eG Cook-Off 76: Consider the Schnitzel

[Shelby]

1 minute ago, gfweb said:

 

I bought the Breville Air to replace a BSO that died.  Its pretty sweet. And it airfries.

Oh yeah!  I forgot you did that.  

 

My BSO is still going strong......dammit lol.

[gfweb]

Fennel pollen pork tenderloin schnitzel over arugula with a lemon caper dressing,  and toasted cauliflower rice.

 

375 F Breville air (fryer ) for 4 minutes till 140F

 

Left was pretoasted bread crumbs, right was straight out of the can. Taste was the same but pretoasting looks prettier, I think.

 

 

[Tropicalsenior]

5 minutes ago, Shelby said:

 

You guys are making me maybe have to buy an air fryer

Be sure and do your research before you buy. I found a Chinese knockoff here and it made me run home and read all about it. What I found out was that only the very, very top of the line air fryers are worth a darn.

They aren't cheap but they are the only way to go if you're going to get one.

[gfweb]

Just now, Tropicalsenior said:

Be sure and do your research before you buy. I found a Chinese knockoff here and it made me run home and read all about it. What I found out was that only the very, very top of the line air fryers are worth a darn.

They aren't cheap but they are the only way to go if you're going to get one.

And I'd consider fan speed and cooking area.

The Breville has a large cooking basket...>1/4 sheet pan sized, but a slower fan. Slow fan may be good...not sure.

 

[Smithy]

23 minutes ago, Shelby said:

ARRRRRGH.

 

I don't want to buy an air fryer.

 

You guys are making me maybe have to buy an air fryer.

 

 

Me too!  Amazon's about to have a run on the darned things.

[Smokeydoke]

Someone recommended Evercrisp by Modernist Cuisine. I can't find the post, but thank you fellow eGulleter! That was the tip of the year. Made the best, shatteringly crisp schnitzel I've ever made.

 

 

Guaranteed to keep fried food crispy for 3 hours and 47 mins. So, if it's only crisp for 3 hours and 45 mins, do I get my money back?

 

My schnitzel recipe is basic and straight-forward, except for the Evercrisp, which added another dimension of deliciousness. It's cheap pork loin, that's been pounded thin, then dusted with spiced flour, dunked in egg wash, and coated in panko and Evercrisp. If you want the detailed recipe, you can find it here.

 

My only tip is to make sure the oil is 350F, but I have a feeling I'm telling everyone what they already know. Too cold oil will make the schnitzel soggy. Too hot oil will make the schnitzel burn. I use a candy thermometer attached to my dutch oven, it works like a charm. And I fry with Wesson oil.

 

I served it with Cauliflower-Broccoli Rice.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

10 minutes ago, Smokeydoke said:

Someone recommended Evercrisp by Modernist Cuisine. I can't find the post, but thank you fellow eGulleter! That was the tip of the year. Made the best, shatteringly crisp schnitzel I've ever made.

 

 

Guaranteed to keep fried food crispy for 3 hours and 47 mins. So, if it's only crisp for 3 hours and 45 mins, do I get my money back?

 

I ordered some myself.  However it's Modernist Pantry.

 

[Okanagancook]

1 hour ago, Smokeydoke said:

Someone recommended Evercrisp by Modernist Cuisine. I can't find the post, but thank you fellow eGulleter! That was the tip of the year. Made the best, shatteringly crisp schnitzel I've ever made.

 

 

Guaranteed to keep fried food crispy for 3 hours and 47 mins. So, if it's only crisp for 3 hours and 45 mins, do I get my money back?

 

My schnitzel recipe is basic and straight-forward, except for the Evercrisp, which added another dimension of deliciousness. It's cheap pork loin, that's been pounded thin, then dusted with spiced flour, dunked in egg wash, and coated in panko and Evercrisp. If you want the detailed recipe, you can find it here.

 

My only tip is to make sure the oil is 350F, but I have a feeling I'm telling everyone what they already know. Too cold oil will make the schnitzel soggy. Too hot oil will make the schnitzel burn. I use a candy thermometer attached to my dutch oven, it works like a charm. And I fry with Wesson oil.

 

I served it with Cauliflower-Broccoli Rice.

