how to cook frozen perogies so they taste amazing?

I want perogies for dinner.  We have frozen ones, but the instructions are hard to read.  Besides, I just know someone here will know how to cook them so they taste amazing.

Tips, tricks, hints?  How do I cook really yummy frozen perogies?  

They're so good in all kinds of ways :) boil or saute in butter or olive oil, then drain and mix with butter and sauteed/caramelized onion with salt and pepper, and fresh herbs if available, optional extra cheese like parmesan on top... or mixed with a creamy sauce and baked to finish, optional breadcrumbs on top... mixed with tomato-based sauce after prepping them from frozen... getting hungry over here

I have:
Dropped them into soups & stews
Deep-fried them - then dipped into sauce or gravy, sauce or gravy poured over them, or just eaten as hand pies
Baked them - eaten same ways as deep fried
Roasted them with chicken, onions, etc...

Assuming these are uncooked, here’s what I would do:

- fill a deep pot with water and bring it to a boil.

- drop the pierogies in there, a few at a time, and let them cook until they float to the surface, this will only take a few minutes

- I fish them out as they start floating and put them in a colander to drain; drop more in the boiling water till I’m done with all of them

- in the meantime melt a generous amount of butter in a pan and sautee finely chopped onions till they’re caramelized

- when all the pierogies are cooked and drained, I put them in the sauteed onions and turn the
stove off; we don’t want much cooking at this point, only for the onions and pierogies to become well aquainted with each other

- serve them warm with a dollop of sour cream

Now I want pierogies for dinner, ha ha. Even though for us this is a winter dish…

Hi,  It sort of depends on the kind of filling inside the noodles.  Potatoes and onion, cheese, ....  Boiling to cook and frying in butter are traditional back in the old country. But here, experiment. No one said you need to fry to get it crisp, I sometimes like it served just boiled with a salt and butter spread. Sometimes with fish and a sauce or in a chowder. With beef or chicken with or without a sauce. In soups, stews, or smothered in a fruity glaze.  I just make sure to make the inside filling match the outside glaze or sauce. Experiment with different flavors. Try jellies and jams. What would you put on potato pancakes? Same complementry tastes with those for the potato and onion perogie.

Some folks may not know what frozen pierogis are.

I have heard of them though never eaten one.

From King Arthur Baking:

Pierogi, boiled dumplings, are very flexible and can be stuffed with a number of savory or sweet fillings, including potato and cheese (below); sauerkraut, cabbage, spiced meats, and even fruits and berries.

King Arthur Baking suggests to cooked in a large stockpot of boiling salted water.

Then sauté the shallots or onion in the butter in a large skillet until the onion begins to brown.

Add the drained pierogi and cook until browned and crisped.

Serve hot with additional sour cream, applesauce, or other condiments.

These pierogies sound yummy!

For the recipe:



https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/homemade-pierogi-recipe

Thank you Anne! I was just about to hit the Duckduckgo button!
So a bit like large ravioli then? Or tiny pasties....They look nice, but are they worth the faff of making, compared to pasta and sauce? How great are they?

Nancy Reading wrote:Thank you Anne! I was just about to hit the Duckduckgo button!
So a bit like large ravioli then? Or tiny pasties....They look nice, but are they worth the faff of making, compared to pasta and sauce? How great are they?

They're kind of a cross between ravioli and pasties. The dough isn't flaky, but it's not as tender as pasta dough, either. A lot of people here make them at home (there's a big doukhobor population here, 1800s settlers from Russia) and I often see them two or even three times as big as the commercially made ones to save time.

How great are they? As great as your ingredients, I guess 😉

I often cook them more like potstickers: fan them out to cover the bottom of a frying pan, pour in some water, and lid the pan. They steam through, then the water boils off and you get a crispy base.

Here in doukhobor country, sour cream and melted butter together are typical. The older doukhobors always had a jug of melted butter on the table that you poured over pretty much everything.

My husband likes them with sour cream and gochujang.

The person who said water in pan to steam then fry is literally Einstein. How genius!

I have to agree, that is such a smart move!

I grew up boiling perogies, and now I usually still do but finish them in a fry pan. I'm going to give this a try next time I'm having a hankering.