How to make amazing air fried pierogi

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I have no qualms about traditional cooked pierogi – the slippery pastries filled with everything from potatoes to cabbage, cheese or meat are pure convenience. But if I had the choice, I would almost always choose pierogi fried crispy and golden brown. Air fried, to be exact. Note that there is one crucial step to achieving incredibly fair and glowing skin using the air fryer, and that, my friends, is cooking.

The trick to great air fryer pierogi

If you’ve ever thrown frozen pierogi into an air fryer, you’ve probably only tried it once because the stuff turns out dry and hard (not to be confused with crispy). As we know, the air fryer does this Don’t magically fry anything: It is a small convection heating system. As the fan circulates the hot air through the small interior, high temperatures can be reached. Your food may cook faster, and there’s a good chance whatever you threw in will turn out nice and crispy. Maybe a similar texture to something fried – or a nice piece of cardboard.

The air fryer’s dry winds are very effective at drying out items, so things that don’t have a lot of moisture will simply become drier. That’s why it is not so good for toasting sliced bread. Frozen pierogies have an exterior made of essentially dry noodles. If you put it in the air fryer, it will simply dry out while the filling reheats. The finished pierog is edible, but the peel has a floury taste and a paste-like consistency. Not ideal.

In a direct comparison of only air fried (right) and first cooked (left), you can immediately see the difference in color and texture. If you look closely, you’ll see that the pierogi on the left, which are cooked first, have tiny little bubbles all over their surface. These are the air pockets that form when the shell is moisturized and the moisture evaporates quickly.

The first cooking changes the composition and texture

Take an example from air fried caramel noodle chipsI first cook my pierogi and roll them in a little butter. Cooking the pierogi for a few minutes first will hydrate the casing and the light layer of fat will help brown it. After cooking, the noodles become soft and mushy with water molecules. Now, when you put the pasta in the air fryer, whether it’s potato-filled pierogi or plain pasta, the high blast of heat from the air fryer quickly evaporates the water, resulting in a pasta sheet with tiny air pockets. Biting into this thin, foamy leaf feels light and crunchy, not hard.

I like to toss the pierogi in a little butter and salt before air frying them. This means the heat from the air fryer is distributed evenly and it tastes good. Two birds, you know? When air frying homemade fresh pierogi, cook them only until they float. about two minutes.

Air Fried Pierogi Recipe

Ingredients:

• 8-10 frozen pierogies

• ½ tablespoon butter

• pinch of salt

1. Fill a medium-sized pot with water. There should be enough water so that the pierogi can be submerged and not collide with their neighbors too often. Bring it to a boil.

2. Add the pierogi to the boiling water and cook almost completely. Check the cooking instructions in the package and subtract two minutes from the time. Depending on the size, this can take five to eight minutes. Mine were medium rare and I cooked them for seven minutes.

3. While they are cooking, add the butter and a pinch of salt to a large mixing bowl.

4. Drain the pierogi in a colander and allow any remaining moisture to evaporate, about two minutes. Then add the still hot pierogi to the bowl. Turn and turn the dumplings so that they are all coated with salty butter.

5. Drop the pierogi into the air fryer. Set the air frying setting to 350°F and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, turning halfway through cooking. Serve with your favorite pierogi condiments or a drizzle of garlic butter.