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Default Spaetzle maker questions

I've been making spaetzle for years, by smooshing the batter through a
"big hole" grater with a rubber spatula. Works fine, but I always
thought it was sort of slow.

So when I saw a "real" spaetzle maker -- the sort with a little
traveling reservoir -- at the local Bed, Bath, Infinity and Beyond for
only $7.00, I snapped it up.

Tried it last night. Not so happy with the result. The steam from the
boiling water tended to cook the batter into a layer that coated the
plate with the holes in it, the batter leaked under the reservoir and
piled up at the ends, finally dropping into the water as
"mega-spaetzle", and getting the thing off the pot to scoop out the
finished dumplings had to wait until the reservoir was empty, and even
then it drooled a lot, so I tended to wait too long and some of the
dumplings got over-cooked and tough.

And let's not talk about the cleanup, OK?

So the questions: Am I using the thing wrong (I just filled it up and
slid it back and forth)? Do I have the wrong batter consistency (like a
slightly thicker pancake batter)? Is this machine just a piece of junk
compared to expen$ive ones?

Isaac
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Default Spaetzle maker questions

On 2010-08-09, isw > wrote:
>
> So the questions: Am I using the thing wrong (I just filled it up and
> slid it back and forth)? Do I have the wrong batter consistency (like a
> slightly thicker pancake batter)? Is this machine just a piece of junk
> compared to expen$ive ones?


I would think a lot of it has to do with the type/culture of spaetzle
you are making:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sp%C3%A4tzle

The coolest method I've seen was on an old episode of The Great Chefs
where some big ol' fat German lady made it by grabbing up a thick
paste of dough on a wide flat spatula and, with a straight knife in
her other hand, raked/sliced thin noodle pieces of dough off the
spatula into boiling water. Talk about Old World skill!

nb
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Default Spaetzle maker questions

On 8/9/2010 12:47 PM, notbob wrote:
> On 2010-08-09, > wrote:
>>
>> So the questions: Am I using the thing wrong (I just filled it up and
>> slid it back and forth)? Do I have the wrong batter consistency (like a
>> slightly thicker pancake batter)? Is this machine just a piece of junk
>> compared to expen$ive ones?

>
> I would think a lot of it has to do with the type/culture of spaetzle
> you are making:
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sp%C3%A4tzle
>
> The coolest method I've seen was on an old episode of The Great Chefs
> where some big ol' fat German lady made it by grabbing up a thick
> paste of dough on a wide flat spatula and, with a straight knife in
> her other hand, raked/sliced thin noodle pieces of dough off the
> spatula into boiling water. Talk about Old World skill!


My Grandma had an old metal pie pan that had a lot of holes drilled in
the bottom. I'm guessing they were about 3/8 inch in diameter. She
would plop the batter in the pan, hold it over the boiling water and
push the batter through the holes with a rubber spatula (the kind you
use in big mixing bowls).

Louie

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Default Spaetzle maker questions

On 2010-08-09, Sqwertz > wrote:

> I need a picture of it. I've always used a food mill and am
> wondering if my potato ricer would also work (for making fine
> spaetzle)


I would think so, Steve. I've heard of ricers are perfect for
making noodle-like spaetzle. Makes sense.

nb
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Default Spaetzle maker questions

In article >,
notbob > wrote:

> On 2010-08-09, isw > wrote:
> >
> > So the questions: Am I using the thing wrong (I just filled it up and
> > slid it back and forth)? Do I have the wrong batter consistency (like a
> > slightly thicker pancake batter)? Is this machine just a piece of junk
> > compared to expen$ive ones?

>
> I would think a lot of it has to do with the type/culture of spaetzle
> you are making:
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sp%C3%A4tzle
>
> The coolest method I've seen was on an old episode of The Great Chefs
> where some big ol' fat German lady made it by grabbing up a thick
> paste of dough on a wide flat spatula and, with a straight knife in
> her other hand, raked/sliced thin noodle pieces of dough off the
> spatula into boiling water. Talk about Old World skill!
>
> nb


Yup. Mom made her halushky that way. I've done it; not so tough once
you establish the rhythm, dipping the knife into the water between cuts.
I prefer my "regular" struhadlo for them, though. And there's this:
http://www.bowerykitchens.com/spaetzlemaker.html

THAT one, however, can get you a helluva steam burn if you're not
careful. Caveat emptor.


