Everyone — and my testing — did come to this: The schnitzel must be swirled constantly as it cooks, which promotes rapid, even cooking, and encourages the crust to lift away from the meat. Still, my success rate seemed to hover around 75 percent, with the crust sometimes steadfastly refusing to puff, even when I followed the steps exactly.
The breakthrough came when Omid Mirshafiei commented on one of my many schnitzel-related posts on Instagram, asking if incorporating vodka would produce useful results.
Why vodka?
Vodka’s alcohol content makes it more volatile than water — that is, it evaporates faster, and more violently. Because of this, replacing a portion of the liquid in a batter with vodka can lead to lighter results. The British chef Heston Blumenthal takes advantage of vodka in his fish and chips recipe, and I call for it in my tempura recipe. But how would I apply it to schnitzel, which doesn’t have a liquid batter?
I recalled another technique featured by Kein Stress kochen, who spritzes cutlets with a fine mist of water before breading them. This water creates extra steam, increasing the odds of a successful puff. (Conversely, if you want a crust to stick, blot the cutlet very thoroughly on paper towels before breading it.) By brushing my cutlets with vodka instead of water, this effect was amplified, producing by far the puffiest, most consistent schnitzel yet. (As the alcohol evaporates, it leaves no trace of booziness, but if you abstain, even a spritz of water or vinegar will significantly improve your puff.)
I urge you to try this lighter, puffier style of schnitzel at least once, if you’ve never had it. As Jamón can testify, there’s no such thing as a bad schnitzel, so you’ve got nothing to lose. (And besides, thanks to vodka, you’re almost guaranteed to get those crisp, light results the first time.)
