summer rolls

[sabg]

i may been making summer rolls and have most of it down but the rice paper is v sticky... soak them for about 30 seocnds...should i being "something" to them...i have quite a few recipes and have not found anything

[Chris Amirault]

Try spraying them with water instead of soaking them.

[Dejah]

Are you soaking them one at a time or a couple at a time?

I've always put one into lukewarm water until it's pliable. Then I take it out and lay it on a moist cutting board and put another one in to soak. By the time I finish rolling the first one, the one in the water is ready. If you are not fast at rolling, you might want to wait until you are finished rolling before sliding another one in.

Make sure your bowl is wide enough to hold a round of rice paper without it bending onto itself.

[HungryC]

Don't soak them at all--just a quick dip in hot water is all you need. The rice paper will still be a bit stiff as you lay it on the cutting board, but it will soften as you arrange the filling. Another tip: add a row of filling near one edge, fold a rounded edge over it, then add more filling, fold it over, tuck the edges in, and finish rolling. The number of folds/layers of filling depends on the diameter of your rice papers. I watched a super-fast-fingered brigade of ladies crank out hundreds of spring rolls at a Tet festival--they made it look easy, and once I tried their techniques, it wasn't as hard as I tried to make it. Incidentally, they used a crock pot to keep the water at the correct temperature, and ladled it out into a pan as needed.

[runwestierun]

I too think 30 seconds is too long. I would also like to add that I have found major differences in stickiness between brands of wrappers. Try a different brand.