Dumplings are a popular dish of Slavic cuisine, which is made from unleavened dough, which allows you to use any filling for it. In recent years, convenience foods have become very popular. Their quality has noticeably improved, as a result of which there is no need to manufacture them yourself. This significantly saves time and effort. But whether they are bought in a store or made independently is not so important. In any case, the question arises for how long and how to properly store dumplings in the freezer.
How to choose
Among the wide variety of dumplings, you need to choose a high-quality semi-finished product so that you don’t regret your purchase later.
It is best to purchase a factory-packaged product.
- Firstly, it is hygienic, since the entire production process in modern enterprises occurs with virtually no human intervention.
- And secondly, you can always find out who produced the product and where. And also see its composition, determine the degree of freshness and shelf life, in contrast to loose semi-finished products.
It should be understood that a fresh product is a semi-finished product, the release date of which is as close as possible to the time of purchase.
A high-quality flour product cannot contain additives with unclear names. The packaging of such products should only indicate flour, eggs (can be replaced with egg powder), water, salt, sugar, vanillin, and filling ingredients.
The color of the dough should be light, closer to white. Yellow and grayish shades indicate the presence of preservative additives, or storage for too long.
Packaged dumplings must be the same size and have smooth edges. They should not be stuck together or deformed. This will be a clear sign that they have already been defrosted.
Dumplings with raw potatoes - recipes
Good afternoon friends!
Have you ever eaten dumplings with raw potatoes? I’ll show you the recipe with step-by-step photos now. I highly recommend trying it. What I like about this dish is that the potatoes do not need to be boiled, and therefore dumplings can be put together quite quickly.
Their taste is completely unusual and different from dumplings with crushed milk; it is so rich – potato-like and bright. Many people, having once tried dumplings stuffed with raw potatoes, refused others altogether.
When I first learned about them, I immediately fell in love with them.
How and how much to store
The storage conditions for dumplings are to keep them constantly cold until they are consumed. At the same time, dumplings should be stored in the freezer at the following temperatures no more than:
- temperature -12°C - -10°C for not 30 days;
- at -18°C and below no more than 4 months in a cardboard box, and up to 6 months in plastic factory packaging.
Note! Semi-finished flour products are capable of absorbing surrounding odors, so they must be packaged hermetically.
In a refrigerator
You can store dumplings in the refrigerator, but only after they have already been cooked. In other cases, semi-finished products should be in the freezer.
You can keep the finished dish on the refrigerator shelf for no longer than 2 days in a sealed container.
The storage temperature of ready-made dumplings should not exceed +3°C - +4°C. If you store a semi-finished product in such conditions, it will lose quality after a day. After this, the product should be cooked or frozen.
How to extend the shelf life of dumplings in the freezer
Of course, you want to have a portion or two of your favorite meat delicacy in reserve so that, on occasion, you can quickly cook a tasty and satisfying meal.
- Knowing how long frozen dumplings can be stored in the freezer, it is advisable to label the portioned bags before storing a large batch of hand-made unleavened dough and minced meat products.
- Naturally, the freshest meat should be used as a filling.
- The lower the temperature in the freezer, the longer you won’t have to worry about the state of the “strategic stock” of dumplings.
- It is advisable to look into the freezer as little as possible so as not to disturb the temperature stability.
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Unfortunately, even the highest quality product cannot remain fresh indefinitely. To the question of whether dumplings spoil in the freezer, the answer is obvious - over time, they also become unsuitable for consumption, so you shouldn’t stretch out your supplies too much. Of course, this does not mean that the day after the expiration date, the remaining batch must be urgently disposed of. But such a treat will no longer be beneficial, and the taste will not be the same, so it is best not to stock up too much on your favorite semi-finished product, even of homemade origin.
Of course, you want to have a portion or two of your favorite meat delicacy in reserve so that, on occasion, you can quickly cook a tasty and satisfying meal.
Frozen
How long dumplings can be stored in the freezer will depend on the storage temperature and the composition of the product.
- The optimal storage temperature for semi-finished flour products is considered to be below -18°C. Under such conditions, the hermetically packaged product can be stored for up to 3-6 months.
- It is better not to store loose processed products or products in an unsealed bag for more than 1 month.
- At -12°C, the shelf life of dumplings in the freezer is reduced to only 1 month (sealed packaged), and to 2 - 3 weeks (opened, hanging).
- Semi-finished products with preservatives can be stored for up to 6 months at -18°C.
Thus, the maximum shelf life of dumplings in the freezer cannot exceed half a year, even if preservatives are used in the manufacture of semi-finished products.
How long do dumplings last in the freezer?
After receiving a salary or waiting for other financial receipts, we go to the supermarket to buy food and replenish supplies. However, the shelf life of everyone’s favorite dumplings and other semi-finished products in the freezer is not infinite, and this should be taken into account when making purchases in order to save wisely. Knowing how long your favorite semi-cooked food can stay in the cold and remain fresh, you don’t have to worry about its safety and taste.
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According to surveys on forums, many lovers of semi-finished products have no idea how long homemade dumplings and store-bought product can be stored in the freezer.
In fact, this is worth thinking about, because only fresh foods are healthy. At the end of the expiration date, “ears” with meat filling automatically move from the category of tasty and healthy products to the category of forbidden products.
