I’ve never had success using a colander, really messy. I prefer a potato ricer. Mine is a plunger type. Years ago I tried using a board and knife and failed miserably. Sometime I’ll watch some videos and try again. Nutmeg might not be called for in a most basic recipe, but I’m sure would be a nice addition. Especially if fresh ground, which IMO is the only nutmeg worth using. And yes, sautéing in butter is very common.

My grandmother always browned butter and added it to the spaetzle. No nutmeg in hers, but the browned butter left specks. My tool is pretty much a modified grater. The dough is not a heavy dough, it's thin, not quite runny. The dough is put into the second piece that slides on top of the grater, pushing the dough into the grater.

My best friend growing up spoke German in a German household. Oma made spatzel with a mesh strainer, but the holes weren't as small as the one I own. This would work:

She'd use a bread knife to cut it in pieces after she pushed a bit through.

A potato ricer was used by a friend's mother when I visited them near Nürnberg.

Some potato ricers have multiple disc sizes for potato, spatzel and murukku, an Indian sweet.

^^^ That’s the one I have. Thinking of making spaetzle with crushed walnuts after seeing this thread.

OK thanks. No potato ricer. I may have to deal with the messy colander approach. The bits that may have been nutmeg were very sparse, so if used, it was minimal.

I have the same spâtztle maker that Donna has, as illustrated in this video:

I do not put nutmeg in mine (it is not traditional), but I sometimes add finely minced herbs, such as chives or parsley, but they have to be minced finely enough to go through the holes of the spâtzle maker. I serve mine with grated Manchego cheese.

Here's a photo of them in the frying pan:

where they are sautéed with butter.

I used the recipe on the box that that spâtzle maker came in.

This recipe is similar to what I make, but I would make one-third as much.

Here is my revised recipe:

Whole Wheat Spätzle

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/8 cup white flour (AP is okay)
• 2 Tbsp semolina flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground white pepper
• 4 tsp milk powder
• 2 Tbsp minced basil
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup water (use milk if you do not use milk powder)
• 3 Tbsp butter 2 cloves garlic, minced
  1 Tbsp minced fresh sage
• 1/2 Habanero chili, minced (optional)
• grated Manchego cheese

This recipe makes two servings.

Put a large pan of water over medium heat and allow to boil gently while preparing the rest of the recipe.

Mix together flours, salt, white pepper, milk powder, and basil. Beat eggs well and add the water. Add to the dry ingredients. Mix until smooth and set aside.

Heat the butter in a skillet on low heat and add the garlic and sage (and chili, if using). Cover pan and leave on very low heat (simmer setting).

Add the dough to the Spätzle maker, place the maker on top of the pan with the boiling water, and slide the top back and forth over the boiling water to release half of the dough for the first batch. Spätzle will be done in about two minutes, and should then be removed with a slotted spoon (or strainer) to the skillet with the butter. Stir gently and cover while making the second batch, and add the second batch to the skillet and stir to combine evenly. Continue cooking in the butter for about two more minutes, and then serve in bowls with grated cheese.

I have a German Grandmother and learned the bowl/knife method. I always found the bowl heavy to hold over the boiling water while cutting the noodles in so I had my brother do it on holidays. I picked up the item Donna showed and I have tried colanders. Neither worked for me as the noodles were too small. My family didn’t usually fry them on day one, they were usually served with brown gravy.

My spaetzle game changed completely during covid when I watched chef Michael Simon use the board and knife method. Scoop one ladle of batter onto the board and then cut into the pot. Much easier on my wrists. I use Ann T’s recipe and the flecks were most likely nutmeg.

I had a ricer with multiple discs, not the one pictured above, and I HATED it because the discs just dropped in without locking in place. So I’d rice a potato, pull back the lever and the disc would stick to the potato and come out with it. Peel it off, load, press, pull back, repeat. Incredibly annoying. Just something to look out for, make sure the discs lock firmly in place.