--
Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
Holy Order of the Sacred Sisters of
St. Pectina of Jella
"Always in a jam, never in a stew;
sometimes in a pickle."
Where are my pearls, Honey?


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Default Spaetzle maker questions

On 2010-08-09, Melba's Jammin' > wrote:

> THAT one, however, can get you a helluva steam burn if you're not
> careful. Caveat emptor.


LOL!.... I bet. I think the old momma in the restaurant was too
tough for the steam. Looked like the steam would be afraid of her!


nb
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Default Spaetzle maker questions

isw wrote:
>
> And let's not talk about the cleanup, OK?
>
> So the questions: Am I using the thing wrong (I just filled it up and
> slid it back and forth)? Do I have the wrong batter consistency (like a
> slightly thicker pancake batter)? Is this machine just a piece of junk
> compared to expen$ive ones?


It might be the consistency of your batter. I have one and it works
fine. It has to be firm enough not to fall through freely but loose
enough that it will go through without having to force it. If steam is
a problem don't fill the pot so high that it is going to be that close,
If it is cooking the batter in the slider it must be scalding your hands
too.


There is no precise consistency for Spaetzle batter. My German
friend's mother used to make it quite firm and would then slice it off
the edge of the board into the water. I have also tried the method that
Guy Fieri did on his show, rolling it out and then slicing it up into
squares, rectangles or diamonds.
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Default Spaetzle maker questions



isw wrote:
>
> I've been making spaetzle for years, by smooshing the batter through a
> "big hole" grater with a rubber spatula. Works fine, but I always
> thought it was sort of slow.
>
> So when I saw a "real" spaetzle maker -- the sort with a little
> traveling reservoir -- at the local Bed, Bath, Infinity and Beyond for
> only $7.00, I snapped it up.
>
> Tried it last night. Not so happy with the result. The steam from the
> boiling water tended to cook the batter into a layer that coated the
> plate with the holes in it, the batter leaked under the reservoir and
> piled up at the ends, finally dropping into the water as
> "mega-spaetzle", and getting the thing off the pot to scoop out the
> finished dumplings had to wait until the reservoir was empty, and even
> then it drooled a lot, so I tended to wait too long and some of the
> dumplings got over-cooked and tough.
>
> And let's not talk about the cleanup, OK?
>
> So the questions: Am I using the thing wrong (I just filled it up and
> slid it back and forth)? Do I have the wrong batter consistency (like a
> slightly thicker pancake batter)? Is this machine just a piece of junk
> compared to expen$ive ones?
>
> Isaac


Try a thicker batter. We have one of those makers and it works
perfectly. Also useful for making Indian sev
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Default Spaetzle maker questions

In article >,
notbob > wrote:

> On 2010-08-09, Melba's Jammin' > wrote:
>
> > THAT one, however, can get you a helluva steam burn if you're not
> > careful. Caveat emptor.

>
> LOL!.... I bet. I think the old momma in the restaurant was too
> tough for the steam. Looked like the steam would be afraid of her!
>
>
> nb


As it should be. :-)


--
Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
Holy Order of the Sacred Sisters of
St. Pectina of Jella
"Always in a jam, never in a stew;
sometimes in a pickle."
Where are my pearls, Honey?
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Default Spaetzle maker questions

In article >,
Sqwertz > wrote:

> http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/prod...1&SKU=10317169


That's the one I got.

Isaac


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In article >,
notbob > wrote:

> On 2010-08-09, isw > wrote:
> >
> > So the questions: Am I using the thing wrong (I just filled it up and
> > slid it back and forth)? Do I have the wrong batter consistency (like a
> > slightly thicker pancake batter)? Is this machine just a piece of junk
> > compared to expen$ive ones?

