Wonton wrappers (includes egg roll wrappers)

These thin sheets of wheat dough are the wrapper for wontons, dumplings, potstickers, and egg rolls, rolled paper-thin so they cook quickly whether boiled in soup, pan-fried, steamed, or deep-fried. Cooks fill them with ground pork, shrimp, chicken, or vegetable mixtures, sealing the edges with a dab of water or egg wash before cooking; the same wrapper turns crisp and blistered when fried for egg rolls or crab rangoon, or silky and tender when dropped straight into broth. Leftover strips can also be cut into ribbons and fried into crunchy garnishes for salads and soups.

Fresh wrappers are sold refrigerated in stacks and dry out fast once opened, so keeping the stack covered with a damp towel while working is standard practice, and unused wrappers freeze well between layers of plastic wrap. At 291 calories and 9.8 g protein per oz (28 g), with protein at 20% of the daily value and iron at 19%, wonton wrappers contribute meaningfully to a dumpling's overall makeup once filled, though most of that calorie count comes from the 57.9 g of carbohydrate in the dough itself. Because sodium sits at 572 mg per oz, dipping sauces and fillings are often kept lower in salt to balance the finished dish.