Jacques Pépin, The Omelet and Life

[weinoo]

Nice little article in the Washington Post, as Tim Carmen learns at the master's elbow...

 

https://wapo.st/4j5d8Qe

[rotuts]

@weinoo

 

is this article anywhere else ?

 

allergic  to FB here.

[Smithy]

54 minutes ago, rotuts said:

@weinoo

 

is this article anywhere else ?

 

allergic  to FB here.

 

https://wapo.st/4c9kG2l

 

This is an unlocked gift article link. No special sign-ins, or FB, needed.

[liuzhou]

6 minutes ago, Smithy said:

 

https://wapo.st/4c9kG2l

 

This is an unlocked gift article link. No special sign-ins, or FB, needed.

 

Not my experience.

[Smithy]

27 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

 

Not my experience.

 

Sorry. Trying again:

 

What Jacques Pépin taught me about omelets and life

I love this subheader:

 

Quote

“There’s no failure,” says the French chef. You eat your mistakes and try again.

 

 

If that doesn't work, then I'm out of ideas.

[liuzhou]

No. Not your fault! Thanks for trying. 

[Smithy]

This article is full of wonderful insights and comments. Of course I want to include the whole thing here, and I may not. It makes the note that mastery of omelets takes time, practice and lots of mistakes -- and really, at best, receiving mentorship as the author was doing here. Omelets are old-style classic dishes, not to be confused with whatever is raging on TikTok or other social media at any given moment. This part, right here, I will share because it made me laugh aloud:

 

Quote

His body may be slowed by time and circumstance, but his sense of playfulness remains fully intact during his omelet demonstration. Instead of throwing a pat of butter into a pan, he takes a knife and repeatedly scrapes at a butter stick to form a delicate rose, with two layers of petals. He barely allows us to ooh and aah over the creamy amusement before he tosses it into the pan to melt. He performs this trick twice for a pair of omelets. After finishing his second one, he pulls out a dollop of payusnaya, or pressed caviar, and proceeds to flatten it with a spoon. He then drapes the flattened splat of roe over the finished omelet, a little egg-on-egg action.

 

“That omelet,” Pépin cracks, “now is 80 bucks.”

 

[AlaMoi]

I think I found the same here - no paywall

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/us/what-jacques-pépin-taught-me-about-omelets-and-life/ar-AA1BCRt9

[TdeV]

@AlaMoi, there was video with your link which I didn't find on the WaPo site.

 

Fun!

[AlaMoi]

Pepin is an outstanding tutor for crepes and omelets.

the MSN link doesn't have the same pic, but the text is similar/same . . . perhaps the author 'sharing' or editors 'editing'?

[rotuts]

@AlaMoi

 

''''  Pepin is an outstanding tutor for crepes and omelets '''

 

he is pretty much outstanding in anything you might want to

 

not just eat , but might want to make for your self.

[IndyRob]

I was watching some Youtube channel, maybe 'Alex French Guy Cooking' and, while I suspect there was some pre-planning, he seemed to be bemused by the the fact an omelet was what someone wanted him to do.  Of all the things he's created in his life.  People keep wanting him do an omelet.

 

Well, he says that his test for a new cook is to make an omelet. 

 

And that's really it, isn't it?  I think that everyone wants to pass that test.

 

Edited March 31 by IndyRob (log)

[terrarich]

This is a good motto; “Eat your mistakes”. Mistakenly set my oven the other day for 550F (sourdough pizza temp) for a sourdough loaf (450F).  Eating the dark loaf after cutting off the burnt bottom crust.

[AlaMoi]

I think omelets get foisted as 'an ideal' simply because the basics are extremely simple.

eggs

pan

heat

no "special stuff" needed.  three day reductions etc. etc. etc. . . . not needed . . . 

 

so, iffin' it is so simple, how come it's 'so hard?'

just about every person on the planet has had a delicious omelet.  so what happened?

 

imho, the first issue is , , , cooking an omelet is much more about technique than other mentionables.

one has to recognize when the pan temp is right - one has to correctly judge when the omelet is 'set'

that can take a bit of learning/experience - for people who wish only to master minutes+seconds+power level for the microwave.... that can be an issue.

 

there is another aspect to 'OMG that was a good omelet!' - which is 'seasoning' - a salt free omelet . . . not gonna' cut it.

then the 'fillings' . . . more is not more better.  too much volume, the omelet is not well behaved on 'rolling out'

the fillings also have a huge effect on 'seasoning' aka taste . . . cheddar vs. Asiago . . . worlds apart, for example.

 

I did an interesting approach recently - used a stick blender to 'whip up' the eggs+dab of water.  that introduces a lot of air and hence physical volume to the omelet 'mix' - 'filled' a ten inch pan noticeably more than 'usually expected.'

it worked - requires lower heat+more time, turned out more pure eggish blanched style.

... frankly I'm more a fan of the "country style" omelet where it is entirely permissible to have some slight browning.