Without refrigerator
Flour products with vegetable or berry filling can be kept warm for up to 6 hours.
If the filling contains perishable products (cottage cheese, meat, seafood), the storage time of dumplings without refrigeration is reduced to 3 - 4 hours. To prevent their surface from becoming dry and weathered, the top of the product should be covered with a cotton cloth. A disposable paper towel will not work for this.
Advice! To prevent the dumplings from sticking to the cutting board, on which they are usually laid after modeling, it should first be lightly sprinkled with flour.
Proper freezing
If there were too many dumplings by accident, or they were put together in large quantities for storage purposes, they will need to be frozen in any case.
But so that your efforts are not in vain and the product does not stick together into one lump, you should follow simple freezing rules.
- A cutting board or tray of a suitable size is covered with a plastic bag (or simply covered).
- Then the dumplings are placed so that they do not touch each other and placed in the freezer for 2 hours.
- After this, the semi-finished products are taken out of the freezer and carefully distributed into freezer bags.
- The remaining air is removed from the bags as much as possible and sealed tightly.
- After this, the bags are placed in the freezer for long-term storage. If semi-finished products are placed as compactly as possible, they will not take up much space in the freezer.
Semi-finished products are frozen in portions. The number of dumplings in the package should not be more than needed for consumption at one time. It should be taken into account that repeated freezing of any semi-finished products is unacceptable.
Shelf life of dumplings
- Shelf life: 30 days
- Shelf life: 30 days
- Shelf life in the refrigerator: 3 days
- Freezer life: 100 days
Storage conditions:
In the freezer at a temperature not exceeding -18 °C
Dumplings can be considered a real Slavic food. This is a Ukrainian national dish, which is prepared from boiled dough and can be with a wide variety of fillings. There are all sorts of dumplings. It can be found with potatoes, cottage cheese, mushrooms, cabbage, cherries, and many others. Cherry dumplings are very well known for their special taste. Now there are a lot of different recipes for preparing this product yourself.
This dish is familiar to almost every person, but not everyone knows where its history came from. It turns out that similar food was previously prepared in Turkey. It was made from boiled unleavened dough, and inside there was a filling in the form of meat. In ancient times, the dish was called dush-var. In this form it came to Ukraine and was very much loved by local residents. Ukrainians liked this food so much that the dish began to occupy a special place in the national cuisine. People decided to give it their own name - dumplings.
In addition to hearty fillings, there were often sweet ones. Berries, fruits, and even dried fruits could be added to this dish. The dish is currently very popular, especially due to the fact that semi-finished products are available for sale. Therefore, in order for food to be only beneficial, it is important to know the shelf life of dumplings. The dish is prepared from unleavened dough and can have a variety of fillings. They can be meat, sweet and even vegetable. In ancient times, Lenten fillings were often made depending on the religious calendar. For this they used mashed potatoes, stewed cabbage, berries, dried fruits and even porridge. Dumplings can be filled to your liking. The filling can be vegetables, meat, cottage cheese or mushrooms. To ensure that the dish is eaten fresh, it is important to know the shelf life of dumplings.
Dumplings are a very popular dish because they can be prepared quickly and are very tasty. However, despite all the delights of dumplings, they can also be dangerous to human health. Firstly, dumplings are a fairly high-calorie dish, and those who have problems with the digestive system should not abuse them. In addition, a lot depends on the filling of the dumplings. It can be varied, from vegetables and fruits to meat.
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In order to slightly reduce the effect of dumplings on the body, you should not overuse sour cream and sugar when consuming them. By the way, sugar can be replaced with honey. The heaviest and most high-calorie dumplings are potato dumplings, so don’t get carried away with them.
How to cook
Dumplings should not be defrosted before cooking. They are thrown into boiling water, which must be salted in advance, and quickly mixed with a large spoon so that they do not stick together and stick to the bottom of the pan.
After the water boils again, the dumplings will begin to float to the surface. They should be boiled for another 5 - 10 minutes. Cooking time depends on the size of the semi-finished products and the type of filling. Then the dumplings are removed from the water using a large slotted spoon and placed on a dish previously greased with butter.
It should be remembered that semi-finished products with meat filling (for example, dumplings) require a little more time for cooking than, for example, with cottage cheese.
How to cook dumplings with potatoes and mushrooms?
Delicious dumplings are made with mushrooms and potatoes. In my opinion, this dish has the perfect combination of flavors. Take the mushrooms you like, but only those suitable for frying. An affordable option is champignons or oyster mushrooms. The choice is yours.
Prepare the dough the same as in the first recipe - this is the most ideal option. Tested by personal experience.
For filling:
- potatoes – 1 kg;
- mushrooms at your discretion – 400 g;
- onion – 1 piece;
- vegetable oil – 2 tbsp. spoons.
Preparation:
1. Peel the potatoes, boil them, and make a puree.
2. Peel the onion and cut it into small cubes. Cut the prepared mushrooms into small cubes. Lightly fry the onion in a frying pan, add mushrooms, salt and pepper and fry over medium heat for fifteen minutes.
3. Mix fried mushrooms and onions with mashed potatoes.
5. We begin to form dumplings. Take the rolled out dough piece, put the filling in the middle and pinch it together.
6. Boil in salted water until done.