 

You are welcome and thanks for your kind words.  May your fried foods always stay crispy!

[Okanagancook]

1 hour ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

I ordered some myself.  However it's Modernist Pantry.

 

I have had good service from Modernist Pantry.  Even up here in the Great White North....not cheap.

[Okanagancook]

Great idea @gfweb!  I really need to try this.  I like the pretoasting of the bread crumbs too.

i do love my air fryer.  I bought a cheapie on Amazon for $100 Cdn...basically a no name because I was not sure I needed an air fryer but was willing to spend that much money.  It’s a Bestek.  FYI @Shelby 

 

[Shelby]

3 hours ago, Okanagancook said:

Great idea @gfweb!  I really need to try this.  I like the pretoasting of the bread crumbs too.

i do love my air fryer.  I bought a cheapie on Amazon for $100 Cdn...basically a no name because I was not sure I needed an air fryer but was willing to spend that much money.  It’s a Bestek.  FYI @Shelby 

 

STOP IT

 

 

[Okanagancook]

Bourdain has a take on the schnitzel sandwich..from Appetites

 

scroll down to Macau Style pork chop sandwich

 

https://firstwefeast.com/eat/2016/10/anthony-bourdain-3-standout-recipes-from-new-cookbook/macau-style-pork-chop-sandwich

 

 

[Tropicalsenior]

Tonight for dinner was a chicken schnitzel sandwich with lemon caper mayonnaise on a homemade sandwich bun. I served it with macaroni and cheese and melon. I left the cheese off this one because a cheese chicken schnitzel sandwich was just a bit much. I breaded it with toasted whole wheat bread crumbs and I made it in my big electric skillet after @Smokeydokementioned cooking it at 350 degrees and I realized I could control the temperature perfectly in that. It turned out just right. Thank you, smokey.

 

 

Edited February 23, 2018 by Tropicalsenior
addition (log)

[robirdstx]

 

Tonkatsu - Pork Loin Chops - seasoned with salt and black pepper, dusted with flour, dipped in egg wash, breaded in panko, fried in grapeseed oil

 

 

Drained on rack over paper towel

 

 

Served with homemade sauce, sushi rice and roasted asparagus

[robirdstx]

1 hour ago, robirdstx said:

Tonkatsu - Pork Loin Chops...Served with homemade sauce

 

We love this sauce. This is the recipe I use:

 

Tonkatsu Sauce

 

Ingredients:

- 1 cup Heinz Tomato Ketchup

- 1/2 cup Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce

- 9 tablespoons Sake

- 2 tablespoons Ginger Root, grated

- 2 tablespoons Garlic, minced

- 1/4 cup Sugar

 

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat.

2. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 

Edited February 23, 2018 by robirdstx (log)

[David Ross]

I'll have to order some of the EverCrisp.  The ingredients seem very close to a Korean Fried Chicken mix I but at a local store.  I'll see how they compare when making a schnitzel.

[kayb]

Was on a work gig up in South Central Missouri this week and ate lunch at a local diner. Pork tenderloin sandwich. Classic. Pounded to about 1/4 inch thickness, breaded and fried, hanging off all the edges of a sesame seed bun. It came out with lettuce, tomato, mayo, onion and dill pickle chips on the side; I used the mayo and ketchup, along with the dill pickle slices, which made for a suprisingly good flavor combo. Very good.

 

It also came with homemade potato chips, which were among the best examples of the homemade product I've enjoyed in a long time.

 

[blue_dolphin]

I made the pork schnitzel from Samin Nosrat's Salt Fat Acid Heat, which she fries in clarified butter.   The crispy crust on the pork was delightful. I now want to fry all the things in clarified butter.

I served the pork with the Apple Mustard and Charred Cabbage Apple Slaw from Deep Run Roots. The Apple Mustard is a kicked up apple butter and I highly recommend it. The charred cabbage slaw has an interesting mix of flavors and textures but I'm not sure I'd make it again - certainly not for a crowd as it's a bit of a nuisance to char all that cabbage and it doesn't look all that attractive.

[David Ross]

Oh thank you so much.  I totally forgot how delicious clarified butter is and it would be the perfect fat to use for a schnitzel.

