I've had a few cooking failures in my life, but the first to occur after I got married was in making omelets. I tried cooking them on my electric griddle, and the eggs ran right off the cooking surface and into the grease tray.It has honestly taken me most of these two years to learn to make omelets that I can enjoy. Granted, eggs and I have an iffy relationship. But as it turns out, attention to a few little details can help a lot. Here they are.
Tips for a Successful Omelet
- Use a skillet with sides. (Although my father-in-law seems to manage perfectly well with his electric griddle. I don't know how he does it.)
- Pre-heat the skillet. Then heat butter or bacon grease before adding eggs.
- Forget about going low-fat. Cook the vegetables in bacon grease.
- Beat a little cream (half-and-half or heavy cream, not milk) into the eggs. I use about one tablespoon to two eggs.
- Coat the whole egg surface with cheese before adding the meat and vegetables, so it has time to melt.
- Fold carefully. I have no good shortcut for this, but if you've preheated the grease, the eggs shouldn't stick. There's no way I'm trying that whole-pan-flipping thing that professional chefs do, but if you're more coordinated than I am, feel free.
- Salt and pepper the top upon completion.
As for what to put in it, you're only limited by your imagination and the produce and meat departments. Bacon, ham, sausage, steak; mushrooms, onions, broccoli, tomatoes, olives, peppers.... all right, now I'm hungry. I'd better go make dinner.
My guess: your father-in-law cooks his omelets on REALLY HIGH, so the eggs start solidifying as soon as they hit the griddle, and whatever shape the pour in, that shape they stay.
ReplyDeleteYou, on the other hand, were probably cooking on a gentle medium. Which is absolutely right. It's worth taking your time with eggs. The flavors really pop if they've had the longer time.
Use butter. Always use butter. The union of butter and egg is a heavenly thing. (Unless you're going diner style bacon, eggs, sausage--a full fry--then scramble them in the grease from the meat.)
OK, I'm hungry..
Thanks for the tips! Dad may also be more patient than me, more likely to pour the eggs gradually so they don't run. I just dumped mine on the griddle. :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, butter is usually the way to go for the eggs themselves.