How to cook frozen wontons

The short answer

Bring plenty of water to a rolling boil, add the frozen wontons, then every time the water comes back to a boil, add a small cup of cold water — three times in total. They're done when they float and the skin looks translucent. Roughly 10–12 minutes from frozen.

Why cold water?

This is the old Shanghai method. Boiling water on the outside of a wonton cooks the skin fast; the filling inside takes longer. If the water stays at a violent rolling boil the whole time, the skins cook through and start to break before the middle is hot.

Adding cold water knocks the boil down each time, so the skin and the filling finish together. You'll see it in the results: intact skins, a properly hot filling.

Step by step

1. Use a big pot and about 3 litres of water. Crowding is the number-one cause of split wontons. If you're cooking more than 12, use two pots or cook in batches.
2. Get it to a hard rolling boil before anything else goes in.
3. Add the frozen wontons one at a time — straight from the freezer, no thawing.
4. Stir gently once, right after they go in, so nothing sticks to the bottom. Then leave them alone.
5. Add cold water at each boil. Water boils → pour in a small cup (about 100 ml) → it stops boiling → it boils again → add another cup. Three times.
6. Check at 10 minutes. A cooked big wonton floats, and the skin becomes translucent enough to see the filling's outline through it.

	Time
Fresh (never frozen)	about 8 minutes
Frozen	10–12 minutes
If they've been frozen a long time / are large	add 1–2 minutes

Freezing them properly

• Freeze in a single layer on a tray or plate, not touching, for a couple of hours.
• Then bag them once individually frozen. They won't fuse into a block.
• Use within about a month for the best texture. They stay safe longer, but the skins toughen.

Serving

A big wonton needs a broth. If you bought ours, we'll give you the broth base at the counter — otherwise any light chicken or pork stock works, with a pinch of salt and a few drops of sesame oil. Add a handful of chopped spring onion and, if you like, a spoon of chilli oil.

Don't put them in the bowl and leave them. Big wontons keep softening once they're out of the pot — five minutes is fine, fifteen is not.

Common mistakes

• Too little water. Wontons need space. A crowded pot equals split skins.
• A hard boil all the way through. This is what the cold-water trick prevents.
• Defrosting first. Frozen wontons go straight into boiling water. Thawing makes the skins sticky and fragile.
• Judging by the clock alone. Float + translucent skin is the real signal.