Stainless Steel Spaetzle Maker, 12 by 4.5-Inch

What a lifesaver! Every Christmas Eve, I host our German Christmas dinner. We fill it with authentic German foods made with the love of our ancestors, but this has proved challenging with our beloved spätzle. In previous years, we did it the old-fashioned way (aka, the tortuous way), cutting off bits into boiling water. That took forever, and steam from the pot offered burned our hands.This Christmas, I set about to find a press or a maker that would do the job much more neatly and quickly, and after a bit of research, I settled on this little contraption. When all was said and down, it took LESS THAN 2 MINUTES to make a double batch (servings for 12) of our spätzle. It was exceptionally easy to use and it created the perfect traditional-sized dumpling. Cleaned up like a champ, too! Still looks as good as when I bought it.A few notes about how I used this device: Since it is all stainless steel, keep a potholder handy when grasping the handle as it will get hot. I didn't mind this considering other versions with plastic handles were said to melt. The pot lip is wonderful and fits even my enormous pot, but it will slide, so you kind of need to brace it with your gloved hand. I had my husband as a helper doling out the batter into the reservoir every couple of seconds, which made things go not only a lot faster, but it kept any batter from cooking on the hot spätzle maker. I also left the little plastic ring on the bottom to keep the reservoir from sliding off the device completely (as others had mentioned it could easy slip out in the cooking process). The plastic did not melt, and it kept the chamber on no problem without impeding the cooking process, so win-win.We absolutely loved this handy gadget, and with its quality construction, I trust it will last a long time. One final note? Make sure you find yourself a good spätzle recipe to go with it. I selected one with nutmeg as the secret ingredient, and combined with this tool's perfect sizing, we created dumplings that were as authentic as I remember from my trips to Germany.

I cook a lot of Hungarian dishes (paprikas, goulash). My mom used to put spaetzle in these dishes, and when I realized I could buy a gadget to help me make the real thing with greater ease, I researched all the available products. The Danesco maker seemed to be very sturdy and so, based on the reviews, I ordered it. It's so much fun to make spaetzle now, it's easy, and the end product is a dream. They are small, beautiful and fluffy. (My hand-made spaetzle used to be big and uneven. Small spaetzle really soak up the sauce in a goulash.) I am so proud to serve these dishes now.It's a gadget definitely worth buying if, like me, you like to cook from scratch. One caution: working over a boiling pot can be tricky. I use an oven mitt to hold the spaetzle maker in place, and use my other (primary) hand to move the lever back and forth. I do it as quickly as I can, and every now and then, if my hand is too hot, I take a break and admire what's already in the pan. It's great!

This arrived a couple days ago, used once so far and it functions well. I think the key for perfection is all in the batter consistency. The batter I made was possibly too thick and the noodles didn't drop quickly into the water. Not to mention there was a bit of waste because of the buildup, and when batter gets low it doesn't slide/drop pieces into the water as evenly. I've never made spaetzle/nodleki before (I'm half-German with some Hungarian, don't know how that ball got dropped), but it's fun and the family likes it so I'll continue making it! To clean up I soaked in water and used a stiff brush to scrub out crevices before popping into the dishwasher, came out fully clean.

This is a fine unit. The holes are the correct size for good spaetzle. The hopper, however, is not all stainless steel. The bottom of the hopper is plastic where the hopper contacts the perforated plate. I expect this may wear out after 10-15 years of average use. Older units have an all steel hopper with small rollers that serve to keep the hopper in contact with the perforated plate. I have another brand from 20 years ago with an all metal design that is like new, even though is not stainless steel. The handle is decent, and this unit works fine. Just don't like getting plastic in a product advertised as all metal. This is a gift for my son, who loves it when I make spaetzle. He will have his own place soon and this should make a nice addition to his new kitchen.

This spaetzle maker is well made. I’m not worried about it breaking -and it makes the spaetzle !

This is a wonderful product if you like making home made spaetzle!You *could* hand chop your dumplings, but this makes things a snap.It is constructed very well, and cleans up easily - tossing into the dishwasher up the upper rack is no problem!I originally got this as a gift to my mom - she liked it so well that I bought myself one!

Pretty good for the price, next time I'll pay the extra and get the next model up. The base flexed a little to much when in use and consequently the Spaetzle was coming out a little messy.

I am impressed with how well it works, and how easy it cleans up as long as you don't let it sit to long after you are done. I have heard how some people do it with spoons, or sieves (after they made the holes bigger), sounds like a lot of work.I like the fact that you can make them ahead of time, we are going to make the cheese spaetzle for my daughter and son-in-law when they come over for dinner.