Making the Perfect Egg Omelet
Making an omelet can be difficult at first; often cooking it too hard or not being able to fold it over properly. But once you get the hang of it, it’s such an easy meal to prepare. You can increase the nutritive value by adding cheese, mushrooms, chives, meat, vegetables, etc.
INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS
OMELETS
The omelet is by far the most attractive way of serving eggs. It is better to make several small omelets of three or four eggs each than one very large one. Six eggs are the most that can be handled at all properly.
OMELET PANS
It is essential that the omelet-pan be absolutely clean, and to reserve it for omelets only. A frying-pan that has cooked meat should not be used for the purpose. An omelet-pan should be smaller than a common frying-pan, and lined with tin. In a large pan, the omelet will spread too much, and become thin like a pancake.
The best omelet-pan of all is a copper one, tinned inside. Copper conveys heat quicker than almost any other metal. Consequently, if we use an ordinary frying-pan, the thinner it is, the quicker will heat be conveyed. Keep it in a clean place and never wash it if you can help it. Dust it with salt and rub it with brown paper until perfectly clean. The inside of an omelet-pan should always look as if it had only just left the ironmonger’s shop.
PLAIN OMELETS
Plain omelets are quickly made, and quickly spoiled. Some practice is required to make the plain omelet to perfection, as the art consists in folding the omelet just at the right moment, before the eggs used in them are too much set. The omelet should not be firm throughout, like a pancake, but should be moist and succulent in the middle. A very sharp fire is essential, and the omelet should not take more than three minutes in the making.
Never use milk in scrambled eggs or omelets. The casein of the milk hardens with cooking and renders the eggs tough. Besides, the flavor of the eggs is much finer with water, and omelets are lighter. Cream spoils the flavor, though it does not toughen the egg as does milk.
Salt mixed with the eggs prevents them from rising and when used, the omelet will look flabby. Yet without salt it will taste insipid. Add a little salt to it just before folding it and turning out on the dish.
Never turn an omelet while frying, as that will make it heavy and tough.
TO MAKE AN OMELET
First, put a tablespoon of butter in the middle of the pan. Let it heat slowly. Break the eggs in a bowl, add a tablespoon of water to each egg and give twelve good, vigorous beats. To each six eggs, allow a saltspoon* of pepper, and if you like, a tablespoon of finely chopped parsley.
Take the eggs, a limber knife, and the salt to the stove. Draw the pan over the hottest part of the fire, turn in the eggs, and dust over a half teaspoon of salt. Shake the pan so that the omelet moves and folds itself over each time you draw the pan towards you. Lift the edge of the omelet, allowing the thin, uncooked portion of the egg to run underneath. Shake again, until the omelet is “set.” Have ready heated a platter, fold over the omelet and turn it out. Garnish with parsley, and send to the table.
*saltspoon – a miniature spoon used with an open salt cellar for individual use before table salt was free-flowing. One saltspoon equals one-fourth teaspoon.
TO FOLD AN OMELET
Run a spatula underneath the omelet to loosen it. Make a slight incision with a knife through the middle of the omelet at right angles to the handle of the pan, and fold the omelet over upon itself away from the handle of the pan. Grasp the handle of the pan in the right hand, placing the back of the hand underneath with the thumb pointing away from you. Then turn the omelet upon a warm platter.
YOUR FIRST OMELET
Do not be mortified should you break your trial omelette. Join the bits neatly, lay sprays of parsley over the cracks, and try another soon. Be sure it is loosened from the pan before you try to turn it out, hold the pan and dish fast in place, do not be nervous or flurried, and you will soon catch the knack of dishing the omelette dexterously and handsomely.
VARIETY IN OMELETS
This dish may be made plain or may be varied by adding ingredients that provide flavoring or increase the nutritive value. There is an almost endless number of ways in which omelets may be varied. For instance, left-over bits of any kind of meat, such as a roast, a steak, or chops from the day before, or bits of bacon fried for a previous meal may be chopped fine and utilized for this purpose. Cheese cut fine or grated and mixed with the eggs helps to make a delicious omelet.
Bread crumbs, cracker crumbs, rice, riced potatoes, or left-over cereal may be used, as well as mushrooms, chopped or whole, and oysters raw or previously scalloped or fried and then chopped. Bits of fish, such as left-over crab or lobster will do nicely for increasing variety. Often jelly, jam, and fruit or vegetables are folded inside after the omelet is cooked.
Image from Deposit Photos
=================================================
Do You Like Your Eggs Cooked? Please Leave a Comment Below.
=================================================
VINTAGE COOKING from the 1800s ~ EGGS
by Angela A Johnson
How did people cook and store eggs without electricity?
This book tells how to determine freshness, how to cook, and how to preserve eggs.
Recipes include Fried, Poached, Baked, and Boiled Eggs, Omelets, Soufflés, Egg Balls, Custards, Puddings, Dressing, Sauces, Creams, Drinks, and more…..
Available from these online Retailers:
Amazon, Kobo, Apple, Barnes&Noble, Scribd, 24 Symbols, Playster, Angues & Robertson, Mondadori Store, and more.
Also available as Regular Print and Large Print on Amazon.
=====================================================
A unique two-sided non-stick pan allows for easy flipping of omelets, sandwiches, and pancakes. Stainless steel, double-riveted stay-cool handles for strength and durability.
Safe new Teflon coating, affirmed safe for cooking by regulatory agencies worldwide, including the European food safety Authority, French food safety Agency (ANSES), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Environmental protection Agency (EPA). Made In Korea
=================================================
6 thoughts on “Making the Perfect Egg Omelet”
I make omelets in a quart freezer bag. Put two eggs in the bag along with cheese, bacon, some leftover veggies, whatever you want. Mix right in the bag. Get as much air out of the bag as possible, seal and drop into boiling water. Boil for 13-15 minutes. Roll the omelet out of the bag onto a plate and enjoy. This is basically sous vide cooking without any of the fancy equipment.
How interesting! I’ve never run across that method for making omelets.
I suspect that eggs have changed since this was written – certainly what even free-range chickens are fed commercially these days isn’t quite the same as it was, say, 100 years ago. (in fact, the difference is noticeable even between the UK and France, where we now live). This affects both the flavour and texture of eggs.
We have always added salt to omelettes, although probably one 1/2 a saltspoon for 3 eggs – having tried it without, I an see no difference in texture. Also, we always add some milk but not enough to make the eggs go hard!
We also sometimes use crème fraîche and/or Worcestershire sauce. White pepper gives a very different flavour to black pepper but perhaps best of all is ground long black peppers. Cheese: grated Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan) makes the king of omelettes 🙂
You’re certainly right about the difference between free range chicken eggs and commercially raised chicken eggs. When my mother was a child, their chickens roamed free during the day, eating insects, vegetable table scraps from the kitchen, and very little cracked corn (organically grown, of course).
The salt advice given in the recipes may have been passed on from generation to generation with no actual testing. Maybe the first woman cook got carried away with the salt and decided adding no salt at the beginning was the answer.
White pepper is mentioned quite often in these old 1800s recipes. I’ve never tried it, but since you mention there’s a considerable difference in taste, I’m going to buy some.
I often use cheese with eggs; usually cheddar, Swiss, or cheddar. I’ll give Parmesan a try, as well as Worcestershire sauce. Thanks for commenting on the post.
Good information. Omelet are a favorite week night supper for us. I did not know that about adding milk and salt.
I make scrambled eggs often, but rarely make omelets. After finding these recipes, I’m inspired to try omelets for a change.