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

[silverbrow]

What with more bombs and the warmish weather I was far too tired to make anything too exciting for dinner. So using some of the veg that arrived in our box and some of the herbs in the garden I made an omelette, something I realised I hadn't done in a long time. Because I haven't done it, and out of curiosity, I decided to consult Escoffier, who notes that in some respects its the easiest thing to cook, because you chuck in a few whisked eggs, but also it's one of the hardest because everyone likes it served differently.

Anyway my version was not ideal. I put in the butter, let it go nutty brown (a la Escoffier) and poured in the egg. I watched it cook, put the filling in (herbs and tomato) and tried to fold it. At which point it collapsed, tore in the middle and the innards spilt out over the pan. When I ate it it was tasty enough, but to look at it was no oil painting.

So, what's the secret to a perfect omelette? Is it the size of the pan, the number of eggs, the amount of butter, the filling?

[BigboyDan]

You're welcome.

[Chris Amirault]

From that link:

Break your eggs into the dish as if your were frying eggs, and then stir into an omelette mixture in the hot pan! Why? Because the heat will harden the albumen of the egg before you incorporate it into the omelette mixture, ensuring a fluffier omelette when complete.

Huh? I don't quite get this. How would hardening the albumen make for a fluffier omelette?

[BigboyDan]

You're welcome too.

[Busboy]

Though every omlette begins, by definition, with a few broken eggs, there are many paths to glory once that act has been undertaken. I once had a Jacques Pepin cookbook (since swiped) with at least three different techniques demonstrated, none of which remotely resembles the "perfect omlette" linked above. I, personally, do the think where you move the pan back and forth in one direction while whipping the eggs with a fork swirling perpendicularly to the motion of the eggs and it often, though not inevitably, gives up excruciatingly good eggs.

One thing that worked for me was making sure that the eggs are at room temperature before scrambling, as it tends to make the inside of the omlette firm up faster and hold together better, and might have helped in the crisis detailed by silverbrow.

Omlette Trivia #1 (Likely True) Legendary Chef Andre Soltner, of Lutece, used to make potential line cooks demonstrate their kitchen skills by cooking him a simple omlette, because performing a simultaneously simple and extraordinarily demanding task would show the cooks grasp of fundamentals. One assumes they didn't use the teflon-and-rubber-spatula technique now popular at brunches across America.

Omlette Trivia #2 (Undoubtedly false) The omlette gets its name from a French king who was so impressed by his first egg-and-cheese concoction that he cried out, referring to the cook: "quel homme l'est," "what a man he is," and the "homme l'est (silent 'h')" stuck as the name of the dish.

[BigboyDan]

Try the eggs cold; doesn't really matter. Odd. Generally, I like thinner, but soft-textured omlettes, Frenchy-style.

It's still a habit of many chefs to require new applicants to demonstrate omlette skills, I do (that, and/or perfectly cooked broccoli.)

[devlin]

I don't use a spatula, nor do I fold while it's in the pan, but rather as it's going onto the plate. I use pretty much the method linked to above, moving the cooked portions of the egg into the center of the pan (stainless steel) while tilting the pan to move the wet stuff to the outside.

And then because I tend to like a lot of cheese (generally a blend of things, like strong cheddar, gruyere and parmesan), together with chives, I stick it in the oven for a couple of minutes so the cheeses can melt better. And then, rather than messing around with a spatula, all you have to do is tilt the pan over your plate, let it slide about halfway there and then flip the rest of it over the top. Voila!

And to start, I usually heat a little olive oil with a sprig of fresh rosemary for a couple of minutes, add a little butter and then add the eggs, etc. Oh, and I sprinkle a little freshly-grated parmesan over the plate before I tilt the omelette into it and then top with a bit more parmesan. Or anyway that's my own favorite version.

[kangarool]

You're welcome too.

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Bigboy, your link contradicts your earlier recommendation. You initially suggest "Break your eggs into the dish as if your were frying eggs, and then stir into an omelette mixture in the hot pan! Why? Because the heat will harden the albumen of the egg before you incorporate it into the omelette mixture" ...

but the content you linked to as support says "When egg albumen is beaten vigorously, it foams and increases in volume 6 to 8 times. Egg foams are essential for making souffles, meringues, puffy omelets, and angel food and sponge cakes" ...

Not much chance to foam the albumen if it has already hardened from the heat.

[BigboyDan]

You're welcome too.

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Bigboy, your link contradicts your earlier recommendation.

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Yes, I know. I am not the author of the information on either site. Just having some fun with the thread starter as to there ever being a perfect way to cook an omelette. I've cooked thousands of omelettes, there is no perfect way; I'll cook them anyway that you want. Using the method in the first link, your omelette will taste more fried (some like it that way) than scrambled. I suscribe to the process described in the second link. Also, I cook my omelettes in a well-preheated fry pan and at a lower temperature than most, no more than medium heat; no hurry.

[bradyjr]

Omlette Trivia #1 (Likely True) Legendary Chef Andre Soltner, of Lutece, used to make potential line cooks demonstrate their kitchen skills by cooking him a simple omlette, because performing a simultaneously simple and extraordinarily demanding task would show the cooks grasp of fundamentals.  One assumes they didn't use the teflon-and-rubber-spatula technique now popular at brunches across America.