I can think of more reasons why, for me, it's better to go to a German restaurant than to go to the trouble and mess of making spaetzle at home. I enjoy the difficulty I seem to have every time of deciding what main dish I want at that moment- something I rarely experience in other types of restaurants. Whether it's wurst, or some kind of schnitzel, or sauerbraten, rouladen, etc. Plus, what kind of cabbage to go with it. That's part of the enjoyment for me. With or without spaetzle.

For those enthusiastic souls, go for it. What else will you have to eat with it? Guten appetit!

For spaetzle, I have a round stainless thing like a multi pot lid. It is SO easy to use! Just put it over your boiling water, drop a blob of dough, and scrape it over the holes. I can get big or smal out of it (the holes are big) by adjusting my speed, though we prefer the bigger ones. I use a very simple recipe that comes out just right, but I have to get to a meeting. Best advice? They're just little dumplings. Don't overcomplicate them!

Here's my maker I was talking about:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000NLLG7C?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1

Food mill, thats an interesting idea.

Hmmm I may have a food mill somewhere leftover from DH's grandmother....

I am not sure if this link will work. This is the clip where Michael Symon makes his Grandpa’s (his Pap) spaetzle. Same as my Nana’s. I use a small board and do batches. The spaetzle starts at the 9:00 minute area and the board technique is about minute 14.

Cooking video

Passover Spaetzel by Joey Altman

2 1/4 cups water, plus more as needed

3 eggs

2 cups matzo meal

2 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste

1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more, to taste

1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

I bought the same spaetzel lid as Pillog. It was very easy to use and it was good.

Thanks for that video... I loved it ... I make halušky fairly often, but nothing so complicated. My MIL used to just use egg noodles with it, only cabbage and onion, no meat, and they served it with cinnamon & sugar to sweeten the dish. I just saute the cabbage and onion and add some caraway seeds. I'll have to give the more complicated version with the spaetzel a try.

I use my Mother’s machine (she is 92). My Grandmother brought it over from Germany.

Thank you everyone for all your recipes and suggestions. It's very helpful. I ran across this recipe and it does add a touch of nutmeg... https://www.daringgourmet.com/homemade-german-spaetzle/#recipe

That's very similar to my go-to, which is very similar to the Passover one above (if it's not obvious, the parsley is garnish, and one is supposed to pan fry the spaetzel prior to parseley, but I usually put them in the chicken soup so skip that for the holiday). The flour recipe is probably on paper, since I didn't turn it up. Let me know if you want it, but I don't think it'll add much. I think nutmeg must have been a fad, since everybody says it's not tradition, while so many recipes have it, but I like it. I rarely use it in bechamel, where, while traditional, it can be cloying, but it gives more flavor to the inside of the spaetzel, beyond floury/doughy.

Spaetzle is my quick go to for noodles. They are so insanely quick and easy. But I dont like sweet .milk so I use buttermilk instead. I use buttermilk for all my baking and cooking .If I cant use buttermilk in it I dont mess with it.

I wont touch anything made with sweet milk . I will make hubs his favorite pudding, with sweet miilk but I wont even let it touch me.

Buttermilk is wonderful for so many things. It makes great spaetzle. I love black pepper and will often add that to the batter.

Annie - I like the Daring Gourmet site and have been very happy with the handful of recipes I’ve made from there.

Their note about the thick batter is interesting:

Traditionally Spätzle batter is quite thick because it was cut into noodles using the board & knife method. Even if using a Spätzle press or other method, thicker batter yields a better consistency. If you’re using the Spätzle press yes, it will require some muscle strength – you don’t want the batter to be so runny that it squishes right through with ease. That said, if you’re straining way too hard to press the batter through, go ahead and add a bit more liquid to thin it out.

I‘m guessing any recipe that would work easily with a colander or any other ”drip” tool would have to be thinner.

I watched a German video of the board and knife method, and the woman just used equal weight of eggs and flour, plus some salt and a bit of turmeric for color, no water added. I’m curious to try that.

I've been making spaetzle since the 70's. I've tried all sorts of contraptions....A colander, a ricer, a mouli cheese grater (which actuay worked pretty good but was very messy) a food mill and the easiest, my favorite is the contraption Donna posted. You can get it on Amazon for $12.99. I've tried to post this 5 time now so before I post the recipe and need to find out if this will post!

