Fancy French eggs

By Kady Guyton
January 8, 2009

Doing the Omelette Flip. Click for larger image.

Omelettes are the cheaters way to impress someone at breakfast - or any meal for that matter. At it's core, omelettes are scrambled eggs that haven't been, well, scrambled. A well-made omelette looks impressive on a plate and can be customized to any palate. The kicker is that they are hard to make for a crowd; thus "omelette stations" that can be found at brunch buffets across the nation.

There are a couple pieces of equipment that are key to making a good omelette. The first is the pan. It should be light enough to maneuver with one hand and preferable non-stick. Omelettes being one of the few things that a non-stick pan is good for.

A word about non-stick pans: They are fantastic for making eggs, they can also usually be purchased for under $10. The pan doesn't have to be - large, six to eight inches is plenty for the average two egg omelette. It should also have sloped sides to make sliding the finished omelette out easier and to allow heat to travel up cooking the eggs more evenly.

There have been studies done claiming that the non-stick coating is bad for your health. There have also been studies done de-bunking the previous studies, so I leave it up to the reader to determine the risk factor. I do know that a non-stick pan should never be washed in soapy water and if a breakfast cook whips his egg pans out of your hands, it's nothing personal. A good egg pan is hard to find and once located, should be cared for very well.

The second item you should have in your arsenal is a rubber spatula. This humble tool will make your omelette-cooking days much more pleasant. I'll get to why in a minute.

Omelette ingredients are truly the chef's choice. You can go classic French - finely diced tomatoes and onions with herbs; or American - ham and cheese with toast on the side; Spanish - tomatoes and onions again with bell peppers; or combine them all into a Denver omelette - diced ham, onion and green peppers. Or fill it with nothing at all and just fold your scrambled eggs in half.

Once the fillings have been determined, have them prepared and standing by. Omelettes wait for no chef and having to step away from the pan to dice the onion or grate the cheese won't do anyone any favors.

The pan should be hot, but not smoking. Butter is the preferred fat to use in the hot pan. Oil can also be used, but I like the flavor of butter with eggs. If a non-stick pan is not being used, use more butter oil than my recipe calls for.

The eggs should be mixed together prior to being added to the pan. Whether or not anything else is added to the eggs depends on the diner. A little milk will make the eggs creamy while water will make them fluffy.

Once the eggs are in the pan, technique takes over. Do not be afraid to move the pan around. One hand should be on the handle and the other should be working the spatula. If you find the pan getting too hot, lift it off the heat.

The rubber spatula is key here because the soft edge means that it can slid under the edge of the omelette without tearing it. Lift the cooked edge and tilt the pan towards it so the uncooked egg can run underneath. Keep doing this until the eggs are done. It's ok if the top layer remains a little runny, it will keep cooking after coming off the heat.

Classic French omelettes are served basically white. American omelettes are usually served lightly browned. Cooking eggs that are set but not brown requires a level of timing that I'm still mastering - plus we're in America - so don't let anyone make you feel bad about serving up golden brown omelettes. And remember: if all else fails, serve scrambled eggs.

Omelette for One
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons or more of butter or oil
1/8 cup milk or water
Fillings of your choice

To start, heat the pan to medium-high and add a half tablespoon or so of butter.

While that is heating, whip together the eggs with 1/8 cup of milk or water.

When the oil is hot or the butter is frothy, pour the egg mixture into the hot pan. Give the eggs a few seconds to set up around the edges, then begin to gently scrape and lift the edges, allowing the raw egg to run underneath. Do this until the eggs have reached their desired doneness.

Add the fillings to half the omelette. Have a plate standing by. Over the plate, tilt the pan so the filling half slides out and lands on the plate. Using the edge of the pan, flip the other side over the filled side. Serve with a flourish. (And toast.)