I’ve no qualms with conventional boiled pierogi—the slippery dough pockets full of something from potatoes to cabbage, cheese, or meat is pure consolation. But when I had the selection, I’d virtually at all times go for a crisp and golden fried pierogi. Air-fried, to be particular. Do be aware that there’s one essential step to attaining extremely mild and shattering pores and skin with the air fryer, and that, my pals, is boiling.
The trick to nice air fryer pierogi
If you happen to’ve ever dumped frozen pierogi into an air fryer you most likely solely tried it as soon as, as a result of that stuff seems dry and onerous (to not be confused with crispy). The air fryer, as we all know, does not magically fry something: it’s a petite convection heating system. Whereas the fan forces the recent air across the small inside area, excessive temperatures could be achieved. Your meals may cook dinner quicker, and there’s likelihood that what you tossed in there’ll grow to be good and crispy. Maybe an identical texture to one thing that was deep fried—or a pleasant piece of cardboard.
The arid winds of the air fryer are very efficient for drying out gadgets, so issues that don’t have a lot moisture stepping into simply get dryer. That’s why it’s not so good for toasting sliced bread. Frozen pierogi have an exterior of, basically, dry pasta. Placing that within the air fryer merely dries it out whereas reheating the filling. The completed pieróg can be edible, however the pores and skin may have a floury style and pasty texture. Not perfect.
Left: a twice-cooked (boiled and air-fried) pieróg. Proper: a pieróg straight air-fried from the freezer.
Credit score: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
Within the side-by-side comparability of air-fried solely (proper) and boiled-first (left), you’ll be able to instantly see the distinction in colour and texture. If you happen to look intently, the boil-first pierogi on the left has tiny little bubbles rippling throughout all the floor. These are the air pockets that develop after hydrating and rapidly evaporating moisture from the shell.
Boiling first adjustments the composition and texture
Taking a cue from air-fried caramel pasta crisps, I boil my pierogi first and toss them in a little bit of butter. Boiling the pierogi for a couple of minutes first hydrates the wrapper and the sunshine coating of fats helps with browning. After boiling, the pasta turns into smooth and pudgy with water molecules. Now, once you put the pasta within the air fryer, whether or not they’re potato crammed pierogi or plain pasta, the excessive blast of warmth from the convection oven will evaporate the water rapidly, leading to a sheet of pasta riddled with tiny air pockets. Biting into this skinny, bubbly sheet feels mild and crisp, not onerous.
Credit score: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
I wish to toss the pierogi in a little bit of butter and salt earlier than air frying. This helps conduct the warmth of the air fryer much more evenly, and it tastes good. Two birds, you understand? If you happen to’re air frying do-it-yourself contemporary pierogi, solely boil them till they float; about two minutes.
Air-Fried Pierogi Recipe
Elements:
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8-10 frozen pierogi
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½ tablespoon butter
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Pinch salt
1. Fill a medium pot with water. There must be loads of water for the pierogi to be submerged and never stumble upon their neighbors an excessive amount of. Deliver it to a boil.
2. Drop the pierogi into the boiling water and cook dinner them virtually utterly. Take a look at the package deal’s instructions for boiling and subtract two minutes from the timing. Relying on their measurement, this might take 5 to eight minutes. Mine have been medium-sized and I boiled them for seven minutes.
3. Whereas they’re boiling, add the butter and a pinch of salt to a large mixing bowl.
4. Drain the pierogi in a stranger and let the residual moisture evaporate for about two minutes, then drop the still-hot pierogi into the bowl. Toss and flip the dumplings so all of them get coated in salty butter.
5. Drop the pierogi into the air fryer. Set it to the “air fry” setting at 350ºF and cook dinner them for 10 to 12 minutes, flipping them midway by the cook dinner time. Serve together with your favourite pierogi condiments or with a swipe of garlicky butter.