I have this thing about buying single-purpose contraptions. If anyone has had to clean out a house after someone has passed/moved, then you'll understand....going through acres of stuff that all had to be purchased at some point, that was all so critical and essential at that point and today it's for the trash heap.

I may try the knife/board method...of course they make it look a lot easier than it is, I'm sure.

Success!

Spaetzle

Beat 2 eggs. Combine with 1 1/2 c. flour, 1/2c. water, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. baking powder and 1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

Beat ingredients well. Place spaetzle maker over a pot of simmering salted water and fill square with batter. slide square back and forth over the simmering water. Spaetzle wil rise when cooked. Remove with spider or slotted spoon. Serve with melted butter. If I'm not serving with rouladen, pot roast or any saucy stew, I will saute' the spaetzle in melted butter with a little garlic. Easy peasy. This is a thin batter made to use with a spaetzle maker. The thicker batters are for making and cutting up on a cutting board.

Annie since you’re leaning towards the board here’s another video. She certainly makes it look fast and easy; her dunking may be worth trying.

Georymom, your simple recipe (sans eggs and nutmeg) is similar to what I use for home made rice noodle with coconut milk and shrimp. I make thick dough then roll a ball out thin then cut up the noodle on a board.

I use different things depending on how thin the batter is. A thinner batter I can use a funnel cake funnel, and just do short shots of however long I want my bits. I have a 8 oz perforated portion spoon for thicker or if I want to press. Or a cutting board if it's thickest.

Though I have to admit, I haven't made spaetzle in a while, I've been using the dry premade stuff.

The dunking method looks interesting. We tend to like them a little larger than hers but I want to try that texture now.

This is the cute little board I found that fits my hand. It looks dunkable. The fun part about hand cutting them is that you can make them any size you prefer.

It's a staple in Alsace. So simple. For each egg, add 100G flour then enough milk/water/beer to make the mix the right consistency. Season as you like - salt, pepper, herbs, nutmeg..... as you like. Boil until they rise to the surface. Drain. They keep really well in a covered container in the fridge. Re-heat in butter.

Spaetzle made with beer?!? What??

I had never considered that before. I love this forum 💜

Flula Borg? Wow Lars, that makes it totally authentically German. He's so funny.

" It's a staple in Alsace. "

Sure it is. Alsace (spelled Elsaß in German, the last letter being like a double 'S") is not a region with a narrowly Gallic culture. There's another significant influence from times past

My wife and I were once on a driving trip through Bavaria and Austria with an ad hoc, unplanned itinerary. After about 2 enjoyable weeks, we had spent a few days working back in a westerly direction and found ourselves in Salzburg. We love German and Austrian food styles but at some point, enough is enough. We both decided it was time to free ourselves from sausages and meat with brown sauce and drive to France.

We arose the next morning and made a beeline to Strasbourg ( Straßburg in German, meaning, town at the crossing). We arrived after the normal lunch hour but were very hungry. We found a cafe/bar (as I recall) that seemed to serve food. A sign outside described that day's lunch special.

We were seated and I asked the arriving waiter for the food menu. He said they were done serving lunch other than having some remaining daily specials he could bring. I said that was fine.

We ordered two beers to drink with the meal. Which provided no relief from the Germanic fare we were hoping to flee from. Lunch was choucroute garnie, which for those with limited or no French food vocabulary, is sauerkraut with sausages. We had to wait until dinner to finally celebrate our escape from Germanic food.

So as with sausages, meat with brown sauce, sauerkraut and other forms of cabbage, spaetzle fits right in as a staple in Alsace.

Elmer, you were very unlucky. Choucroute is so very mush MORE than sauerkraut with sausages. I laughed when I read that. You were had!

Yeah, I know. It was a good laugh for us at the time too. The memory always brings a smile to my face.

I know it can be much more but this was the French equivalent of pub grub. Maybe better yet, the Alsatian equivalent. It was hot, it was wholesome, it had good flavor, but it was basic.