Frozen Egg Rolls?

[Shel_B]

Any recommendations for good decent quality frozen egg rolls?  I'd like to keep a pkg or 2 in the freezer for those unexpected egg roll emergencies.

Edited November 4 by Shel_B (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I had a Whole Foods 365 egg roll night before last.  It was OK, perhaps nothing to write home about.

 

[Shel_B]

1 hour ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I had a Whole Foods 365 egg roll night before last.  It was OK, perhaps nothing to write home about.

 

I'm not expecting greatness, just some crunch from the wrapper and an acceptable quantity and quality of filling. Thanks for jumping in.

[Alex]

I'd love a post about your most recent egg roll emergency.

[Shel_B]

2 hours ago, Alex said:

I'd love a post about your most recent egg roll emergency.

 

 

Coincidentally, it happened today.   I made a batch of Chinese mustard and too late discovered that my egg roll stash was depleted.  Fortunately, the pole from the kitchen to the garage had recently been polished, and I quickly slid down to an already running and warmed car (gotta love today's car tech), pushed the garage door button (more tech), and headed to the nearby Chinese takeaway joint. Unfortunately, there was a long line waiting for their mediocre food, and it was moving slowly. I was getting anxious as the longer I waited the more the mustard flavor would be compromised. I became more anxious and agitated as the moments passed.

 

Fortunately, I had my Xanax locket with me, opened it, and downed a few of the precious pills. In short order, I was mellow again, and it didn't take long (Xanax time has a way of warping, could have been hours) before I was on the road home.

 

Unfortunately, road construction slowed my travel, and to my and the mustards detriment, I didn't care. By the time I got home, the effects of the Xanax were wearing off.  A few years ago I installed a liquor kiosk by the entrance door (replacing the unneeded umbrella stand which outlived its usefulness in drought-ridden California), reached in, grabbed a bottle of cheap cooking sherry, downed it with a long pull, and almost immediately felt a wave of calmness engulf me like a warm woolen comforter. Cheap cooking sherry has its benefits.

 

I checked on the mustard, and it looked good and tasted just fine. I reached for the egg rolls and $#!&, discovered that I left them at the Chinese joint. That was my most recent egg roll emergency.

[Shel_B]

I tried these yesterday, not very good, or at least not what I was hoping for:

 

[Tropicalsenior]

4 hours ago, Shel_B said:

not very good, or at least not what I was hoping for:

Ever thought of making your own. I'll bet you could make some killer ones and have plenty left over to freeze to use later for your spring roll emergencies.

[FauxPas]

15 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

Ever thought of making your own. I'll bet you could make some killer ones and have plenty left over to freeze to use later for your spring roll emergencies.

 

@Shelby makes her own and freezes them. She has shared her favourite recipe for them here, along with mouth-watering images: 🙂

 

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/163549-dinner-2022/?do=findComment&comment=2331215

 

Edited November 7 by FauxPas (log)

[Shel_B]

39 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

Ever thought of making your own. I'll bet you could make some killer ones and have plenty left over to freeze to use later for your spring roll emergencies.

 

I've thought about it, and that's as far as I've gone. I have a block about frying ... 

 

I like the linked page.  I'll return to it and go through it more thoroughly, see what manifests ...

[Tropicalsenior]

12 minutes ago, Shel_B said:

I have a block about frying

Is it frying or deep fat frying? You know, spring rolls can be fried in just an inch of oil if you want to and they can also be made in an air fryer.

[Shel_B]

2 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

Is it frying or deep fat frying? You know, spring rolls can be fried in just an inch of oil if you want to and they can also be made in an air fryer.

Deep frying definitely, an inch is already pretty deep for me, but I will examine that more closely.  But I can't say that it'll make much difference, but ....

 

No air fryer here, no plans or interest in getting one any time soon.  However, do you think they can be baked or "fried" in the Breville oven with decent results. Thanks for implanting the idea.

[Tropicalsenior]

3 minutes ago, Shel_B said:

However, do you think they can be baked or "fried" in the Breville oven with decent results.

Of course they can. How do you prepare the Frozen ones that you buy now?

Edited November 7 by Tropicalsenior (log)

[Tropicalsenior]

3 minutes ago, Shel_B said:

Deep frying definitely, an inch is already pretty deep for me,

I feel the same way. First I don't like the splatters and second I don't like to waste that much oil.

[Shel_B]

35 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

I feel the same way. First I don't like the splatters and second I don't like to waste that much oil.

I was thinking about the splattering, and I wonder if that can be eliminated by shallow frying in a deep-sided vessel, such as a Dutch oven.

 

Can't oil be reused?  I remember mom and grandma reusing their cooking oil.

[Shel_B]

39 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

Of course they can. How do you prepare the Frozen ones that you buy now?

 

Well, yeah, but they've already been cooked and fried, so I'm just reheating them. I was thinking it might be a different situation. Sounds like you're telling me no, at least in the concept.

[MaryIsobel]

I aways look for the baked alternative. I cannot stand oi frying, deep or shallow. I just find that the smell lingers in the house for days.

[Shel_B]

3 minutes ago, MaryIsobel said:

I aways look for the baked alternative. I cannot stand oi frying, deep or shallow. I just find that the smell lingers in the house for days.

Yeah, that too.

