Monday, December 20, 2010

Omelets

I'm right in the middle of watching Julie and Julia; it's a movie I didn't expect to enjoy, but it's pretty good.
I can't believe people make such complicated dishes, though.  It reminds me of Meesha's latest post explaining how to make gefilte fish.  No way am I going to go to all that trouble for any recipe; it makes me tired just to read it.  As much as I love his borscht, I'm not doing the fish.  
There's one thing I would love to learn to cook, though: an omelet.  
When Cliff and I go out to eat breakfast, I always order an omelet, a fully loaded one with mushrooms and bits of ham and lots of cheese and onions and peppers... the works.  I order that because I can't make an omelet myself.
I've watched Youtube videos and I've consulted Professor Google; I've sneaked around the kitchen when there's nobody here to see my failures, trying to make an omelet.  They always end up as scrambled eggs.   
And now I'm watching some lady waltz through Julia Childs' cookbook as though there's nothing to it.  
I give up.

11 comments:

  1. I cheat and use an omelet pan. It works great!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've found that the best omelets are made in non stick skillets. I love them too and make them often. I would never be a Julia Child either. More and more I like the simple dishes the best.

    ReplyDelete
  3. There is definitely an art to an omelet. lol. I've managed it successfully a few times, but I have little patience! I loved Julia and Julia. I read the book too. And it was not as good as the movie, but I did ENJOY the book, despite it's sexual references which I was not fond of.

    Now I'm hungry for an omelet! lol

    ReplyDelete
  4. It's almost always the wrong pan that will ruin an omelet... and keep that heat on the low side. ~grin~

    ReplyDelete
  5. As written above an omlette pan helps make the perfectly folded omlette. However, most experts say that the real key to an omlette is time -- cook it over very low heat for a very long time (20 minutes or more). Also -- don't add as much milk as you might think. And as you're practicing -- don't add all those ingredients. Just do plain ones till you get the hang of it. Honestly, I don't cook but I can do an omlette. I like frittata's better though -- and they are easier. M.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I watched an omelet done on America's test kitchen and can make a pretty good one myself. The secret is to pre-cook the fillings, so you don't have to cook the eggs longer than necessary.Pre-cooking the fillings evaporates most of the moisture and it doesn't mix in with the eggs.

    ReplyDelete
  7. My father taught me to make a raised or puff omelet, using a cast iron skillet preheated in a 350 degree oven, the first side (the one in contact with the skillet) cooked over medium heat and the open side placed under the broiler to toast to a golden brown. Haven't made one in years because I don't have a working electric mixer and my carpal tunnel would kill me if I tried whisking it in a bowl by hand. While the great Julia whipped her whites, I was taught to whip both, using extremely clean utensils, with 2 TBLSP of boiling water when whipping the yolks to help set them about half way to a stiff peak. Use real butter to lube the skillet but leave no residue. Fold the whites and yolks together at the last moment. Cook the egg to a golden brown (the eggs will pull away from the skillet sides and then color slightly) and then finish off under the broiler for 5 to 7 minutes. Let the omelet cool slightly (no more than two minutes). Use a flexible spatula to free up any sticky spots like you would to get that first piece of pie from the pan. Slide the entire omelet onto the plate, add your fixings onto one half and then crease, without cutting all the way through with your spatula. Fold over the clear half and serve. I used to use 3 extra large or 4 large eggs, separated. It IS a lot of work, but worth it when it works out right. I'd say my success rate was 80%. The whipped yolks are the touchiest and both are susceptible to breaking the bubbles if utensils employed have any grease or dish soap residue.

    And that is what I know about omelets. Not quite the same as your other commentors.

    ReplyDelete
  8. CH makes an awesome Greek Omelet! May not be up to Julia Child's standards but it is pretty dang good :) I enjoyed that movie despite thinking I wouldn't too. Sometimes he cheats and just adds all the goodies and scrambles them into the eggs!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I really liked that movie -- the Julia Child part mostly. I can't believe how Meryl Streep just became her.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I learned to make an omelet by watching a TV show about it. I still make scrambled eggs most of the time, though.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Lindie10:51 AM

    I liked that movie too. My daughter gave me the dvd last Christmas. When I make omelets I don't use milk, just a tiny bit of water. Whip the eggs with the tsp or so of water and put in a buttered non stick pan. Cook slowly, not stirring, but sometimes moving the pan around. When the eggs start to set, I add my ingredients. Mostly cheese, a smal can of drained mushrooms and cooked bacon. After the cheese starts to melt I peek at the bottom for browness and use 2 turners to flip one half over the other. My family loved this for dinner with blueberry muffins.

    ReplyDelete

I love comments!