Eggs are one of the most versatile ingredients, natures magic little orbs that add so much to our cooking experience. Most eggs in the UK are emblazoned with the British Lion Mark as a guarantee of quality.
They are a fantastic ingredient in lots of recipes but I love them as a stand alone dish. Omelettes are a classic way of enjoying eggs at their delicious best.
Learning how to make an omelette is so simple yet gives you so many tasty options.
Basic Omelette Recipe
- 2 x Eggs (per person)
- 1 x Pinch of salt
- 1 x Pinch Ground White or Black Pepper
- A good knob of butter or a splash of high quality rapeseed oil
Break the eggs into a bowl and gently whisk just turning the yolk into the white to form a uniform colour. Add your pepper at this stage but do not add the salt yet. Sprinkle the pepper over the whole surface of the egg mix, this makes it easier to mix in without getting one lump of pepper hiding in your finished omelette.
The trick with making a great omelette is to take it slow and be gentle with it…
Heat the oil or butter in a frying pan or omelette pan on a medium heat and allow to come to temperature. The butter should be completely melted and the oil should coat the pan and start to shimmer.
Add your salt to the egg mix in the same way you did with the pepper and whisk it in.
Add the egg mix straight into the pan covering the entire bottom. Once you see the edges change colour, gently push the edges bit by bit about a couple of centimetres (an inch) towards the centre, and move the pan so the still runny egg fills the gaps.
To finish your perfect omelette is up to how you like it. I prefer mine to be slightly runny, so when the omelette is firm underneath but the top still “wobbles” I roll it straight out onto the plate. Do this by holding the pan at an angle over your plate and lift one edge over and continue until the omelette rolls out on to the plate.
If you prefer your eggs fully cooked through then fold in half in the pan at the stage mentioned above and let it cook for around 30 seconds. This is enough time for the eggs to set in the middle but not turn into a rubbery and not so pleasant omelette experience.
So there you have it a wonderful meal especially at breakfast time.
There are loads of options with omelettes, as you can see from the pictures I added mushrooms. Slice mushrooms nice and thin then cook them in the pan first, adding the egg mixture as described above.
Another classic is of course the cheese omelette, you can either mix some of your favourite cheese grated into the egg mix or grate cheese over the eggs in the pan if you like your cheese a bit more “gooey”. As I have mentioned before a cheese omelette goes amazingly well with ratatouille.
I always serve my omelette with buttered toast, they just go perfectly together.
It is well worth learning how to make a perfect omelette to suit your taste, just remember overcooking is a no-no.
How did you get on with this recipe and technique? Are you already an egg master?
For more great egg recipes I recommend this book by the amazing Michel Roux – http://myBook.to/eggs
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What a lovely clear article Michael! Making an omelette is one of those things shat says so much about a cook.
I’ve seen TV chefs asking newbies to cook one just to give an idea of how they relate to cooking at it’s simplest level
That you can write so passionately about it yourself shows your own love and care for the food you eat.
Thanks for sharing!
Shelagh Jones recently posted..Tiny houses – the shape of housing for the future?
Thanks Shelagh, glad you enjoyed the article. I have seen that test before, cooking something which appears to be so simple but is actually difficult to get “right” is a great way to learn to understand how good cooking works.
Hi Michael,
Like yourself i really like a tasty cheese Omelette and I never thought of having it with ratatouille. Great idea and many thanks for sharing.
I look forward to your foodie advice in 2014
Rosemary
Rosemary O’Shaughnessy recently posted..Is Facebook Uncool for Teenagers ?
Do try it with ratatouille Rosemary it is a really tasty match 🙂
Hi Michael,
I love omelettes and they are my favorite breakfast meal. If I prepare a basic one, I add a little milk and either truffle salt or onion powder. Add an English Muffin and I am a Happy Camper 🙂
Rachel Lavern recently posted..How to Think Faster
Nice little twist you have there with the onion powder, I might have to try that as I can imagine the savouriness it gives would work wonderfully well 🙂
You certainly make this omelette sound like a delicious breakfast, Michael.
In fact, it’s also one of the healthiest.
A perfect omelette is also a perfect protein meal to kick your day into high gear. It’s important to start your day with protein, and your perfect omelette is a perfect way to do it.
David Merrill 101 recently posted..Content Curation
True David and you get so many options with an omelette from a Denver to an Arnold Bennett, they really never get boring 🙂
We used to have our own chickens in the yard. It was actually very interesting, as each had their very strong habits and personalities… and we had a steady supply of very fresh eggs most of the year. It is amazing how much thicker the shells were compared to store bought eggs here in the US.
I tend to leave the whites and the yokes a little identifiable when I make eggs. People are kind of picky about their breakfast, but my favorite eggs are the ones that someone else cooks for me! 🙂
Dawn Golden recently posted..Successful People Do This
Dawn, I know a lot of people who like to have there omelette showing white and yolk rather than completely mixed together, some of course go for an egg white only version. I bet those fresh eggs were absolutely delicious!
Hi Michael,
I enjoyed reading your article and will probably order an omelette the next time I go out to eat. I don’t like to cook but could make this if I wanted to. The directions were very clear.
Have a great evening. Monna
Monna Ellithorpe recently posted..Google Alerts and Why You Should Use Them
Please try to make it yourself Monna as it is simple and making it at home will cost a whole lot less than going out to a restaurant for one. I believe you will find your homemade omelette will taste better too 🙂
Michael,
I love creating omelets with whatever vegetables I have on hand. Could be parsley, asparagus, spinach, artichokes, scallions, broccoli, and I like to add my favorite cheese that I have chosen for the week. Sometimes I start the temperature too high and the outside may get a bit burnt, so I will now start on medium to see if that improve the process. I often use oils instead of butter, but never heard of “rape seed oil.” Hopefully that was just a typo, rather than the seed for an unfortunate future event. LOL
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
Dr. Erica Goodstone recently posted..104 Places to Meet the Love of Your Life
Erica, rapeseed is really popular in the UK and is pressed and graded much like olive oil. It is also touted as having heath benefits. It goes by a few names for example canola is a type of rapeseed oil. It is bright yellow and has an almost “buttery” flavour, so is a great alternative to using a dairy product. As for your vegetables, you really can’t go wrong with asparagus and eggs!
Hi Michael,
thanks for the great tips.
I wonder why you added the salt later?
One of the most amazing omelettes I had was in a tiny village on Crete in Greece in the 70s. I took about half an hour to arrive but was well worth waiting for. Your post remnded me of this.
Thank you for sharing your expertise!
Cheers,
Yorinda
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Yorinda, If you add the salt and leave it in the eggs it “toughens” them giving you a much firmer texture and not the smooth, soft omelette that you love. Try my tips and I hope you will recreate your Crete omelette experience 😉
We used to have our personal chickens inside the backyard. It turned into simply very exciting, as every had their very sturdy habits and personalities… and we had a constant deliver of very clean eggs maximum of the yr. it’s miles notable how an awful lot thicker the shells have been in comparison to store sold eggs right here inside the US.
Alicia, I bet those home laid eggs taste way better than those store bought eggs 🙂