>
> I would think a lot of it has to do with the type/culture of spaetzle
> you are making:
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sp%C3%A4tzle
>
> The coolest method I've seen was on an old episode of The Great Chefs
> where some big ol' fat German lady made it by grabbing up a thick
> paste of dough on a wide flat spatula and, with a straight knife in
> her other hand, raked/sliced thin noodle pieces of dough off the
> spatula into boiling water. Talk about Old World skill!


I tried that way once. Only once.

Isaac
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Default Spaetzle maker questions

In article >,
Melba's Jammin' > wrote:

> http://www.bowerykitchens.com/spaetzlemaker.html


I think my big hole grater method would work better than that ...

Isaac
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In article >,
Melba's Jammin' > wrote:

> In article >,
> notbob > wrote:
>
> > On 2010-08-09, isw > wrote:
> > >
> > > So the questions: Am I using the thing wrong (I just filled it up and
> > > slid it back and forth)? Do I have the wrong batter consistency (like a
> > > slightly thicker pancake batter)? Is this machine just a piece of junk
> > > compared to expen$ive ones?

> >
> > I would think a lot of it has to do with the type/culture of spaetzle
> > you are making:
> >
> > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sp%C3%A4tzle
> >
> > The coolest method I've seen was on an old episode of The Great Chefs
> > where some big ol' fat German lady made it by grabbing up a thick
> > paste of dough on a wide flat spatula and, with a straight knife in
> > her other hand, raked/sliced thin noodle pieces of dough off the
> > spatula into boiling water. Talk about Old World skill!
> >
> > nb

>
> Yup. Mom made her halushky that way. I've done it; not so tough once
> you establish the rhythm, dipping the knife into the water between cuts.
> I prefer my "regular" struhadlo for them, though. And there's this:
> http://www.bowerykitchens.com/spaetzlemaker.html


I have one of these: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50153180

Gonna try the big hole lid (upside down) next time. Never thought of it
before; silly me.

Isaac
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Default Spaetzle maker questions


"isw" > ha scritto nel messaggio
> notbob > wrote:

The coolest method I've seen was on an old episode of The Great Chefs>>
where some big ol' fat German lady made it by grabbing up a thick
>> paste of dough on a wide flat spatula and, with a straight knife in>> her
>> other hand, raked/sliced thin noodle pieces of dough off the>> spatula
>> into boiling water. Talk about Old World skill!

>
> I tried that way once. Only once.


So you never got any good at it! It's the only way I have ever done it, and
I reared a kid for whom spaetzle was a favorite food. I just don't want to
be thought of as a big ole fat German lady.


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Default Spaetzle maker questions

On Aug 9, 1:35*pm, isw > wrote:
> I've been making spaetzle for years, by smooshing the batter through a
> "big hole" grater with a rubber spatula. Works fine, but I always
> thought it was sort of slow.
>
> So when I saw a "real" spaetzle maker -- the sort with a little
> traveling reservoir -- at the local Bed, Bath, Infinity and Beyond for
> only $7.00, I snapped it up.
>
> Tried it last night. Not so happy with the result. The steam from the
> boiling water tended to cook the batter into a layer that coated the
> plate with the holes in it, the batter leaked under the reservoir and
> piled up at the ends, finally dropping into the water as
> "mega-spaetzle", and getting the thing off the pot to scoop out the
> finished dumplings had to wait until the reservoir was empty, and even
> then it drooled a lot, so I tended to wait too long and some of the
> dumplings got over-cooked and tough.
>
> And let's not talk about the cleanup, OK?
>
> So the questions: Am I using the thing wrong (I just filled it up and
> slid it back and forth)? Do I have the wrong batter consistency (like a
> slightly thicker pancake batter)? Is this machine just a piece of junk
> compared to expen$ive ones?
>
> Isaac


It sounds like the right kind of equipment (when you say "travelling"
you mean the reservoir slides back and forth over the holes, right?).
An old college friend who was German (even had German citizenship) had
the same type in her family. I don't think it has to be super high-
tech.

