepare dumplings for freezing and what equipment or accessories will you need? Let’s summarize the equipment necessary in this case in commercial kitchens:
- Freezers – when it comes to commercial use then the larger the better, because it will make the first stage of freezing dumplings in large quantities much easier (the stage where each dumpling should be kept separately).
- Trays – you can use, among others, aluminium grill trays. They are ideal for spaciously placing the dumplings on them and putting them in the freezer in the initial stage of freezing.
- Ziploc bags – you can store frozen dumplings in bags of any size, without worrying that they will stick together.
As you can see, freezing dumplings is actually pretty easy! If you cook them before freezing, remember to use a slotted spoon to remove the dumplings from the water, so that they don’t stick to the spoon.
How to freeze dumplings – summary
Knowing how to freeze dumplings can change your approach to cooking! Instead of struggling with smaller portions every week, you can make more at one time and store them in the freezer (from 4 weeks to even 3 months). This not only makes it easier to manage time and resources in commercial kitchens, but also makes it easier to organise your cooking at home. Treat your loved ones to delicious dumplings of their choice, whenever you want.
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