Doorbells and sleighbells and . . . frozen schnitzel?

Wiener schnitzel may be one of my favorite things, but I’m not sure how I feel about the new toaster version of the traditional Viennese dish. In the classic version, a thin slice of veal is tenderized, coated in bread crumbs and fried. This process results in a wonderful combination of textures and flavors: crunchy, savory breadcrumbs and tender veal.

Now a German firm has created a more convenient method for preparing schnitzel: in your toaster. This version is made of pork coated in bread crumbs, is sold frozen and can be cooked in any toaster in three minutes. Meat-producer Toennies spokesperson Dietrich Gumppenberg claims that the company is only responding to customers’ needs: “Increasingly people want something that’s convenient. Who has time to go to the trouble of frying something themselves?”

Gumppenberg is keeping mum on the schnitzel’s lack of oozing grease. “We’re patenting our invention,” he says.

[via Reuters]