The taste is okay, but the ingredients are questionable. ÖKO-TEST tested spaetzle from the pack and, in addition to the eggs used, also checked for pesticide residues and mineral oil content. Some well-known brands and products could not convince the ÖKO testers.
Spaetzle is like pasta: you rarely make it yourself fresh at home. After all, for spaetzle you need the right utensils like one Spaetzle grater or one Spaetzle press. Therefore, many consumers choose fresh spaetzle from the refrigerated shelf. If you look at the test results from ÖKO-TEST, you might be better off making spaetzle yourself in the future. Although the results were published in the May 2021 edition, the subject has not lost any of its explosiveness.
The consumer magazine tested 20 brands that offer fresh spaetzle from the refrigerated shelf. Including only one organic brand, as the range in retail is very small. The result of the laboratory: In terms of taste, the spaetzle are well received by the professional testers. But 17 brands use barn eggs and male chicks had to die for all products. After all, according to manufacturer announcements, six of the tested products are to be switched to eggs without killing chicks by 2022.
Spaetzle at ÖKO-TEST: Only two products are rated “Very Good”
Only two of the 20 products tested received the rating “very good” from the testers:
- “Spätzlini Minis” by Hilcona
- “Fresh egg spaetzle” (organic) from Bio Verde
Nevertheless, the problem with the eggs should be considered: Even if they come from organic or free-range husbandry, male chicks still had to die here. If animal welfare is particularly important to you, it is better to make your own spaetzle.
After all, six other spaetzle products were rated “Good”. The deduction in the note is mainly due to the barn eggs used and the discovery of Traces of pesticides such as glyphosate conditions.
Unfortunately, all products were given good grades as well Traces of mineral oil found. According to ÖKO-TEST, it is conceivable that the substance got into the spaetzle through lubricating grease on devices in production.
There are three products that consumers should not buy. These include “Dehlerhof Swabian Spätzle”, “Ulmer Fresh Noodle Spatz Schabte Spätzle” and “Our Home Fresh Egg Spätzle” from Edeka Südwest. In addition to traces of pesticides, the spaetzle sometimes also contain too much salt. In the case of Dehlerhof’s spaetzle, the lack of transparency due to the lack of a declaration on how the eggs were kept on the packaging was criticized.
Press, grater, slicer: View spaetzle accessories on Amazon
The alternative: make your own spaetzle
If you don’t want to use ready-made spaetzle for the reasons mentioned above, you can easily make it yourself. Because: Not only, but especially for fans of Swabian and southern German cuisine, Spätzle are an indispensable staple food.
Whether as a popular side dish to roast beef and co. Or as a stand-alone dish such as Kässpätzle: Spätzle are simply part of it – and it’s best to do it yourself. Opinions and kitchen skills differ during preparation: traditionally hand-scraped with a knife and wooden spaetzle board or with the help of various kitchen gadgets such as spaetzle press, spaetzle grater or – very “modern” – a spaetzle shaker. In our practical test (see also the video above) we let the utensils, which are available at a price between approx. Seven and 30 euros, compete against each other. Conclusion of the “cook”: The spaetzle press works best.
Press, grater, slicer: View spaetzle accessories on Amazon
Egg production in Germany
In Germany, and also in the whole of the European Union, the previous cage-keeping with less than one A4 sheet of space per laying hen has been banned since January 2012, but not much has changed in terms of animal welfare. Instead of being kept in cages, so-called designed cage keeping or keeping in “small group cages” was introduced. The space for the laying hens has increased from 550 to 800 cm². There are still up to 60 hens in these “small group cages”. Although this keeping is only allowed until 2025, according to the Albert Schweizer Foundation, 5 percent of egg-laying hens in Germany still live in such cages.
Although keeping hens in a barn is better than keeping hens in cages, it does not guarantee animal welfare. In barn housing, up to nine animals usually live in one square meter of space in the barn. In addition, when the animals are kept on the floor, no entitlement to exercise in the open air is guaranteed.
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