In many pierogi kitchens you will find a pierogi press. Many people like them.
Others have had difficulties when using them and put them aside. Sometimes it is because they bought cheap ones that break, and other times it is because they do not know how to properly use them.
In this video I will show you the proper way to use a pierogi press and give you some tips and hints on how to make the job easier and the resulting pierogi nicer looking.
There are two prerequisites to using a pierogi press.
You must have a properly made dough and the dough must be properly rolled out. See my videos How To Roll Out Pierogi Dough and How To Make Pierogi Dough.
Pierogi presses generally also act as cutters. The reverse side of the press will cut a dough circle that will completely cover the pierogi forming section.
These circles can be used, but the resulting pierogi are a little less than attractive because you end up with a large, unneeded sealing area. That detracts from the looks and the eating experience. People want filling and not boiled flour.
In this video I will show you two simple ways to correct this.
Note: before you start using the press, you must dust some flour on the press so the dough releases. Do that every so often. Having a bit of flour on the bottom of the circle will also help.
And also notice in this video I add the potato filling just before I put the circle on the press. And notice each time I have to wipe my fingers.
That takes time and is quite tedious.
It is better to lay out all the circles and add the filling to each of the circles. You then wipe your fingers only once. It is much faster.
On the same note, don’t put an empty circle on the press and add the filling. For once again you will have to wipe your hands before you seal.
You have to be accurate when adding your filling. First you have to have enough filling to make a meaningfully tasting pierogi. But if you add too much you will have problems in the sealing process.
If you add too much filling, you will not be able to get the pierogi out of the pierogi press. This is a problem that bothers many people.
You can make the resulting pierogi look much better by braiding or pinch decorating the sealed portion.
See my video on How To Braid Pierogi.
You can also eliminate the large sealed area by cutting out circles smaller than a pierogi press does.
For example my pierogi press cuts circles 10 1/2 cm in diameter. I don’t use it. I cut the circles with a 8 1/2 cm in diameter tunafish can.
When I lay the smaller circles on a pierogi press, they do not completely cover the press. So when I seal, I get a very narrow but presentable edge.