Freezing Potato Pierogi

[luciaannek]

Hello!
I'm wondering if anyone has ever tried freezing poatoe and cheese pierogi. It would be sooo nice to have homemade pierogi ready to go.
At what point do you freeze them? I'd assume that you'd do it either before you boil them, or after you boil them but before you fry them.

I know potato things are notoriously hard to freeze (b/c of unfreezing very grainy), but there are lots of kinds sold frozen so I'm wondering if this works. If not have you tried freeze cabbage cheese or other kinds of pierogi? Does that work?

[Terrie H.]

I hope I find the energy to try your recipe one day, because a good pierogy is a thing of beauty. I happen to have a small Polish deli place around the corner and they make beautiful ones. She told me to take them home and freeze them since I wasn't cooking them that day and they worked perfectly a few days later, cooked from frozen.. I wish they weren't so expensive (or maybe it's a good thing or I'd eat way too many!) so I'd like to tackle your recipe one day. Thank you for sharing.

[SamA67]

Homemade pierogies actually cook better when they're frozen! I make them fresh (and sell at a local farmer's market). I roll/shape them then lay them flat on a cookie sheet and freeze quickly. As soon as they're frozen, I toss them into zip lock bags. They never stick and I never "lose" any, a problem that occurs when they open up in the boiling stage. My customers always tell me it's better than their Boba's!

[monavano]

Agree. Definitely do not boil and then freeze. I let mine thaw just a little so I can pull them apart without ripping any dough. Then I boil and sometimes fry up in butter with onions after that.

[thimes]

+1 - make - freeze in a single layer on a cookie sheet - zip lock - boil from frozen

great thing to have on hand

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Would you mind sharing your recipe for these? I have tried to make pierogies a couple of times and they never turn out quite right. Certainly not better than anybody's Boba's! I'd love to have a reliable recipe (so at least I can blame myself when they turn out tough and flavourless).

[SamA67]

My husband thinks I'm crazy to share my recipe since I sell these, but I know they're just too much work for most people to do!
FILLING: I've broken it down here, but I do 10 lbs. at a time
1 cup mashed potatoes (russet are best - no butter, milk, salt, etc.)SAVE POTATO WATER
1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper
3/4 c. medium cheddar cheese
1/4 c. sauteed chopped onions

Mix/mash together very well and refrigerate overnight.

DOUGH:
2 eggs, 1/2 c. sour cream (secret weapon!), 1 tsp. salt, 1 tbsp. olive oil, in a large measuring cup and top off with Potato water (make sure you mix it first or all the starch stays on the bottom) until you have 2 cups of liquid. I whisk it briskly together.

3 HEAPING CUPS FLOUR, MAKE WELL, ADD LIQ. WORK IN WITH FORK, KNEAD ONLY A FEW TIMES. PUT ON A PLATE, COVER WITH BOWL, LEAVE ON COUNTER FOR 30 MIN.

ASSEMBLING THE PIEROGIES:
take out your pot. mix - my trick: press lightly with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
roll out dough quite thin, use 3" cookie cutter or glass (wine glass works well). use aprox. 1 full tbsp. of mix - fold over dough and pinch together, then flip over and pinch again. This dough is fantasic - I never use water or a fork, it just works :) et VOILA - YUMMY!

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Thank you! I really appreciate this. I grew up in a town where good pierogies were relatively easy to be had and now live somewhere where I have to search just to find the frozen ones, so I will definitely put this recipe to good use.

EDIT: A question: how thin do you usually roll out the dough? Should I put it through my pasta roller to get it really thin or is it better to just do it by hand? Also, you say they cook better from frozen (and I would probably want to make a bunch at a time and then freeze most of them for later use), but is it okay to cook some of them fresh? Or will they just fall apart completely?

Thanks again!

[SamA67]

I would not use a pasta roller, you want to work the dough as little as possible and it will be plump and tender (not chewy). Roll it out as thin as you like, if it starts tearing it's too thin - sorry I can't be more specific. If your pierogi has too much excess dough when you fold it over you can just stretch it and pinch off the extra. I do this because it's impossible to get your dough perfectly uniform in thickness.

Re: cooking from fresh. put some flour on bottom of a dish or pan and cover with a lightly damp cloth while you work . Sorry I forgot to add, keep your completed pierogies covered with a slightly damp cloth while you work. If you close them well (esp. at corners - they shouldn't open)

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Great! Thanks!

[BananaBirkLarsen]

Just wanted to say I made these tonight (with a horribly altered filling as I didn't have any cheese in the house) and they were absolutely fantastic. Thanks again for sharing.

[monavano]

Thanks for your generosity in sharing. I've tried to make pierogies without success so I'll give this my best effort!

[SamA67]

My pleasure, I'm sure you'll do great!

[gingershelley]

Thanks so much for sharing Sam! Looking forward to making these. BBL turned us all on to your recipe when she posted about these in the 'What's for Dinner' thread.

I am going to add some smoked paprika, courtesy of BBL as well. Yummy!

[SamA67]

Thanks. I've been reading chowhound for quite a while but just started posting - this is fun!

[Blinkins]

I agree with SamA67 too! Just make sure to seal well (dab of water around the edge, fold, use fork to press edge - I usually do twice to be on safe side). My family actually prefers the homemade version to the purchased kind (I use a Canadian Living recipe) - great way to use up leftover mashies and you can control seasoning depending on your family's preference.