So I'm thinking it may be the batter. A stiffer one make work better?

Good luck,
Kris


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Default Spaetzle maker questions

In article ]>,
isw > wrote:
> http://www.bowerykitchens.com/spaetzlemaker.html
>
> I have one of these: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50153180
>
> Gonna try the big hole lid (upside down) next time. Never thought of it
> before; silly me.
>
> Isaac


Well, well, well. . . isn't *that* the kitty's pjs!! And to think that
I have an IKEA store 20 minutes from my home. I want to know how large
the large holes are.

This is the original one that Mom brought from her 1964 visit to
Czechoslovakia:
<http://www.azm.sk/eshop/index.php?ma...Path=2_24&prod
ucts_id=781> The holes are about 1/2" diameter; works a treat.

--
Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
Holy Order of the Sacred Sisters of
St. Pectina of Jella
"Always in a jam, never in a stew;
sometimes in a pickle."
Where are my pearls, Honey?
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Default Spaetzle maker questions

In article ]>,
isw > wrote:

> In article >,
> Melba's Jammin' > wrote:
>
> > http://www.bowerykitchens.com/spaetzlemaker.html

>
> I think my big hole grater method would work better than that ...
>
> Isaac


Oh, it works, but the steam can be nasty if you're not expecting it. I
wasn't.

--
Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
Holy Order of the Sacred Sisters of
St. Pectina of Jella
"Always in a jam, never in a stew;
sometimes in a pickle."
Where are my pearls, Honey?
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Default Spaetzle maker questions

On Mon, 09 Aug 2010 22:11:49 -0700, isw > wrote:

> I have one of these: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50153180
>
> Gonna try the big hole lid (upside down) next time. Never thought of it
> before; silly me.


I'm thinking that I have a pizza pan (the kind with holes in the
bottom) that I never use. It's a space waster at the moment. The
hole are pretty big though, so how big is too big for those holes?

--

Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.
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On 08/09/10 1:47 PM, sometime in the recent past notbob posted this:
> On 2010-08-09, > wrote:
>>
>> So the questions: Am I using the thing wrong (I just filled it up and
>> slid it back and forth)? Do I have the wrong batter consistency (like a
>> slightly thicker pancake batter)? Is this machine just a piece of junk
>> compared to expen$ive ones?

>
> I would think a lot of it has to do with the type/culture of spaetzle
> you are making:
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sp%C3%A4tzle
>
> The coolest method I've seen was on an old episode of The Great Chefs
> where some big ol' fat German lady made it by grabbing up a thick
> paste of dough on a wide flat spatula and, with a straight knife in
> her other hand, raked/sliced thin noodle pieces of dough off the
> spatula into boiling water. Talk about Old World skill!
>
> nb

My German great-grandmother just mixed the sticky batter up in a bowl, took
a butter knife and began to slowly pour the batter into the water. As soon
as a bit began to go over the edge of the bowl, she ran the knife along the
bowl edge and plop, that bit went into the rolling boiling water. Very
simple, very slick - no water dipping or extra kitchenry to gitter done.

--
Wilson 44.69, -67.3
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Default Spaetzle maker questions

Melba's Jammin' wrote:

>
> Well, well, well. . . isn't *that* the kitty's pjs!! And to think that
> I have an IKEA store 20 minutes from my home. I want to know how large
> the large holes are.


If that doesn't look workable, I bet IKEA has something else that would
work.

> This is the original one that Mom brought from her 1964 visit to
> Czechoslovakia:
> <http://www.azm.sk/eshop/index.php?ma...Path=2_24&prod
> ucts_id=781> The holes are about 1/2" diameter; works a treat.
>



Cool! It looks very appropriate for the job .

gloria p


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In article >,
Melba's Jammin' > wrote:

> In article ]>,
> isw > wrote:
> > http://www.bowerykitchens.com/spaetzlemaker.html
> >
> > I have one of these: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50153180
> >
> > Gonna try the big hole lid (upside down) next time. Never thought of it
> > before; silly me.
> >
> > Isaac

>
> Well, well, well. . . isn't *that* the kitty's pjs!! And to think that
> I have an IKEA store 20 minutes from my home. I want to know how large
> the large holes are.