[Beebs]

 

Here's mine! Pardon the weird lighting in the 2nd photo.... 

 

It's been awhile since I made schnitzel. I followed some of the tips posted here and gave the cutlets a nice long rest, post-breading. Turned out really nicely, crust didn't fall off or get soggy. It's pork loin, pounded thin, and panko crust. Leftovers for schnitzel sandwiches the next day.

 

[Okanagancook]

My schnitzel was a bust last night.

I used my 1/8th inch cracker thickness guides to ensure the pork tenderloin was thin and even.  I used my little air fryer at 375f just for 3minutes and the meat was dry and the coating not crispy. 

I think the meat was too thin and it cooked before the coating.

i like the idea of clarified butter also.

Next time.....

[Tropicalsenior]

6 hours ago, David Ross said:

Oh thank you so much.  I totally forgot how delicious clarified butter is and it would be the perfect fat to use for a schnitzel.

And @Okanagancook. Unless you really enjoy the process of making clarified butter and losing one quarter of the volume of your butter and all those crispy little milk solids, I don't see all the hype about using clarified butter. You don't really gain that much, (clarified butter has a smoke point of 450 degrees and butter straight from the fridge has a smoke point of 350 degrees) because the higher heat that you would get from clarified butter is too hot to cook the schnitzel. I use about half and half canola oil and butter. I put the oil in the skillet first and bring it to heat, then I add the butter in chunks. When  the butter is melted in the oil and starts to bubble, it is the right temperature for the schnitzel. It may just be me, but when I have used straight clarified butter, I do not seem to get the browning effect that I do with oil and butter. and I like the flavor that the crispy little milk solids give to the schnitzel crust.

Edited February 26, 2018 by Tropicalsenior
Editing correction (log)

[Kim Shook]

I am loving this thread and have a huge urge for Schnitzel now.  I love all the different versions.  For those of you who are making the tonkatsu version I can vouch for @Marlene's 3 sauce versions to go on it:

Tonkatsu Sauce

Easy Tonkatsu Sauce

Quick Tonkatsu Sauce

 

Now, I need a trip back to the Hobo Hut in Batesville IN for a pork tenderloin sandwich - mayo, lettuce, tomatoes and pickles and always bigger than the bun:

Meet me there @caroled?  And bring your momma!

[Okanagancook]

Cross posting from the Breville Air Smart Oven thread about the thickness of the meat for optimal meat and crust cookery.

 

 

https://kroger.softcoin.com/programs/kroger/prep_pared/?banner=Frys&origin=mealkit#kits/crispy-pork-chop

 

[Smithy]

Tonight was my greatest schnitzel success to date!  I picked up a family pack of very thin pork loin cutlets a couple of weeks ago and divvied them up for practice sessions.  They're already pretty thin, but tonight I rolled some out to around 1/4" thick and then applied the following steps, picked from various posts above:

1. Dredged in seasoned flour and let them sit for around 1/2 hour;

2. Dredged in that same flour again to ensure a good flour base;

3. Dipped in beaten egg;

4. Dredged in seasoned panko crumbs;

5. Chilled in refrigerator for a couple of hours.

6. At cooking time, I heated vegetable oil (1/4" - 1/2" deep in pan, I didn't measure) to 350F;

7. Carefully placed 2 or 3 cutlets at a time in the oil, then swirled to get waves of oil over the tops also;

8. Turned when the bottom was properly browned, and removed to drain on a cake rack in the warm oven while the rest of the meat was cooking.

 

I didn't bother with a sauce this time around. My darling now thinks that a sauce with these beautifully crispy cutlets would be a travesty, and that the only acceptable sauce will be one served on the side...which may be a problem for things like chicken piccata.  These were delightfully crisp, not oily, and too delicious for us to consider leaving any for tomorrow.  Oink.

 

 

My sole niggles are that there still were no air pockets and the seasoning could have been more robust in the flour or panko (or both).  I couldn't taste the seasonings in the finished meat although I could smell it during the dredging.  STILL...this is a dish I'd have been proud to serve to company, and I'm encouraged enough to keep working at it.  

 

Thanks for all the inspiration and education, folks!