Natural form

A pale pink veal cutlet showing the fine-grained, tender texture of young beef.

Establishes the defining visual identity of veal — its distinctive pale pink color and delicate grain, distinguishing it from mature beef.

Proteins

Veal

Delicate, pale meat for schnitzel, scaloppine, and braises

Tender and mild, veal pounds thin for schnitzel and scaloppine and braises into silky osso buco. Cook it gently to keep it moist. Keep it cold and use within days.

Veal is the pale, delicate meat of young calves — finer-grained, milder, and more tender than mature beef, with very little fat. Its subtlety and tenderness make it the meat for elegant European classics: pounded thin into wiener schnitzel and scaloppine, simmered into osso buco and blanquette, and used in fine forcemeats and stocks (veal bones, rich in collagen, give the silkiest stock of all). Because it's so lean and mild, veal is easy to overcook and over-season; gentle, brief cooking or slow braising for the shank cuts brings out its best. It can be a sensitive purchase — many cooks seek rose or pasture-raised veal.

Measured in: g
Storage: Refrigerate
Shelf life: 3 days

Find it in

Meat Counter

Types & varieties

Veal cutlet / scaloppine

Thin loin or leg slices for schnitzel and quick sautés.

Veal shank (osso buco)

Cross-cut shank with marrow bone for rich braises.

Veal chop

Tender loin or rib chop for grilling and pan-roasting.

Ground veal

Fine and mild; classic in meatballs and the Italian meatloaf blend.

Veal shoulder

For stews and blanquette.

How to choose

Look for pale pink, fine-grained, moist meat that's firm to the touch; very white veal and rosy 'rose veal' differ in raising and flavor (rose veal is a touch deeper-tasting). Many cooks prefer ethically raised or pasture/rose veal. Choose thin cutlets for schnitzel, meaty shanks for osso buco.

How to store / food safety

Refrigerate at or below 4°C and use within a couple of days, or freeze. Veal is very lean, so it dries quickly — cook cutlets just to doneness (~63°C with a rest). Handle and store like other raw meats to avoid cross-contamination.

How to cook

Pound cutlets thin and cook them fast — flour, egg, breadcrumb, and a quick fry for schnitzel, or a brief sauté for scaloppine finished with a pan sauce (lemon, capers, wine). The opposite for shanks: dredge, brown, then braise low and slow in wine and stock until the meat slips off the bone and the marrow turns to gold. Don't over-season; let veal's delicacy show.

Common uses

Wiener schnitzel and breaded cutletsScaloppine (piccata, marsala)Osso bucoBlanquette de veauVeal chopsMeatballs and forcemeatsVitello tonnatoRich veal stock