How to make Wiener Schnitzel

Here in Germany, Stefan and I have judged many a restaurant based on their schnitzel. If they can’t make that well, then there’s no reason to bother with most of their other food either. Schnitzel can actually be prepared many different ways but Wiener is the basic style which pretty much every restaurant in Germany serves. The others are more like cutlets served with various sauces and ingredients and I really can’t say I have eaten any of them.

Wiener schnitzel is fairly easy to make and really doesn’t require much time or many ingredients to prepare. Some of the best schnitzel is made from veal cutlets (it’s best if you can get them cut from the thigh) but pork is also very commonly used due to the much lower price.

Wiener Schnitzel assembly line

This recipe comes from Stefan’s mom who makes a mean schnitzel. She made Wiener schnitzel the first day we brought Mackenzie home from the hospital and they really hit the spot after all that hospital food. She also happened to make these last weekend when we were visiting them so I pulled out the camera and started writing. It’s the first time I’ve managed to watch her make them and I can safely say I’m not as intimidated about making them as I used to be! Basically it’s just chicken fried steak with veal and less trouble on the side dishes.

Serve your Wiener schnitzel with a fresh salad topped with a yogurt dressing (traditional German style) or just potato salad, roasted potatoes or French fries.  If you serve a slice of lemon on the schnitzel as well, you can squeeze it over the schnitzel just before eating it to give it a nice flavor. Or use your knife to press on the lemon as it lays on the schnitzel and it will squeeze out the juice wherever the lemon is placed without making a mess.

Come back on Thursday when I’ll be teaching you how to make authentic Bavarian potato salad!

Wiener Schnitzel

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 veal cutlets, sliced thinly (1/2 – 3/4 inch thick)
• 3 eggs
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2- 1 cup flour (enough to cover the bottom of a dinner plate)
• 1/2-1 cup bread crumbs (Paniermehl)
• 1-2 tablespoons butter for frying

Directions

1. Using 3 separate plates or shallow dishes, set out ingredients for coating. Cover bottom of one dish with flour, one with eggs and the last with bread crumbs. Add salt and pepper to the eggs and beat with a fork to combine.
2. Trim fat from cutlets and beat them with a small frying pan or large, smooth-surfaced mallet to ensure they are evenly thin (about 1/2 inch) across the cutlet.
3. Add butter to frying pan and melt. Coat each cutlet on both sides with flour, egg mixture and finally bread crumbs. Place schnitzel in pan and fry at medium-high heat for several minutes. Be sure that you always keep butter in the pan for frying but do not let the pan get so hot that the butter burns.
4. When the butter creeps up the edges of the schnitzel, it’s ready to flip. Cook until golden brown on both sides and serve immediately. Garnish with a slice of lemon, if desired.

6 Responses to “How to make Wiener Schnitzel”

1. Brenda says:

   January 27, 2010 at 12:52 am

   So that’s what the wienerschnitzel really is. I remember in college all the German department staff were very offended by the American fast food chain of the same name–they would go in and order a schnitzel, and cound’t understand why none of the employees knew what they were talking about!

   Reply
   • Tiffany says:

     January 27, 2010 at 9:54 am

     @Brenda — Now that is just strange. A placed called Wienerschnitzel and absolutely no schnitzel to be found. Maybe they should have gone with Frankfurter or Würstchen instead. Doh!!

     @Janet — Mmh, Cordon Bleu–haven’t had that in ages! I saw a recipe the other day that puts parsley in the breading which I think could be interesting. Not a true Wiener schnitzel but perhaps a nice change from time to time.
     I’ve been making little updates all over the place–the backlinks are one of them. You can also add your last tweet in there if you’re on twitter

     Reply
2. Janet says:

   January 27, 2010 at 3:16 am

   That is how I make it too! Learned it from my mom’s mom…last name Herman—just a little German heritage. We add cheese and ham for that Cordon Bleu touch.
   .-= Janet´s last blog ..Tuesday’s Trees- Ilex opaca, American Holly =-.

   Reply
3. Janet says:

   January 27, 2010 at 3:19 am

   cool backlink to my last post.
   .-= Janet´s last blog ..Tuesday’s Trees- Ilex opaca, American Holly =-.

   Reply
4. Charlie Sommers says:

   April 15, 2011 at 5:41 pm

   Interestingly the Japanese have a food specialty that is almost identical to German pork schnitzel. A thin sliced piece of pork loin is beaten with a meat tenderizing hammer until it is even thiner, then it is dredged in flour, beaten egg, and finally Japanese bread crumbs which are called “panko”. The finished fried cutlet is called “tonkatsu.” The panko is worth looking for in an Asian market.

   After frying to a golden brown the tonkatsu is served on a bed of shredded raw cabbage along with a generous serving of plain boiled rice, glutinous short grain rice is preferred, and both the pork and cabbage are sprinkled with a condiment that can also be found in any Asian market that has Japanese customers. It is called “Bulldog Sauce” and looks like this.

   http://www.japanesefoodshop.co.uk/ekmps/shops/japanesekitchen/images/bull-dog-tonkatsu-sauce-v

   I would hazard a guess that the Japanese got the idea for tonkatsu from the Germans just like they got the idea for tempura from the Portuguese.

   Reply
5. Charlie Sommers says:

   April 15, 2011 at 5:43 pm

   My link in the comment above didn’t work so here is another.

   http://www.importfood.com/sabd1001.html

   Reply