Omelette: how do you make your(favorite)s?

[SobaAddict70]

Moving on ...

I took a look at my food blog (the one in my signature, not the one I just did last week) and did a search for "omelette". It seems that most of the ones I've posted over the years have either been pure yellow or yellow with a little bit of browning. Huh. I wonder if I've been doing it subconsciously without realizing it. This is somewhat weird to me because I seem to recall having made omelettes with significantly more browning than the ones pictured below. Maybe I'm getting old. Yes, that must be it.

ps. the "white" in the last pic is fromage blanc, not because the eggs weren't beaten.

Edited June 2, 2013 by SobaAddict70 (log)

[Shel_B]

Some years ago I was watching a cooking show about preparing eggs. Various omelettes were described, made with, to me, an obscene amount of disparate ingredients. However, burried in the trash was a little treasure: ideas about making omelettes with fruit, and that gave me the idea for a simple, blueberry cream cheese omelette.

So, I take three or four eggs, beat 'em up, and put them into a well buttered omelette pan. As they firm up, I add some blueberries and a few dabs of good, natural cream cheese (Gina Marie's is my favorite). I don't overdo the cheese or the berries. After a bit, I fold the eggs over on themselves, let the omelette warm through just enough to soften the cream cheese, and serve.

A very tasty, simple pleasure. I've made this with both frozen and fresh berries with good results. I don't mix the cheese or the berries into the eggs ... just put 'em lightly on the eggs before folding them over.

This sounded so good that I just had to give it an immediate try. So I did. I ran into my local small market for ingredients and they had no fresh cream cheese, so had to use Philadelphia, but this still turned out great. Thanks so much for posting about it.

Although I did think to myself from time to time while enjoying it that perhaps just a dash of lemon curd might be a nice addition.

Have you ever tried that?

Well, first of all, the difference between using a natural cream cheese and that "Philly" stuff is pretty amazing. Nancy's makes a cultured cream cheese that has a bit of tang to it, and is darned good with the blueberries: http://www.nancysyogurt.com/index.php/products/organic-cream-cheese I mention this because lemon curd also has a nice tanginess to it, and lemon curd goes well with blueberries. The next time I make lemon curd, I'll save some for use in a blueberry omelette. You may be on to something. Thanks for the idea!

[Shel_B]

But with "Western Omelettes" (which are very popular here where I live, in the, um, West) I like a bit of browning to go with the various crunchy and full-flavored ingredients, like peppers, onions, sausage, cheese, avocados, ham, tomatoes, etc.

================================================

That's a good point. We don't eat many omelettes here, but when we do, I usually make 'em with nicely cooked and crunchy vegetables, including some potato slices to satisfy Toots' preference -and that caramelization adds to our enjoyment. Not having the eggs browned as well, gives a sort of half-finished result.

Edited June 2, 2013 by Shel_B (log)

[weinoo]

ps. the "white" in the last pic is fromage blanc, not because the eggs weren't beaten.

Took the words right out of my mouth...

[Jaymes]

Well, first of all, the difference between using a natural cream cheese and that "Philly" stuff is pretty amazing. Nancy's makes a cultured cream cheese that has a bit of tang to it, and is darned good with the blueberries: http://www.nancysyogurt.com/index.php/products/organic-cream-cheese I mention this because lemon curd also has a nice tanginess to it, and lemon curd goes well with blueberries. The next time I make lemon curd, I'll save some for use in a blueberry omelette. You may be on to something. Thanks for the idea!

I have found some Nancy's cream cheese at the Whole Paycheck near me. Will be giving this another go quite soon.

Thanks again!

[SylviaLovegren]

and Keith, you could probably pump those one-egg wonders for a dinner party. someone who cooks with the amount of attention to detail that you demonstrate can probably do it in his sleep. I have faith in you.

But why would he need to? I just find it odd that the STANDARD that you (and others) seem to promote (from other posts elsewhere) is NO BROWNING, which is not universally held.

I'm with you. I've never been one much to only go with one style of anything. Or to follow any other hard and fast rules of so-called "right" and "wrong" way, either, for that matter. So I like both, depending upon what else I'm working with in said omelette.

For example, with Shel_B's blueberries and cream cheese...no browning. Would have ruined the smooth, silky texture and subtle flavors.

But with "Western Omelettes" (which are very popular here where I live, in the, um, West) I like a bit of browning to go with the various crunchy and full-flavored ingredients, like peppers, onions, sausage, cheese, avocados, ham, tomatoes, etc.

two observations I'd like to make:

1. à chacun son goût.

2. someone has a lot of assumptions about me, and other people.

Ain't me, Soba.

