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Wonton Wrappers for Ravioli?


Zeemanb

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Sorry if I'm the last one to ever hear of this, but I saw it on the recipe showdown last night on the Food Network. Yeah, I know, horrible show but it made me curious....

How effective/tasty are wonton wrappers when used to make ravioli? They "looked" like normal ravioli, but since this tip came from a bad show on food network, I thought I'd ask here before trying it myself.

No matter what I'll always still prefer the handmade variety because of the meticulous process involved in doing ravioli at home. BUT if I had to cook for big crowd and wanted to pull a "Sandra Lee" and make semi-homemade ravioli, this could be a good thing if they taste okay.

And if NOBODY has tried it, I guess I'll be the one to take the bullet.... :biggrin:

Jerry

Kansas City, Mo.

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I tried it. I liked it and it was considerably less trouble (my handmade ravioli tend to fall apart and make me cry). But I must state for the record that I am not a ravioli geek, so purists may still weigh in with many cons.

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Well this is good news then. I think I'd feel weird using this method on really good beef cheek or wild mushroom ravioli, but for regular ol' cheese or unconvential versions (like turkey and cranberry) this could be an easy way to experiment without all of the homemade-hassle.

Thanks!

Jerry

Kansas City, Mo.

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I've done it and it works well with the exception that the skins are thinner than typical ravioli dough. So they are rather delicate. But you can double them and it solves the problem.

Cindy

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I think it's worth trying - and I am really interested in your results.

That being said - wonton skins are going to give you a different result. The mark of good wonton skins is a slippery softness on the tongue - there is less kneading and therefore less gluten. They should be very delicate and almost translucent.

Ravioli pasta - has more snap and bouancy in the mouth - and a sturdier flavor.

I've always thought that the goal of the wonton skin is to yield and give way to the filling - while ravioli pasta is more equal partner to the filling.

Am I being too estoteric? Probably - this kind of over analysis has stopped me from experimenting with wonton wrappers in Italian cooking.

Please - do share your results!

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I agree with you, canucklehead. The wonton skins are vert thin and don't have that "pasta" flavor. But I've seen so many recipes (from Martha Stewart, Giada, etc) that use these, even for pierogies!

They can help with a weeknight meal and they're pretty good.

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I think it's worth trying - and I am really interested in your results.

That being said - wonton skins are going to give you a different result.  The mark of good wonton skins is a slippery softness on the tongue - there is less kneading and therefore less gluten.  They should be very delicate and almost translucent.

Ravioli pasta - has more snap and bouancy in the mouth - and a sturdier flavor.

I've always thought that the goal of the wonton skin is to yield and give way to the filling - while ravioli pasta is more equal partner to the filling.

Am I being too estoteric?  Probably - this kind of over analysis has stopped me from experimenting with wonton wrappers in Italian cooking. 

Please - do share your results!

I agree with canucklehead also. The difference comes from the thickness, the kneading, and to a large degree the fact that the wonton wrapper is just flour and water, no eggs like you use in homemade pasta dough. If you use semolina flour for your pasta, that's a difference also.

I've tried using wonton skins for ravioli and it wasn't my favorite, but that's just me. Interested in hearing about anyone else's results

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Not my favorite, for all of the reasons described above -- just too thin, doesn't have enough bite to them. I don't think they provide enough counterpoint to the filling. Am curious what people's success is like with doubling them though...

Emily

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A better option, IMHO, is to make agnolotti instead. These are way easier and faster to make than ravioli (or probably wontons) since you don't have to individually make each one. Here's some pictures that roughly illustrate the process (an excellent description is in Thomas Keller's Bouchon cookbook).

pipe out the filling

gallery_27988_2906_44886.jpg

fold the dough over and pinch between

gallery_27988_2906_40747.jpg

close-up

gallery_27988_2906_22843.jpg

cut between, it seals itself

gallery_27988_2906_26296.jpg

It's relatively easy to make large batches

gallery_27988_2906_135803.jpg

Martin Mallet

<i>Poor but not starving student</i>

www.malletoyster.com

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In the chinese market I go to regularly they sell two kinds of wonton wrappers, the called Shanghai style contains egg and is much more like pasta than the other kind whose name escapes me at the moment. The Shanghai style ones are also yellower so they are hard to miss.

The packs are frozen and are about $1 for 80 sheets. I put the pack in the fridge for a couple of days to defrost and then sort them into portions of 15 wrappers or so and refreeze them wrapped in plastic and also in a zip bag. The smaller packs defrost in 15 minutes. Great for raviolis from leftovers on a tuesday night.

I would agree that making your own pasta is better and result in a more pasta-like taste but the convenience of pre-made wrappers is hard to beat.

Anyone who says I'm hard to shop for doesn't know where to buy beer.

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Used them many times and very happy with the result. Saves lots of time and mess. That having been said I absolutely agree that the texture is significantly different. Personally, I love the wonton texture. A true Italian would strongly disagree I am sure! So quick and easy you have nothing to lose in trying.

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I know that Fabio Trabocchi (now at Fiamma in NYC) uses wonton wrappers for one of his signature dishes - Lobster Ravioli. He says that wonton wrappers can be cooked at a lower temperature.

