Practical Alchemy: The Omelet
Omelets are a quick, easy, and delicious way to start or end the day. Fluffy yellow eggs with a hint of butter wrapped around fresh vegetables or succulent bits of meat. After a long day at work the omelet's simplicity and ease of cooking (and single pan cleanup) make for a quick nutritious meal.
Julia Child has been referred to as the ambassador of the omelet and I must admit that the video below inspired this post. Check it out, then click through the jump for a few variations on her delicious 20 second French-style recipe.
The venerable Julia Child's recipe focuses on a quick cooking over high heat to make the omelet thin and fluffy. I've tried her method a few times with great results, although I've had better luck with medium-high heat than full on butter-burning HIGH. With a few extra minutes, a more classic American omelet can be created with a larger, fluffier feel and with delicious things folded in rather than sprinkled on top.
The fluffy texture of an omelet comes from water or milk being added to the beaten eggs. The water expands when it turns into steam during the cooking process and much like the expanding CO2 from yeast in bread creates gas bubbles which create the texture as the egg around them solidifies with heat. For a larger omelet, a hybrid approach is needed to get both the searing heat required for creating steam, as well as the lower heat required to cook the eggs fully without burning them or giving them a rubbery texture.
For the larger American-style omelet, start with the medium-high heat used in the French-style, but after 20-30 seconds when the bottom of the egg has congealed remove the pan from the heat start using a wooden spatula to gently lift the edges and let any remaining liquid seep under the now-cooked egg to congeal. Let the larger omelet rest for a minute or so in the cooling pan to finish cooking. If a browned exterior is desired, put the omelet in the oven for a few minutes under a low heat (200-250 degrees) to finish cooking. Be careful not to leave it in the oven long or the texture will get rubbery and the eggs will feel 'old.'
As for adding in other ingredients there are two big ways to do it. Some people fold the ingredients in when the omelet is almost cooked, thus fully integrating them. Personally, I prefer to dice the ingredients onto the serving plate and flop the omelet on top of them. With this approach you can select which tastes to include in each bite, and can have some very precise control over the presentation of the omelet.
What's your favorite way to make an omelet? What do you like to top it with?
--Sparky