I have basically one assumption about this person, who has informed us that omelettes with a bit of brown constitute "overcooked eggs":

>No browning here. Can't abide it.

My challenge is to use water instead of cream or milk to thin the eggs because I prefer the pure egg flavor without a dairy blur. That makes the egg mixture more fragile. But if you use enough butter (or sometimes olive oil, depending) in the pan and get just the perfect temperature so that you can get the egg set without any browning and not too goopy in the middle (I don't like the goop), then Yay!

I can do it with 2-3 eggs, but if there are more, I'll probably get a brown spot and then I will eat the thing simply because it is a sin to throw away perfectly good food. But the whole thing will taste of overcooked egg and I won't be happy.

And what would your assumption be?

[huiray]

Tamagoyaki is a very fun sort of omelette; you beat eggs with rice wine vinegar, soy and sugar and sometimes saki, and apply very thin layers to the pan, rolling each one in turn to form a cylinder or rectangular tube made of the egg layers wrapped around each other. Then you can use it to make nigiri. No doubt my technique is bad but I was able to get the hang of it fairly quickly.

I just saw a video of this recently. Very interesting. Wish I could find it again.

Try these. One shows the making of a lightly-colored one, the other shows the making of a browned one. Both are fine.

There are other variations selectable from the list of "similar" videos on the right panels of the webpages if you went to the actual youtube page.

Note also that the Google set of images for tamagoyaki shows stuff varying from blond to browned.

http://www.google.com/search?q=tamagoyaki&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=_-yrUYfuKcaIygHJnIHoAw&ved=0CD0QsAQ&biw=1153&bih=1039

And just for fun, here's a one-egg tamagoyaki:

http://justbento.com/handbook/recipe-collection-mains/1-egg-tamagoyaki-japanese-omelette

Edited June 3, 2013 by huiray (log)

[Martin Fisher]

I've wanted to try my hand at tamagoyaki for a long time, but the good pans are crazy expensive.....maybe some day.

~Martin

[rotuts]

the omelette will for ever live long!

[huiray]

I've wanted to try my hand at tamagoyaki for a long time, but the good pans are crazy expensive.....maybe some day.

~Martin

https://www.google.com/search?q=tamagoyaki+pan&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a#q=tamagoyaki+pan&client=firefox-a&hs=VHv&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&source=univ&tbm=shop&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=MNusUaemM5HUyQG-9IDIAg&ved=0CC0Qsxg&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.47244034,d.aWc&fp=7e21cf457c659309&biw=1214&bih=1070

[huiray]

the omelette will for ever live long!

:-)

Here's a vid of a "hawker stall" in Penang, Malaysia, putting out a plate of oyster omelette a.k.a. "oh chien":

(The Taiwan version can be much more involved, but in any case both will NOT look like the "Parisian omelette" hotly debated here)

p.s. To those who would object that this is not an "omelette" but a "scramble"^¶ - well, perhaps one is applying French (Parisian?) standards to a non-French cuisine.

^¶ Note also that "scrambled eggs" means only one specific type of thing (those soft, colorless, billowy curds) in French cuisine whereas it may mean lots of different things in non-French cuisine.

Edited June 3, 2013 by huiray (log)

[dcarch]

What about Egg Foo Young?

What about Khagine ?

What about Boerenomele?

dcarch

[weinoo]

Maybe some here ought to look at the etymology of the word omelette...

the French word omelette came into use during the mid-16th century, but the versions alumelle and alumete are employed by the Ménagier de Paris (II, 5) in 1393.^[2] Rabelais (Pantagruel, IV, 9) mentions an homelaicte d'oeufs,^[3] Olivier de Serres an amelette, François Pierre La Varenne's Le cuisinier françois (1651) has aumelette, and the modern omelette appears in Cuisine bourgoise (1784).^[4]

Seems to me perfectly legit to call an omelette French or Parisian, since that's where the word comes from.

[sigma]

Maybe some here ought to look at the etymology of the word omelette...

the French word omelette came into use during the mid-16th century, but the versions alumelle and alumete are employed by the Ménagier de Paris (II, 5) in 1393.^[2] Rabelais (Pantagruel, IV, 9) mentions an homelaicte d'oeufs,^[3] Olivier de Serres an amelette, François Pierre La Varenne's Le cuisinier françois (1651) has aumelette, and the modern omelette appears in Cuisine bourgoise (1784).^[4]

Seems to me perfectly legit to call an omelette French or Parisian, since that's where the word comes from.

Of course it is legit. It is a French word. If we were talking about oh chien, it would be a different story.

