Dumplingsare one of my favorite food groups.
I love the delicious wrapped bites of all kinds of world cuisines, from Nepalese momos to Italian ravioli.
I tested seven store-bought frozen dumplings from well-known brands and was surprised by how much I enjoyed each one.
Photos: The brands. Design: Eat This, Not That!
They also come with a tasty packet of tamari dipping sauce.
The look:The wrappers on the Feel Good Foods potstickers were the thickest and doughiest of the bunch.
They lost any crimped pleats once they were cooked and had a pale, shiny color.
Photo: Lizzy Briskin, Eat This, Not That!
These dumplings also felt heavier per piece than most of the others I tried.
The thick dough took away from the filling and dominated each bite.
The look:These potstickers look like your classic Chinese restaurant menu item.
Photo: Lizzy Briskin, Eat This, Not That!
The wrapper is thin and perfectly crimped, and each piece is identical.
They took on a nice amount of browning and crispiness in the skillet and held their shape well.
The taste:The wrappers were nearly perfectthin, crisp, and not too chewy.
Photo: Lizzy Briskin, Eat This, Not That!
But I found the chicken and cabbage filling overly salty.
You certainly don’t need a soy sauce dunk with these potstickers.
They’re not exactly spicy, but fans of Sichuan food will appreciate the numbing sensation.
Photo: Lizzy Briskin, Eat This, Not That!
The look:These palm-sized buns are as cute as buttons.
They have a nice homemade quality because each bun isn’t completely uniform.
The dough is pinched into a pretty swirl and is markedly thicker than your typical dumpling wrapper.
Photo: Lizzy Briskin, Eat This, Not That!
They’re cream-colored and puff up quite a bit when cooked.
The taste:These buns are delightfully bready and soft.
The look:These dumplings are shorter, rounder, and fatter than most.
Photo: Lizzy Briskin, Eat This, Not That!
It tasted a bit like cumin to me.
They’re long, narrow, and have distinct ridges from crimping the seam closed.
The wrapper is amongst the thinnest of the dumplings I tried.
Photo: Lizzy Briskin, Eat This, Not That!
The taste:These dumplings have an incredibly juicy, umami-rich filling.
The center stays moist while the wrappers get crisp and golden.
The delicate wrapper is flavorful but not gummy or thick, and the dumplings hold their shape well.
I like that these dumplings are meat- and veggie-forward with a nice soy-based sauce.
They’re not sweet nor overly salty.
They’re cooked by steaming rather than pan-searing or boiling, which helps maintain a super juicy filling.
The taste:Talk about juicy!
These soup dumplings are filled with a tight ball of porky goodness swimming in a delicious savory broth.
The soup dumplings are light but satisfying and my favorite of the bunch.
