When making egg tools, the egg roll wrappers are very important. They are almost like the round versions of pasta sheets, only that they feel and look thinner.
There are different types of egg roll wrappers, which can both be used in making wontons, other kinds of pastries common in Asian Kitchen, and then egg rolls. Some egg roll wrappers are clear, while some are opaque.
Whichever you decide to use, is solely based on what you need it for, or what you like. These egg roll wrappers are not difficult to find. They can be bought in grocery stores, and frozen in most cases. However, the cooking method and time for each wrapper depend on the brand of egg roll wrappers.
Can your egg roll wrappers be frozen? Yes! If you want to freeze your egg roll wrappers, you can. Although it is very beneficial, it possesses some kind of risk to your egg roll wrapper’s integrity and texture. The freezing is not usually the problem. The defrosting is.
Luckily for you, in this article, I will show you how to freeze your egg roll wrappers and how to properly thaw them without affecting the texture and integrity of your egg rolls wrappers.
Will Freezing Your Egg Roll Wrapper Affect It?
Freezing your egg roll wrappers is a good way to preserve them. However, when not done properly, can lead to unwanted results like affecting the texture of your egg roll wrappers.
Some factors come into play for this to happen, and one of the most important ones is duration. How long would you be freezing your egg roll wrappers?
When frozen for too long, egg roll wrappers become stiff. Some even get brittle because they have lost a considerable amount of moisture.
When they are thawed and used in wrapping egg rolls, they lose their texture and become very chewy.
But you can avoid all these by freezing your egg roll wrapper in the proper way. That is by putting them in an airtight container before placing them inside your freezer. And the duration should not exceed 10 to 14 days.
Professional chefs will advise that you use your egg roll wrappers within two weeks after removing the wrappers from their original packaging. But if the egg roll wrappers are still in their original packaging, they can be stored longer than two weeks in your freezer.
Also, even before placing your egg roll wrappers into the airtight container, you should ensure they are properly wrapped with plastic wraps. This wrapping should be so right that no air would be allowed inside.
If by chance there is air inside the wrapping, then it’s possible for ice crystals to form on your egg roll wrappers which will cause them to not only crack but also dry out.
Freezing Your Egg Roll Wrappers
In most cases, after buying and using egg roll wrappers for a particular purpose, you will end up having some wrappers left. Sometimes, you might not need these wrappers immediately, and since you can’t throw them away, the best way to preserve them is by freezing them.
But how do you freeze your egg roll wrappers to avoid having some of the problems I mentioned before?
The following steps should guide you. Before that, remember that I said that using airtight containers is the best army to freeze your egg roll wrappers. If you can’t find airtight containers, a zip lock bag or press and seal bags will suffice.
- Make sure your airtight containers or any other method of packaging is clean. Once that is confirmed, place freezer paper at the bottom of the container.
- Put your egg roll wrappers in one layer. This is to avoid freezer burn on your wrappers. Also, if you stack your egg roll wrappers together, they’ll definitely stick to each other.
- After that layer, add another sheet of freezer paper and repeat the previous step. Do this till all your egg roll wrappers are safely placed inside your choice of packaging. You can use plastic wrappers for your egg roll wrappers, but the best are airtight containers.
- After placing your wrappers inside the packaging, ensure that you remove any extra air from it. This way, your egg roll wrapper will not crack when it is frozen.
- Place the package, whether plastic wrapper or airtight container, into your freezer. Remember, when you wrap your egg roll wrappers properly, their freshness, taste, texture, and integrity will be prolonged.
- Next after packaging your egg roll wrappers is to label them. You have to indicate what’s inside, the date the egg roll wrappers were put into the freezer, and whether it is airtight containers or plastic wrappers, or storage bags.
If your egg roll wrappers are properly wrapped, you can expect them to last up to four months, if not more, inside your freezer.
But remember, when your egg roll wrappers are left for too long in your freezer, they may lose their texture or even their taste. While some of your wrappers may be bland, some will taste very awful, and you don’t want that. Some get as bad as cracking and spilling their contents when they are being fried.
Thawing Frozen Egg Roll Wrappers
Thawing frozen egg roll wrappers or any other kind of pastry can always become tricky, especially for someone who has not done it before. But this is mostly because when egg roll wrappers are frozen they dry out.
Sometimes they have the tendency of sticking to themselves and forming clumps if not properly done.
For best practices for defrosting your egg roll wrappers, observe the following:
- Do not use the wrappers until they are at room temperature.
- Also, unless your egg roll wrappers have moisture, thawing will not be very fast.
- The best way to thaw your egg roll wrappers is to leave them in your refrigerator after taking them out of the freezer. They can defrost in the refrigerator over the night before you can use them.
- When separating the egg roll wrappers, do that gently and use them immediately after defrosting.
- If an egg roll wrapper is freezer burned, it should be thrown away and not used for cooking. To avoid having meals that taste awful and bland.
Leave a Reply