Cream cheese wontons

[carol242]

I have tried and tried to make cream cheese wontons. I've tried frying and baking. They turn out beautiful but the filling is gone. I know some wontons may have leaked, but not all of them. I've watched the oil temperature like a hawk (just under 350 degrees), made sure all the air is out of them, sealed them various ways...water, water with corn starch, or egg wash. Some of them have a little coating of cheese left on the inside but not much. I have a little better luck with baking them, but I think they taste better fried.



I refuse to give up! Can someone tell me what I may be doing wrong?

 

[dragnlaw]

What other ingredients are in your cream cheese mixture?

and Welcome to DC Carol242!

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Have you tried air frying them?

 

[buckytom]

Freeze the chunks of filling first.

That way they can stand the temp of being fried afterwards.

And welcome, Carol -241.

 

[carol242]

What other ingredients are in your cream cheese mixture?

and Welcome to DC Carol242!

Thanks for the welcome! I use Philly cream cheese, onion and garlic powder, a little salt and powdered sugar.

 

[carol242]

Have you tried air frying them?

I don't own an air fryer.

 

[carol242]

Freeze the chunks of filling first.

That way they can stand the temp of being fried afterwards.

And welcome, Carol -241.

I tried putting the filling in the fridge for 1/2 hour before filling. Freezing may work better...I'll give that one a try! Thanks.

 

[dragnlaw]

Are you seeing the cheese in the oil after? (or something that could possibly be it) What method of folding are you using?

I saw where one blogger, while she was doing the frying, stood over them to make sure the seams stayed upright, thereby causing less loss of leaking.

 

[karadekoolaid]

I saw where one blogger, while she was doing the frying, stood over them to make sure the seams stayed upright, thereby causing less loss of leaking.

That sounds like a good suggestion!
I was wondering whether the cheese had "dissolved" into its fatty components. the ingredients in Philly are "pasteurised milk and cream, cheese culture (which is simply a strain of bacteria to make a specific cheese), salt and carob gum(presumably to maintain texture in the cheese).
Here´s a couple of ideas that might make a difference. firstly, seal your wontons with a little egg wash, and make sure they´re well-sealed. Secondly, you could add a little bit of ricotta - which has a slightly more robust texture, but very little flavour - to see if the filling holds up.

 

[dragnlaw]

....
I was wondering whether the cheese had "dissolved" into its fatty components.
....

I was wondering if that was not true as well.

Perhaps you are frying (or baking) just a little too long?

If you oil is not hot enough (as against being too hot) this means it will take the won tons longer to cook. Thus giving the cheese more chance to dissolve/disappear.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

cream cheese with crab meat, and a touch of sugar is what makes crab rangoons. I've made them many times, deep frying until the on ton skins are lightly golden, and crisp, about 3 minutes in 150' F oil. Here's a video shiing how to make cream cheese fried won tons - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5fGBdvNE80&list=TLPQMTIwMTIwMjIAEQicdk4fzw&index=2.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[carol242]

I was wondering if that was not true as well.

Perhaps you are frying (or baking) just a little too long?

If you oil is not hot enough (as against being too hot) this means it will take the won tons longer to cook. Thus giving the cheese more chance to dissolve/disappear.

I fried them at just under 350 degrees for 2-3 minutes, which is what was shown in the recipe. Is that too hot and made the cheese melt? I watched the video that was posted here and they never specified the temperature for the oil but her's turned out a lot darker than mine.
Here is how I wrapped mine:

 

[dragnlaw]

Carol, I'm only guessing here. You have to take into consideration that when you add the won tons to the oil it will reduce the temperature. If your temp is just below 350, adding a lot is really going to reduce it more than the ideal temp.

I suggest you bring your temp up to just over 350. Add fewer won tons. I know it's tempting to add more to the pot but the won tons will cook faster and the cheese shouldn't have time to 'disappear' (I hope).

 

[carol242]

Thank you for that tip. Next time I try them, I will freeze the filling first and cook at a slightly higher temp. I'll report back with my results!

 

[buckytom]

Freezing the filling is akin to making Xiaolongbao, or soup dumplings.

 

[pepperhead212]

I still haven't seen a list of the ingredients for the filling. It seems it needs some egg, or some flour of some sort, to stabilize the filling.

 

[dragnlaw]

pepper, I looked up several recipes. None of them had anything other than herbs & spices.

To Do List:
Crab Rangoons
Shrimp Toast


sigh...
one day...

 

[carol242]

I still haven't seen a list of the ingredients for the filling. It seems it needs some egg, or some flour of some sort, to stabilize the filling.

PLease see my post #5. I've looked at a dozen recipes and haven't seen any stabilizer in the filling.

 

[pepperhead212]

PLease see my post #5. I've looked at a dozen recipes and haven't seen any stabilizer in the filling.

Sorry - I did see that, but forgot it. Anyway, I was just thinking about the ingredients in cheesecake - I can't think of any that don't have eggs, and often some flour or starch, in small amounts. These are often added to meat dumplings, to firm them up.