[MaryIsobel]

2 minutes ago, Shel_B said:

Yeah, that too.

That being said, about once a year my husband makes fish and chips when halibut is in season ,for our immediate family for a treat. He does it outside to accomodate my dislike of things being fried in the house.

[Tropicalsenior]

1 hour ago, Shel_B said:

Can't oil be reused?  I remember mom and grandma reusing their cooking oil.

It can be but I don't have the storage space and it seems like it always goes rancid before I fry again.

 

1 hour ago, Shel_B said:

Well, yeah, but they've already been cooked and fried,

I wasn't aware that they had already been fried. It seems to me that they are something that you could bake. Most of the things that I shallow fry, I wind up finishing them the in the oven anyway.

[Shel_B]

33 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

It can be but I don't have the storage space and it seems like it always goes rancid before I fry again.

A lot of my oils are stored in the refrigerator and rancidity is not a problem. Also, the temp in my apartment stays around 70-deg F all the time and humidity here is generally quite low. Those things may help me and perhaps the fridge can help you. I remember Costa Rica has being warm and humid, very much like Panama, and we kept a lot of things in the refrigerator in Panama.

33 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

 

I wasn't aware that they had already been fried. It seems to me that they are something that you could bake. Most of the things that I shallow fry, I wind up finishing them the in the oven anyway.

 Well, the filling is easy, and if the wrappers will bake well and get crispy-crunchy, I may give it a try. I can buy wrappers readily enough. Might even consider playing around with other types of wrapping, like puff pastry. They won't be conventional spring rolls, but they might be nice ... gotta think about that.

 

I guess that's not such a new idea ... just found this:

https://www.puffpastry.com/recipe/mediterranean-spring-rolls/

Edited November 7 by Shel_B (log)

[Tropicalsenior]

7 minutes ago, Shel_B said:

A lot of my oils are stored in the refrigerator and rancidity is not a problem. Also, the temp in my apartment stays around 70-deg F all the time

That's also where I keep most of my oil, and my pasta and flour, spices, Etc, Etc, Etc. I have two big refrigerators they are full. It doesn't get as hot here as it does in Panama but 70° f? It might get down to that temperature at night.

 

10 minutes ago, Shel_B said:

and if the wrappers will bake well and get crispy-cruncy

I think the trick for that might be to brush them with it a bit of oil before baking.

[haresfur]

12 hours ago, Shel_B said:

I tried these yesterday, not very good, or at least not what I was hoping for:

 

 

Spring rolls and egg rolls are very different beasts. Spring rolls are common here, egg rolls not so much, except for Chico Rolls that are generally sold at fish and chip shops. People seem to have some sort of nostalgia for them. I live in one of the places that claims to have originated Chico Rolls, but I can't imagine why that would be seen as a positive. Basically the nastiest egg rolls you can imagine filled with god knows what. Their only redeeming quality is that the company sponsors the local roller derby team. 

 

I was going to suggest this. Easy but time consuming. I have frozen them quite well. 

 

In terms of frying, I find shallow frying makes more of a mess than deep frying so yes, do it in a deep pot and use one of those stainless mesh covers to keep the splatter down. Ikea sells them. Deep frying isn't too bad. The oil can be strained and reused. You probably can get a restaurant to take your used oil for disposal when the time comes.

[MaryIsobel]

13 minutes ago, haresfur said:

 

Spring rolls and egg rolls are very different beasts. Spring rolls are common here, egg rolls not so much, except for Chico Rolls that are generally sold at fish and chip shops. People seem to have some sort of nostalgia for them. I live in one of the places that claims to have originated Chico Rolls, but I can't imagine why that would be seen as a positive. Basically the nastiest egg rolls you can imagine filled with god knows what. Their only redeeming quality is that the company sponsors the local roller derby team. 

 

I was going to suggest this. Easy but time consuming. I have frozen them quite well. 

 

In terms of frying, I find shallow frying makes more of a mess than deep frying so yes, do it in a deep pot and use one of those stainless mesh covers to keep the splatter down. Ikea sells them. Deep frying isn't too bad. The oil can be strained and reused. You probably can get a restaurant to take your used oil for disposal when the time comes.

it is the lingering smell of shallow or deep frying that prevents me from doing it. I use a splatter screen, put the hood vent on, open windows and doors but I can still smell whatever we have fried two days later. How do you deal with that?

 

[haresfur]

29 minutes ago, MaryIsobel said:

it is the lingering smell of shallow or deep frying that prevents me from doing it. I use a splatter screen, put the hood vent on, open windows and doors but I can still smell whatever we have fried two days later. How do you deal with that?

 

 

Doesn't usually bother me. Use quality oil, I guess. I generally use better quality canola for this but rice bran oil would probably be better but more expensive.

 

The biggest problem is how hard it is to clean the filter screen in the range hood

[MaryIsobel]

On 11/7/2024 at 6:54 PM, haresfur said:

 

Doesn't usually bother me. Use quality oil, I guess. I generally use better quality canola for this but rice bran oil would probably be better but more expensive.

 

The biggest problem is how hard it is to clean the filter screen in the range hood

My hood fan screens are held in with clips - simple to remove and I just spray them with Dawn Powerwash (love that stuff!) leave them for a bit and toss them in the dishwasher.