Easy German Cookbook: 80 Classic Recipes Made Simple

by Karen Lodder

Guten Appetit! Create delicious German dishes in a snap.

German cooking and baking is loved the world over for its rich, complex flavors. While these recipes have been passed down through generations, making them at home is simple with the Easy German Cookbook. Learn to prepare essential German breads, meats, stews, and sweets with straightforward recipes and directions. You’ll also learn about German language and culture. Put tasty German classics on your Stammtisch with easy recipes you can create in Eins, Zwei, Drei.

German cuisine made simple—Discover preparation tips and shopping tricks and shortcuts for stocking your German kitchen and preparing age-old favorites in minutes, not hours.Easy weeknight recipes—These delicious dishes are easy in at least 1 of 4 ways by requiring only 1 pot, using 5 ingredients, taking 30 minutes to prepare, or being cook-free.An intro to regional cuisine—Gain culinary and geographical knowledge about Germany’s many diverse states, like Berlin’s Currywurst and Southwest Germany’s Black Forest Cake.

Enjoy delicious German cooking with this easy cookbook.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Ebooks, Reference, Food

155 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 16, 2021

Reviews

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t hear people talking about German cooking they way they talk about the foods of other cultures. But it’s a big part of American food culture, from hamburgers to potato salad to giant soft pretzels to herring salad (okay, maybe not so much with that last one). But German foods and cooking styles have infiltrated our kitchens and our tables with rich flavors.

Author Karen Lodder has spent her life around German food. Between her family’s dinners and her grandmother’s (Oma’s) cooking, she grew up eating hearty German food. Now, in Easy German Cookbook, she’s not only bringing tasty German meals to American tables, she’s taking the time to break down the cuisine of the different regions of Germany, so you have an idea of where the different dishes come from. She explains the different types of German beers and most popular types of wine, and she explains why there are so many different kinds of potato salad and sausages.

Then there are the recipes. These are the most classic German recipes, but written in a way that makes them accessible. You don’t need a lot of fancy or expensive ingredients or equipment. There are many that only use a handful of ingredients, or that only take 30 minutes, or where you only need one pot. There are tips for adding more flavor, using up leftovers, and options if you cook for someone who is a vegetarian or vegan.

Breakfast recipes include a Farmer’s Breakfast (eggs, potatoes, ham, and bacon all cooked up together), Homemade Granola, Apple Pancakes, or Poor Knight (German French Toast). For a hearty main dish, you can try the Roast Chicken, Chicken in Riesling Sauce, Schnitzel with Hunter’s Sauce, Eggs in Mustard Sauce, Roasted Christmas Goose, Bratwurst with Curry Sauce, Mustard Roasted Pork Loin, Bavarian Beer Roasted Pork, Pea Soup with Ham, Prussian Meatballs in White Caper Sauce, Cabbage Rolls, Breaded Veal Cutlets, or Goulash Soup.

Or if you prefer seafood, you can try the Beer-Battered Fish, Cod with Mustard Sauce, Pan-Fried Trout, or Salmon with Dill Sauce and Potatoes. Appetizers and Sides include German Beer Cheese Spread, German Egg Noodles (Spätzle), Potato Pancakes, Cold Potato Salad, Warm Bavarian Potato Salad, Green Beans with Bacon, Red Cabbage, and Cabbage Salad.

And then there are the desserts. Red Berry Pudding, Rhubarb Compote, Sunken Apple Cake, Plum Cake with Streusel, Black Forest Cherry Cake, Gingerbread Bars, and Rum Balls are all there, as are recipes for Soft German Pretzels and Stollen.

Easy German Cookbook is an easy gateway to learning about German cooking and trying out German recipes. This is a small cookbook, which works well for new cooks or for those who don’t have a lot of kitchen storage. But it means that there are not a lot of photos of the finished dishes, which is a little disappointing. But it’s a really good introduction to German cooking, and it would make a great gift for cooks wanting to learn more about the culture through the food.

