What to use instead of veal cutlets
It depends entirely on what it's doing in the dish. Here's the job, what else does it, and what to skip.
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Pounded thin for breading and frying
Pale, fine-grained and almost free of connective tissue, so it pounds to 4 mm without tearing and cooks through in the three minutes a breadcrumb crust takes to brown.
Pork loin cutletsRan out
Match by weight, pounded to 5 mm
The standard schnitzel swap across Germany and Austria. Firmer and faintly sweeter, and it dries out fast past 65C internal, so it wants a hotter pan and less time.
Turkey breast cutletsRan out
Match by weight, brined 20 min in 1 tbsp salt per 2 cups water
Leanest of the group and it goes chalky without the brine. Very mild, so season the flour as well as the meat.
Chicken breast, butterflied and poundedRan out
Match by weight, pounded to 6 mm
Softer bite and more moisture, and it browns a shade less because there is less protein at the surface. Holds a crust well.
Celeriac slabs, parboiledPlant-based
1 cm slices, boiled 6 min and dried, per cutlet
Takes breading and fries up crisp with a sweet, celery-root flavour underneath. No chew and no juices, so it needs a sharper lemon.
Firm tofu, pressedPlant-based
1.5 cm slabs, pressed 20 min, per cutlet
Crust behaves exactly the same. The inside stays soft and neutral, so brine or marinate it first or the sandwich tastes of breadcrumbs alone.
What doesn't work: Beef top round pounded thin. It carries far more connective tissue, and in the three minutes the crust needs it goes chewy and grey. Thin beef wants either 60 seconds or an hour, and a schnitzel gives it neither.
Bone-in shank for a long braise
Veal shank is loaded with young connective tissue and marrow that melt into gelatin, which is what gives an osso buco sauce its lip-coating body without any added starch.
Beef cross-cut shank or shinRan out
Match by weight, braised 45 to 60 min longer
Beefier and darker, with a sauce that sets to a firm jelly when cold. The marrow is bigger and can slide out, so tie each piece with string.
Lamb shanksRan out
Match by weight
Richer and unmistakably lamb, which suits gremolata fine. Renders far more fat, so chill the braise and lift the cap before serving.
Fresh pork hock or shankRan out
Match by weight
Sweeter and fattier, and the meat falls off the bone 30 minutes sooner. The sauce sets softer because pork collagen renders faster.
Turkey drumsticksRan out
Match by weight, braised 90 min
Leaner and much cheaper, and the sauce still gels because the drumstick is full of tendon. Pull the tendons out before serving.
What doesn't work: Boneless stewing veal or beef chuck cubes. The meat itself goes tender on schedule, but there is no bone collagen and no marrow, so the sauce stays thin and watery and never coats the spoon.
Pale, fine ground meat for poached dumplings and meatballs
Mild, light in colour and high in moisture with little fat, so a poached klops or frikadelle sets springy and pale rather than grey and greasy.
Ground pork and ground chicken, half and halfRan out
Match by weight, plus 1 tsp salt per 500 g
Closest match on colour and bounce. Slightly sweeter, and the salt has to go in early so the protein sets springy rather than crumbly.
Ground turkey thighRan out
Match by weight, plus 2 tbsp cream per 500 g
Drier and more savoury, and without the cream the dumplings set tight. Poaching liquid stays clear.
Ground pork on its ownRan out
Match by weight
Softer, fattier and much richer. The poaching liquid clouds and needs skimming before it becomes the sauce.
What doesn't work: Ground beef. It turns the dumplings grey-brown and crumbly instead of pale and springy, and the flavour fights the lemon and caper sauce these dishes are built around.