Deutsche Kartoffelsuppe mit Speck und Sahne

What does “ein Schuss Sahne” mean in German recipes?

German recipes rarely give exact amounts for liquids like cream, wine, or vinegar. They say ein Schuss, a splash, the amount that comes out in one quick pour. The word is the same Schuss as in “gunshot” (from schießen, to shoot), so a Schuss Sahne is cream that shoots out of the carton. Ein ordentlicher Schuss means a generous splash, not a tiny one.

The clip’s cook adds einen ordentlichen Schuss Sahne to the potato soup. Other vague German kitchen measures work the same way: eine Prise Salz (a pinch), eine Flocke Butter (a small knob) and ein Spritzer Zitrone (a squeeze). Outside the kitchen, ein Schuss Rum in your tea is the same idea, and mit einem Schuss in a drink order tells the bartender to add a bit.