So, I found myself wandering through the frozen aisles at Costco the other week. You know how it goes, right? You’re there for paper towels and suddenly you’re contemplating a giant box of something you didn’t even know you needed. This time, it was frozen dim sum. My stomach rumbled a bit, thinking about those little steamed delights, and I figured, why not give it a shot?
The Haul and The Hope
I grabbed a box – I think it was a mix, some har gow, those shrimp dumplings, and siu mai, the pork and shrimp ones. Looked promising enough on the packaging, as they always do. Got it home, stuck it in the freezer, and kind of forgot about it for a few days, like most of my impulse Costco buys. You know how that is.
My Steaming Setup and the Process
Then came a day when I was feeling a bit lazy, didn’t want to cook a full meal, and remembered the dim sum. Perfect! I pulled out the box, read the instructions. Standard stuff, mostly recommending steaming. Now, I don’t have one of those fancy multi-tiered bamboo steamers you see in restaurants. Just a simple metal one that fits inside a regular pot. Good enough, I thought. No point getting complicated.
So, I got my pot of water boiling, just enough so it wouldn’t touch the bottom of the steamer. Then I placed the dumplings in the steamer basket – was careful not to overcrowd them, the instructions made a point about that. They looked a bit pale and, well, frozen, straight out of the box. But I had hope. I always have hope when it comes to trying new food things, especially easy ones.
- Filled the pot with about an inch of water.
- Waited for it to get to a rolling boil.
- Arranged the dim sum in the steamer, leaving a bit of space between each.
- Popped the lid on and set the timer, I think it was for about 10 or 12 minutes.
The kitchen started to smell faintly of, well, dim sum. That was a good sign, I reckoned. I peeked a couple of times, couldn’t help myself. They were plumping up, losing that frosty look and getting a bit translucent. The anticipation was building. Was this going to be a win for convenience, or just a sad reminder that some things are best left to the professionals at the restaurants?
The Taste Test: Expectations vs. Reality
First Impressions Out of the Steamer
Timer went off. I carefully lifted the lid, and a nice puff of steam escaped. They looked pretty decent! The har gow skins were mostly translucent, maybe not as paper-thin and delicate as the fresh ones I dream about, but not bad at all for frozen. The siu mai held their shape well, looking quite inviting.
I plated them up, got out some soy sauce and a bit of that chili oil I like. Took a moment to just look at them. Okay, moment over. First bite… the har gow. The shrimp inside was okay, reasonably firm, not mushy. The wrapper, as I suspected, was a little thicker than I prefer. That’s often the case with frozen ones, I find. It wasn’t tough or rubbery, though, which was a definite plus. It was, you know, acceptable. Solidly okay.
Then the siu mai. This one was actually a bit better, I thought. The pork and shrimp filling had a decent, savory flavor. It wasn’t bland, which can sometimes happen. Again, not mind-blowing, not like the ones you get at a really good dim sum place where they’re making them fresh all morning long. But for something that came out of my freezer and was ready in under 15 minutes? Pretty darn okay.
So, What’s the Final Word on Costco’s Frozen Dim Sum?
Would I Buy Them Again? And For Who?
So, the big question: would I buy it again? Yeah, I think I probably would. It’s not going to replace a proper trip to my favorite dim sum restaurant, not by a long shot. Those places have the incredible variety, the undeniable freshness, and just the whole vibrant experience that you can’t replicate from a box.
But for a quick, super easy snack or a light meal when you’re craving some of those classic dim sum flavors and really don’t want to leave the house or spend a lot of money? It definitely does the trick. It’s good to have in the freezer for those “I need something tasty NOW” moments.
It’s one of those things, isn’t it? Convenience often means a little bit of a compromise on that ultimate, top-tier perfection. But sometimes, “good enough” and “really convenient” is perfectly fine and exactly what you need. Especially when it means you can have a little dim sum feast on a random Tuesday night without any real fuss. I guess that’s the Costco way for a lot of their stuff – pretty decent quality, good value for the quantity, and usually more than you strictly need at that moment, but you’re often glad to have it on hand later. This frozen dim sum fits right into that category for me.