[huiray]

Maybe some here ought to look at the etymology of the word omelette...

the French word omelette came into use during the mid-16th century, but the versions alumelle and alumete are employed by the Ménagier de Paris (II, 5) in 1393.^[2] Rabelais (Pantagruel, IV, 9) mentions an homelaicte d'oeufs,^[3] Olivier de Serres an amelette, François Pierre La Varenne's Le cuisinier françois (1651) has aumelette, and the modern omelette appears in Cuisine bourgoise (1784).^[4]

Seems to me perfectly legit to call an omelette French or Parisian, since that's where the word comes from.

Of course it is legit. It is a French word. If we were talking about oh chien, it would be a different story.

Perhaps so. Still, one needs to consider that the meanings of words change over time - and what one calls "an omelette" nowadays does not mean what was called such a thing back in the days when French cuisine and French vocabulary dictated what was acceptable in the culinary world and when only the Western/French world-view was the only game in town.

[rotuts]

indeed, it is a word that comes from FR.

other 'cooked beaten egg' dishes all have there points, good ones, so-so ones, not so good ones.

[rotuts]

meanings of words change over time

for sure. probably not so much in FR

French vocabulary dictated what was acceptable in the culinary world

probably only in FR

seems you are protesting a wee bit muchly.

[sigma]

Maybe some here ought to look at the etymology of the word omelette...

the French word omelette came into use during the mid-16th century, but the versions alumelle and alumete are employed by the Ménagier de Paris (II, 5) in 1393.^[2] Rabelais (Pantagruel, IV, 9) mentions an homelaicte d'oeufs,^[3] Olivier de Serres an amelette, François Pierre La Varenne's Le cuisinier françois (1651) has aumelette, and the modern omelette appears in Cuisine bourgoise (1784).^[4]

Seems to me perfectly legit to call an omelette French or Parisian, since that's where the word comes from.

Of course it is legit. It is a French word. If we were talking about oh chien, it would be a different story.

Perhaps so. Still, one needs to consider that the meanings of words change over time - and what one calls "an omelette" nowadays does not mean what was called such a thing back in the days when French cuisine and French vocabulary dictated what was acceptable in the culinary world and when only the Western/French world-view was the only game in town.

Do you truly believe that the word omelette has changed in definition at all when unmodified? I would imagine that it hasn't, and that common usage and understanding of the unmodified word is pretty clear outside a small circle of oppressed egg activists.

[rotuts]

in China, do they call those delicious Egg concoctions you mentioned ( and I bet they are delicious )

Omelettes?

[nickrey]

Maybe some here ought to look at the etymology of the word omelette...

If you read further in the same article. It has all of the variants that people have been describing here listed as omelettes.

It would seem, as Huiray said above, that the definition of omelette has moved beyond the one that prevalent in the 17th Century.

[Shel_B]

I have found some Nancy's cream cheese at the Whole Paycheck near me. Will be giving this another go quite soon.

Thanks again!

Let us know how it works out for you. Toots brought home some Trader Joe's goat milk cream cheese. That seems to be a nice option as well.

[rotuts]

some dust-up over broken eggs:

125 replies

2849 views

guess I better not ask "how do you scramble your eggs?"

O.E.D.: (2009)

"Cookery. A dish composed of hastily-mixed ingredients; an informal meal of such dishes. Cf. scrambling ppl. a. 1. "

"b.b scrambled egg(s), (a) a dish of eggs broken into the pan and fried with milk, butter, salt, and pepper. Cf. scrabbed ppl. a. "

[nickrey]

Go for poaching eggs rotuts, then you'll see some fire

[rotuts]

O.E.D ( 2009 ) Poached:

'a.a Of an egg: Cooked in boiling water, without the shell. Also in extended use (see poach v.1 1). '

c 1450 Two Cookery-bks. 94 Potage de egges. MS. Douce, Pocched egges. 1528 Paynel Salerne's Regim. F j b, Poched egges are better than egges rosted hard or rere. 1620 Venner Via Recta v. 84 A couple of potched [ed. 1650 poched] Egges. 1742 Fielding Jos. Andrews i. xv, Whether a poached egg, or chicken broth. 1889 A. Lang Prince Prigio ii. 10 Why the king‥should have poached eggs and plum-cake at afternoon tea. 1940 A. L. Simon Conc. Encycl. Gastron. II. 18/1 Fresh Cod‥may be served‥with any of the sauces which are suitable for boiled, steamed or poached Turbot. 1978 Chicago June 225/1 For dessert, orange-sparked chocolate mousse, poached pear with brandy and whipped-cream sauce.

Soooo if the water is not boiling, you get something else. and an SV egg is not poached!

[liuzhou]

etymology ≠ meaning

The OED is a historical dictionary. Their business is tracing and recording the history of words.

If all words were reduced to their original meanings, most communication would grind to a halt.

It is an erroneous tree up which to bark.