About the same as the large holes on a box grater, but the oval top is a
bit smaller than one of those. It's very handy for all sorts of cheese,
but especially the softer ones like Jack. Ours came with a small-hole
lid too, which we rarely use, and a plastic storage top. It has a
non-skid ring on the bottom that's nice too.

Isaac
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In article >,
"Giusi" > wrote:

> "isw" > ha scritto nel messaggio
> > notbob > wrote:

> The coolest method I've seen was on an old episode of The Great Chefs>>
> where some big ol' fat German lady made it by grabbing up a thick
> >> paste of dough on a wide flat spatula and, with a straight knife in>> her
> >> other hand, raked/sliced thin noodle pieces of dough off the>> spatula
> >> into boiling water. Talk about Old World skill!

> >
> > I tried that way once. Only once.

>
> So you never got any good at it!


I like to cook a lot of different things, so I only do spaetzle once or
maybe twice a year; "getting good at it" would probably never happen.

Isaac
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In article >,
Wilson > wrote:

> My German great-grandmother just mixed the sticky batter up in a bowl, took
> a butter knife and began to slowly pour the batter into the water. As soon
> as a bit began to go over the edge of the bowl, she ran the knife along the
> bowl edge and plop, that bit went into the rolling boiling water. Very
> simple, very slick - no water dipping or extra kitchenry to gitter done.


Now that is cute; I may give it a try. How big were the spaetzle she
made that way?

Isaac
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On 08/11/10 1:10 AM, sometime in the recent past isw posted this:
> In >,
> > wrote:
>
>> My German great-grandmother just mixed the sticky batter up in a bowl, took
>> a butter knife and began to slowly pour the batter into the water. As soon
>> as a bit began to go over the edge of the bowl, she ran the knife along the
>> bowl edge and plop, that bit went into the rolling boiling water. Very
>> simple, very slick - no water dipping or extra kitchenry to gitter done.

>
> Now that is cute; I may give it a try. How big were the spaetzle she
> made that way?
>
> Isaac

They would be about 1.5" long and 1/4" to 1/2" wide. I loved them as is and
even better when fried up in butter. Unfortunately for me, they usually when
with a kidney stew which was more than I could take as a kid.

--
Wilson 44.69, -67.3
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In article >,
"gloria.p" > wrote:

> Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>
> >
> > Well, well, well. . . isn't *that* the kitty's pjs!! And to think that
> > I have an IKEA store 20 minutes from my home. I want to know how large
> > the large holes are.

>
> If that doesn't look workable, I bet IKEA has something else that would
> work.
>
> > This is the original one that Mom brought from her 1964 visit to
> > Czechoslovakia:
> > <http://www.azm.sk/eshop/index.php?ma...Path=2_24&prod
> > ucts_id=781> The holes are about 1/2" diameter; works a treat.
> >

>
>
> Cool! It looks very appropriate for the job .
>
> gloria p


<grin> I believe Mom brought back at least half a dozen of them for her
daughters in 1964. It was the struhadlo of choice among our family
there. What, you say? You mean they don't cut the batter from the
edge of the plate, the way *real* old country folks would? LOL! Not
so much. At least not by 1990 when I went. Cousin Maria has a noodle
cutter to attach to her breadboard and table. Not a pasta machine as I
know it‹hers doesn't roll the dough * she does that will a rolling pin *
but cuts it for making perfect rizanky (noodles) for soup. Well, hush
my mouf! And Cousin Ol'ga (who worked in food service for a girls'
school) used a dry mix for halushky: Add water, push through struhadlo,
cook and eat. Why, I liketa died!

--
Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
Holy Order of the Sacred Sisters of
St. Pectina of Jella
"Always in a jam, never in a stew;
sometimes in a pickle."
Where are my pearls, Honey?
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