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I once had the pleasure of getting an omlette lesson from Chef Andre Soltner, and the trivia is true.

A few of points from his lesson:

1) He adds cream to his eggs

2) He whisks them very well with a fork before going to the pan

3) The pan is hot, his omlettes take less than 60 seconds

4) Smack the pan down on the stove while working to create a smooth surface.

[Carlovski]

Interesting - that appears to break most of the usual quoted rules i.e no cream, don't overbeat the eggs and you don't really want a flat surface.

Wasn't there an omelette masterclass on eGullet somewhere? I can't find it now.

[marlena spieler]

the turning motion helps, as no matter how messed up it looks when its still warm and squishy, just turn the pan, coaxing and rolling it onto your plate. magically it looks beautiful! and if it doesn't, there is always chopped herbs to sprinkle over the top!

here are my rules on omelet love: really good eggs. really good butter. i like them cooked at a lower instead of higher temp, and keep it soft and curdy, don't, repeat don't, overcook!

and if you add truffles, fresh from the ground (as i ate last week in bergerac). I'll be your best friend forever!

marlena

[JayBassin]

At which point it collapsed, tore in the middle and the innards spilt out over the pan. 

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The perfect omelette is in the eyes of the beholder. However, sounds like your original problem was caused either by over-filling the omelette, or cooking it too long before folding, or both. Plate the omelette just before it's fully set.

Rapidly whisking (even with a fork) during cooking will ensure smaller curds and a smoother, creamier omelette. The other extreme is a fritatta.

[Varmint]

Wasn't there an omelette masterclass on eGullet somewhere? I can't find it now.

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Why, yes there was, part of Fat Guy's "All About Eggs" class in the eGullet Culinary Institute. Click here to go to the class.

[Busboy]

The New York Times is no eGullet Culinary Institute, but they some good work every now and again.

Case in point: this lengthy series on omelets.

Pay attention to the sidebars: there are three articles and five videos in this series, all dedicated to the omelet.

Personally, I'm more of a "fast cooker" than the gent in the videos but, as others have pointed out, the perfect omelet is in the eye of the beholder and the videos are well worth watching, particularly if you're at work with a high-speed connection and your boss has already left for the beach.

For a more stimulating video on omelet production, line up a bottle of wine, get together with someone with whom you are doing the nasty, or hope soon to be doing the nasty with, and rent Tampopo. It's the scene with the homeless guys that live behind the restaurant, so stop making out and pay attention when you that scene comes on.

[chefzadi]

Though every omlette begins, by definition, with a few broken eggs, there are many paths to glory once that act has been undertaken.  I once had a Jacques Pepin cookbook (since swiped) with at least three different techniques demonstrated, none of which remotely resembles the "perfect omlette" linked above.  I, personally, do the think where you move the pan back and forth in one direction while whipping the eggs with a fork swirling perpendicularly to the motion of the eggs and it often, though not inevitably, gives up excruciatingly good eggs. 

One thing that worked for me was making sure that the eggs are at room temperature before scrambling, as it tends to make the inside of the omlette firm up faster and hold together better, and might have helped in the crisis detailed by silverbrow.

Omlette Trivia #1 (Likely True) Legendary Chef Andre Soltner, of Lutece, used to make potential line cooks demonstrate their kitchen skills by cooking him a simple omlette, because performing a simultaneously simple and extraordinarily demanding task would show the cooks grasp of fundamentals.  One assumes they didn't use the teflon-and-rubber-spatula technique now popular at brunches across America.

Omlette Trivia #2 (Undoubtedly false) The omlette gets its name from a French king who was so impressed by his first egg-and-cheese concoction that he cried out, referring to the cook: "quel homme l'est," "what a man he is," and the "homme l'est (silent 'h')" stuck as the name of the dish.

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Reminds me of my 200 omelettes per shift days, way back when in London. No teflon pans either.

[Chris Amirault]

For a more stimulating video on omelet production, line up a bottle of wine, get together with someone with whom you are doing the nasty, or hope soon to be doing the nasty with, and rent Tampopo.  It's the scene with the homeless guys that live behind the restaurant, so stop making out and pay attention when you that scene comes on.

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Charles, that's precisely the scene I recall every time I make an omelet or scrambled eggs, and it reveals the benefits of using chop sticks in the pan while you're setting up the basic curd structure: the thin chopsticks make for very fine, fluffy curds.

[Busboy]

Though every omlette begins, by definition, with a few broken eggs, there are many paths to glory once that act has been undertaken.  I once had a Jacques Pepin cookbook (since swiped) with at least three different techniques demonstrated, none of which remotely resembles the "perfect omlette" linked above.  I, personally, do the think where you move the pan back and forth in one direction while whipping the eggs with a fork swirling perpendicularly to the motion of the eggs and it often, though not inevitably, gives up excruciatingly good eggs. 

