These Hacks Will Upgrade Your Frozen Dumpling Experience

Lois Alter Mark
Lois Alter MarkContributor
Lois Alter Mark is a contributing writer to Apartment Therapy, Forbes, USA Today 10Best and Reader’s Digest. She started travel writing after accompanying Oprah Winfrey on the Ultimate Australian Adventure, and now enjoys eating her way around the world. A native New Yorker, she and her husband live in San Diego, where they’ve become weather wimps and are still searching for a good slice of pizza. You can follow her adventures @loisaltermark
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published Feb 14, 2022
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Cheeseburger dumplings
Credit: Photo: Kristin Teig / Food Stylist: Catrine Kelty

Yes, dumplings are delicious just the way they are but we’re about to blow your mind — and your tastebuds — with a trio of easy hacks that turn them into culinary superstars.

James Park, Kitchn’s Video Producer and the self-proclaimed emotional eater behind Cooking My Feelings with Jamesy, recently shared his favorite ways to elevate frozen dumplings, and his 31,300 Instagram followers were all over it, calling him “clever” and “brilliant.”

Hack number one starts with an egg ring to cook up a dumpling egg pancake. “When pan frying dumplings, you can add slurry for an extra crunch but how about using eggs?” he asks. The result is a mouthwatering, omelet-like creation that he tops with a drizzle of ketchup and mayo. My breakfast has been transformed forever.

He then proceeds to hack number two, making a dumpling quesadilla. I think I gasped out loud. “Smashed dumplings will give your cheesy quesadilla an extra savory layer of flavors,” he explains, mushing the dumplings and cheese — lots of cheese! — onto one side of the quesadilla in a frying pan, folding it over and cooking it to perfection. “A dollop of chili crisp at the end takes it to the next level.”

Last, but definitely not least, he recommends cooking dumplings in your favorite sauce. “I love tossing them with spicy and tangy gochujang sauce,” he admits, and it’s easy to see why as he displays them in all their vibrancy. He suggests accompanying the dumplings with a bowl of rice for a complete meal.

You can watch his video here and, once you’re been inspired, you may want to continue your dumpling adventure with cheeseburger dumplings or even beef stroganoff with dumplings.

As for me, I’m off to stock up on frozen dumplings.

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