Why does spatzle dissolve in water?

We've made spatzle a bunch of times with great success. Tonight, we put it in the boiling water like many times before, and it completely dissolved, resulting in cloudy water rather than anything resembling spatzle. We followed the recipe exactly. It's the first time making this at our new location, at a higher altitude, with colder and drier conditions and well water. What happened?

food-science german-cuisine

Best Answer

A strong boil will break up the spaetzle batter. Keep it at a simmer.

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What is the consistency of spaetzle?

The consistency of the batter should be like a really thick pancake batter, too thick to pour off a spoon but thin enough to fall off a spoon. Mixing took about 20 minutes, and the cooking took about 40 minutes. I chose to use a spaetzle maker I had been given instead of a colander.

How to form spaetzle?

Procedure:

put some dough in the colander.

place colander over your pot with boiling water -be careful not to touch the surface, it would clog the holes.

push the dough with a spoon/scraper through the holes into the water.

let boil for 2-3 minutes, take the noodles out with a skimmer and put them in cold water.

How do you pan fry spaetzle?

In a skillet or frying pan melt the butter, then continue the melting process until the butter turns brown. Add the spaetzle to the pan and coat with the butter, cooking for 1-2 minutes, cool for a few minutes and then enjoy!

Can you make spaetzle dough ahead of time?

Can Spaetzle Be Made Ahead of Time? Yes, it can be stored in the fridge for at least a couple of days and then reheated. Melt some butter in a large skillet and toss the Sp\xe4tzle in it to heat through.

Why Water Dissolves (Almost) Everything

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