Frequently Asked Questions About the Wiener Schnitzel

The Wiener Schnitzel is a veal cutlet breaded with flour, egg and breadcrumbs and fried in oil in a pan.

In Germany we use schnitzel cut from the veal topside or the veal underside. In Austria from the veal fricandeau, in Switzerland veal undercut.

You can either process the cutlet meat directly with a meat tenderizer or gently pound the slices of meat placed between plastic wrap. When using cling film, chefs usually use a flattening iron.

You will need the beaten veal cutlets seasoned with salt and pepper, flour, beaten and seasoned eggs, fine breadcrumbs.

You can use commercial wheat flour type 405, star chefs use, among others, the Viennese semolina flour. If you are on a gluten-free diet, use a gluten-free all-purpose flour.

Only by turning in flour (flouring) can the egg stick to the meat.

The finer the breadcrumbs, the better the breading will be. Fresh baker’s breadcrumbs or homemade breadcrumbs are better. Top chefs harden box white bread, remove the dark outer layer, finely grate the white bread into the so-called Mie de Pain.

You can buy gluten-free breadcrumbs or make breadcrumbs from gluten-free rolls or white bread: Let bread dry, grate finely.

You will need a heat-resistant, neutral oil such as canola oil, sunflower oil or corn oil. Alternatively, you can use clarified butter or lard.

The cutlet should float in the hot oil to develop a nice, wavy breading. A good guide for filling the pan is 1-1.5 fingers high.

The wavy breading is created when you fry your breaded cutlets floating in the hot fat, at the same time moving the pan. This process is called soufflé by chefs.

As a rule, the cutlet is garnished with lemon, the classic garnish is lemon + anchovy fillet with capers.

Traditionally, a potato salad, a mixed salad, butter or parsley potatoes are served with it.

It is a breaded cutlet, which is not prepared with veal. Most often pork escalope, chicken escalope or turkey escalope are used and called as such.

Preisselbeeren and Cranberries are the classic addition to schnitzel, international ketchup and mayonnaise.