Egalleys for Easy German Cookbook were provided by Rockridge Press through the Callisto Media Publisher’s Club, with many thanks.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cookbook with accessible recipes (most ingredients easily available) which are also quite tasty. I've made several so far, and they've all been winners. Having lived in Berlin I have some familiarity with German food and this selection hits the right notes. One minor quibble is that the recipe titles have been translated into English with the German title second which makes finding things in the index a bit more difficult if you're already familiar with the German names of the dishes. Still, I'm glad I purchased the book and will continue to try out the recipes.

[Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

2023 bk 206 Excellent selection of recipes - clear instructions and all doable in the American kitchen. Just a few ingredients might be harder for me to locate, but with the internet, can do! I do wish the recipes had the nutritional information listed and that is the item that brought this down to one star.

[Susanne Bacon · Rating 5 out of 5]

As ever so often, the way to a (wo)man’s heart is through their stomach. Yet, not everybody knows how to relive German culinary experiences for lack of recipe sources. This can be helped now with Karen Lodder’s brand-new, beautifully made cookbook, an excellent gift for anybody with a craving for German cuisine.

“Easy German Cookbook” by author Karen Lodder features 80 typical German recipes from all over the nation, sorted by ingredients but also by the size and type of meal. Therefore, you find a section each about breakfast, appetizers and sides, or desserts as well as sections about pork, beef, or seafood. What’s especially attractive for Americans is that Karen uses U.S. measures and has quite a few kitchen hacks where the typical German ingredient is not at hand. As a native German, I was absolutely happy to find that Karen Lodder’s recipes are sometimes absolutely identical to the way I myself cook. Yet, there are also recipes I’ve never made before and that I’m absolutely keen to try.

Each recipe tells you the number of servings, the prepping time and the cooking time. And the short introductive texts that explain each dish or tell you a little about the author’s connections to it make the book a very enjoyable reading experience. Add a little culinary geography and Karen’s personal story – she was born to German parents shortly after they immigrated to the U.S. – and it feels as if you were having a kitchen chat with a good friend.

[Renate Deutsche Oma · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a German American Oma, who enjoys cooking German cuisine and teaching her 12 year old granddaughter to make Schnitzel and Spaetzle, I was looking for an updated German Cookbook. Karen Lodder has a blog German Girl in America. The cookbook is divided into 8 chapters: German Favorites Made Simple, Breakfast and Bread, Appetizers and Sides, Poultry and Eggs, Pork, Beef and Lamb, Seafood and Desserts. Also include are Resources and an Index.

My disappoint is #1 - NO PHOTOS, except for the beginning of each section. #2 - I was looking for more information about the different regions of Germany and their cuisine. This is only mentioned briefly in Chapter 1 - only 6 regions / not by the 16 states.

I preferred the cookbook: German Meals at Oma's by Gerhild Fulson (Founder of Just Like Oma). Book sections are the 16 German states with a photo for each recipe.

[Cherel Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wunderbar resource

Home style German menu. After five years of living in southern Germany, I could make German foods but its so convenient to follow in my native English. Simple foods you will make often.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book

This is a great book full of German recipes that I remember from my childhood. There are a few I don’t recognize so I will be trying them soon.
These are very easy to follow recipes.

[Donna Kasdorf · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing recipes

My husband’s great grandparents are from Germany. I love the different recipes. They are written in format that is easy to understand. I am looking forward to trying the recipes.

[Karin Bell]

Very good basic German cookbook ! Brings back many memories and I learned something new here and there, some recipes had a new twist and some were made easier. Would recommend this to those who would like to learn about German food and 'old hand' German cooks to refresh their skills.

[Manuela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than many of the German cookbooks I've seen. Authentic German cuisine. Small paperback with a variety of recipes with easy to follow instructions.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy trying new recipes and so far these have been easy an delicious.