One thing that worked for me was making sure that the eggs are at room temperature before scrambling, as it tends to make the inside of the omlette firm up faster and hold together better, and might have helped in the crisis detailed by silverbrow.

Omlette Trivia #1 (Likely True) Legendary Chef Andre Soltner, of Lutece, used to make potential line cooks demonstrate their kitchen skills by cooking him a simple omlette, because performing a simultaneously simple and extraordinarily demanding task would show the cooks grasp of fundamentals.  One assumes they didn't use the teflon-and-rubber-spatula technique now popular at brunches across America.

Omlette Trivia #2 (Undoubtedly false) The omlette gets its name from a French king who was so impressed by his first egg-and-cheese concoction that he cried out, referring to the cook: "quel homme l'est," "what a man he is," and the "homme l'est (silent 'h')" stuck as the name of the dish.

←

Reminds me of my 200 omelettes per shift days, way back when in London. No teflon pans either.

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I like the French steel (?) omlette pans because they're cheap, indestructable and perfectly sized and shaped. I cheat and use Pam, though.

Even with the "new and improved" teflon, if you're a fork-stirrer, don't you risk getting shards of possibly carcinogen-esque and, worse, nasty-tasting non-stick chemicals in your eggs?

[devlin]

I'm not sure where I learned this, but I add a little water to my eggs, not cream or milk, which is the way I first learned it.

It really is very easy to cook an omelette without adding pam, or similar such stuff, in a stainless steel pan, although none of my friends will even attempt it. And once you do one and it turns out beautifully, you'll wonder why you ever bothered with the other stuff which just seems an extra, annoying and unnecessary step.

[BarbaraY]

Dionne Lucas in her Book of French cooking says the best way to learn to make an omelette is to just jump in and do it.

What works for one may not work for the next person. IMHO the pan and controlling the heat are the two most important factors.

An overbeaten egg is full of air and hence more likely to crack as the omelette is gently rolled out of the pan and onto the plate. I prefer to beat them just until white and yolk are blended.

I love omelettes and all this discussion has made me hungry for one for my lunch.

[chefzadi]

Though every omlette begins, by definition, with a few broken eggs, there are many paths to glory once that act has been undertaken.  I once had a Jacques Pepin cookbook (since swiped) with at least three different techniques demonstrated, none of which remotely resembles the "perfect omlette" linked above.  I, personally, do the think where you move the pan back and forth in one direction while whipping the eggs with a fork swirling perpendicularly to the motion of the eggs and it often, though not inevitably, gives up excruciatingly good eggs. 

One thing that worked for me was making sure that the eggs are at room temperature before scrambling, as it tends to make the inside of the omlette firm up faster and hold together better, and might have helped in the crisis detailed by silverbrow.

Omlette Trivia #1 (Likely True) Legendary Chef Andre Soltner, of Lutece, used to make potential line cooks demonstrate their kitchen skills by cooking him a simple omlette, because performing a simultaneously simple and extraordinarily demanding task would show the cooks grasp of fundamentals.  One assumes they didn't use the teflon-and-rubber-spatula technique now popular at brunches across America.

Omlette Trivia #2 (Undoubtedly false) The omlette gets its name from a French king who was so impressed by his first egg-and-cheese concoction that he cried out, referring to the cook: "quel homme l'est," "what a man he is," and the "homme l'est (silent 'h')" stuck as the name of the dish.

←

Reminds me of my 200 omelettes per shift days, way back when in London. No teflon pans either.

←

I like the French steel (?) omlette pans because they're cheap, indestructable and perfectly sized and shaped. I cheat and use Pam, though.

Even with the "new and improved" teflon, if you're a fork-stirrer, don't you risk getting shards of possibly carcinogen-esque and, worse, nasty-tasting non-stick chemicals in your eggs?

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What I meant was that at that restaurant I didn't use teflon pans. I don't see anything wrong with using them at home. Don't use a fork though.

I don't really get hung up about kitchenware. Obviously there are products that are superior and helpful, but if you can't cook no gadget will help with that. I don't mean YOU you, I suspect you're a talented home cook.

[rotuts]

there was a Hot discussion on the

Omelette

in the current food blog. I did a search here and of course got confused by the results

so ..... how do you make your favorite(s)

this is not about one type being 'better' than another ....

I make all types. with regard to the one egg and the three egg and adding cream ....

J.Pepin ( the master ) and J. Child had various vids showing styles in the past I cant find them as they were really old.

J.Pepin had a vid in this 'Techniques' series showing the Fr.classic 'Urban ( my term )' omelette and the also classic 'country' ( his term - the sl browned one ) omelette. plus a forgotten classic the jam/jelly omelette .. an old country dessert ('50's) from FR.

so how do you make your favorites?

sorry I cant find the J.Pepin and J.child vids on line they have to be there somewhere.

here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57afEWn-QDg

J.Pepin: "One is not better than the other, just a different taste"

The Master Speaks.

Edited May 28, 2013 by rotuts (log)

[FeChef]

Chili, cheese, and bacon omlette w/homefries. hotsauce on the side.

[rotuts]

Yum! Country Style

[weinoo]

Here's a thread from a couple of years ago. Seems like people are evenly divided.