"...Take, for example, another signature dish, the lobster ravioli, made with chunks of lobster. “I don’t like puréed fillings in ravioli,” Mr. Trabocchi said. “It’s too commercial.” He uses wonton skins instead of pasta dough because they cook at a lower temperature, so the lobster remains tender. And he seasons the dish with a hefty dose of ginger..." (NY Times - 2nd to last paragraph)

(Sitting for lamb chops)

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Marge: Whats Wrong Lisa? Cant get enough lamb chops?

Lisa: I can't eat this, I can't eat a poor little lamb.

Homer: Lisa get a hold yourself, that is lamb, not A lamb.

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In the chinese market I go to regularly they sell two kinds of wonton wrappers, the called Shanghai style contains egg and is much more like pasta than the other kind whose name escapes me at the moment.  The Shanghai style ones are also yellower so they are hard to miss.

The packs are frozen and are about $1 for 80 sheets.  I put the pack in the fridge for a couple of days to defrost and then sort them into portions of 15 wrappers or so and refreeze them wrapped in plastic and also in a zip bag.  The smaller packs defrost in 15 minutes. Great for raviolis from leftovers on a tuesday night.

I would agree that making your own pasta is better and result in a more pasta-like taste but the convenience of pre-made wrappers is hard to beat.

Chinese markets also carry wrappers for jiao-zi dumplings (the ones that are shaped like perogies). These tend to be thicker than wonton wrappers and have more "chew" to them. Not sure what exactly they're called, but they're round-shaped and white.

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Not entirelly sure what people refer to when they talk about wonton wrappers. I've successfully used dumpling "sheets" to make very acceptable instant ravioli. These sheets are yellowish and come frozen in small packs. They actually quite look like post-it pads, down to the sheets you peel off.

Thanks for the agnolotti pictorial above by the way. I've never really belived the "self sealing" part until now.

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I saw Jean-George eggplant ravioli recipe in Food and Wine recently that used wonton wrappers, so it's not just the Food Network chefs.

Not entirelly sure what people refer to when they talk about wonton wrappers. I've successfully used dumpling "sheets" to make very acceptable instant ravioli. These sheets are yellowish and come frozen in small packs. They actually quite look like post-it pads, down to the sheets you peel off.

That sounds like what here are labeled "wonton wrappers."

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Ok, I tried this after reading the thread and really didn't care for the result. On the bright side I haven't tried to make wontons before so now I am well equipped ;)

My soup looked like an above ground pool in a bad neighborhood.

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Used them many times and very happy with the result.  Saves lots of time and mess.  That having been said I absolutely agree that the texture is significantly different.  Personally, I love the wonton texture.  A true Italian would strongly disagree I am sure!  So quick and easy you have nothing to lose in trying.

DITTO - my sentiments exactly.

Plus, there are a lot of times when a filling presents itself and you don't feel like making and rolling out pasta dough.

Overheard at the Zabar’s prepared food counter in the 1970’s:

Woman (noticing a large bowl of cut fruit): “How much is the fruit salad?”

Counterman: “Three-ninety-eight a pound.”

Woman (incredulous, and loud): “THREE-NINETY EIGHT A POUND ????”

Counterman: “Who’s going to sit and cut fruit all day, lady… YOU?”

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the main thing is that if you are using wonton wrappers then you are not make ravioli, that is the bottom line. That being said if it works and you like the end result who cares what you are making that is the great thing about cooking you can do whatever you want, sometimes it works and sometimes it fails.

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Aware of this thread, I tried to use egg roll/wonton wrappers to make a very simple, ricotta stuffed ravioli last weekend. I specifically chose the wrappers that had egg in them, rather than the ones that were just flour & water (and a bunch 'o' other stuff, assumed to be preservatives.........). I had hoped the egg would give substance to the dough, and more mimic European pasta doughs.

They were..........gelatinous is the most flattering thing I can say about them. I think I slightly overcooked them, and didn't handle them as gently as perhaps I should have.

That being said, even if they'd been cooked perfectly, and then drained without piling them up, I doubt they'd have been "ravioli" in any sense of the word.

The dough is just too different.........texturally and structurally. They'd have been fine potstickers with some goyza sauce and Sriracha dribbled over them. Or fried egg rolls, yeah, I can definately see that. With brown butter, prosciutto and Grana Padano grated over them, well, not so much.

I had had a fleeting thought last Christmas where my pierogi fillings far outweighed my pieorgi dough that perhaps egg roll wrappers would work as a substitute. Lesson learned, its not an option.

They're great for their intended use. For ravioli, you need a ravioli dough. No time to make your own, buy some fresh, prefilled ravioli instead. For pierogi, make your own, or suffer through the stuff from the freezer.

--Roberta--

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Thanks for the tip about the eggier ones, I've been using plain ones to make "ravioli" out of pureed veggies and cheese for my kids as a quickie. I'll look for these.

“Don't kid yourself, Jimmy. If a cow ever got the chance, he'd eat you and everyone you care about!”
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