OMELETS

With the quality of today's cookware, you don't need to be a chef or a serious cook to prepare a good omelet.

A breakfast food by tradition, omelets fit the bill for a tasty, instant meal any time of the day because they are quick to make, they fill you up and they can be put together with just about any ingredients you might have on hand -- including leftover pizza. That's right, pizza. 
Simply peel off the cheese and other goodies from the crust and toss them into your omelet.

With so many videos and instructions available online on omelet techniques, eventually each cook should find his or her preferred method. Until that happens for you, here are some guidelines from one of my many favorite 1980s cookbooks, the 1989 edition of "The New Basics Cookbook" by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins.

• Save freshly laid eggs for frying. Eggs for omelets should be at least two or three days old.

• Use a well-seasoned stainless steel or non-stick skillet with sloping sides and use it just for omelets. If you have an omelet pan, use it.

• Never wash a stainless steel omelet pan -- scrub it with coarse salt and wipe the pan with a paper towel after each use.

• Never beat the eggs ahead of time. Just before slipping the eggs into the pan, beat them lightly with a fork until the yolks and whites are blended, but still thick and sticky

• A perfect omelet should be tender and firm on the outside with a creamy middle. If the omelet isn't perfect, it still will be good, however.

According to an article in the September/October 1993 issue of "Cook's Illustrated"

magazine, there are a few steps to observe to make a perfect omelet. Keep the steps below in mind when you whip up a stuffed omelet, whether it is one of the recipes below or one created from leftovers. 

Image from the-chicken-chick.com

(On a side note, "Cook's Illustrated" is one of my fave magazines. I have numerous issues since the magazine's inception in the early 1990s, and I even have many of them combined in hardbound books sold by the company. Am I obsessed? Perhaps. 😊)

• Pour the lightly beaten eggs into a pan in which you have melted about a tablespoon of butter. When the bottom layer of eggs has cooked, pull a portion of the cooked eggs from the side of the pan toward the center, then tilt the pan and let the uncooked eggs run to the bottom of the pan.

• Carefully jerk the pan toward you to slide the omelet part of the way up the opposite side of the pan, then tip the pan and use a fork or spatula to fold the far edge over onto itself.

• To remove the omelet, grasp the pan as far down the handle as possible, then rest the far edge of the pan on the serving plate.

• Gently roll the omelet onto the serving plate to give it the final fold.

Now that you've got the hang of it, here are some recipes to try.

BEST WESTERN OMELET

Makes: 1 omelet

• 3 tablespoons shredded Monterey Jack or Muenster cheese
• 1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 6 tablespoons diced black forest ham
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons half-and-half
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
• 1/4 cup diced Vidalia or other sweet onion

Combine the cheese, chives, pepper and 2 tablespoons of the ham in a small bowl.

In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs, half-and-half and parsley. (Although, according to cookbook authors Rosso and Lukin, you should not do this task ahead of time.)

Melt the butter in a 10-inch non-stick omelet pan. When the butter has stopped foaming, stir in the bell pepper, onion and remaining 4 tablespoons ham. Cook over medium heat, stirring, about 2 minutes.

Raise the heat to high and add the egg mixture. Cook without stirring until the omelet starts to bubble around the edges, about 10 seconds. Then stir, gathering the mixture toward the center of the pan. Cook until the bottom is set, but the top still is slightly wet.

Spread the cheese mixture over half the omelet, and fold the other half over it. Cook until the filling is heated through, about 30 seconds. Slide the omelet halfway onto a plate, then flip it over itself and serve immediately.

--"The New Basics Cookbook"

BACON, AVOCADO AND CHEESE OMELETS WITH TOMATO SALSA

Makes: 2 omelets

• 2/3 cup finely chopped and seeded tomato
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
• 1 pickled or fresh jalapeno, or to taste, seeded and minced (wear rubber gloves)
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh coriander
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime or lemon juice
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 3 slices of lean bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 small avocado (preferably California)
• 1/2 cup (about 2 ounces) coarsely grated Monterey Jack cheese

In a small bowl, stir together the tomato, the onion, the jalapeno, the coriander, the lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste until the salsa is combined well. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, the water, and salt and pepper, to taste.

In an 8-inch skillet, preferably non-stick, heat 1/2 tablespoon of the butter over moderately high heat until the foam subsides. Pour in half of the egg mixture evenly over the bottom, and cook it for 1 minute, or until it is almost set. Sprinkle half the omelet with half the bacon, half the avocado, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces, and half the Monterey Jack cheese and cook the omelet for 1 minute, or until it is set. Fold the omelet over the filling, transfer it to a plate and keep it warm. 

Make another omelet in the same manner with the remaining butter, egg mixture, bacon, avocado, and Monterey Jack cheese and serve the omelets with the salsa.

PUFFY OMELET

Makes: 2 omelets

• 4 egg whites
• 2 tablespoons water
• 4 egg yolks, beaten
• 1 tablespoon margarine or butter

In a bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy. Add 2 tablespoons water, continue beating about 1 1/2 minutes or until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). Fold egg yolks into the egg whites.

In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the margarine until a drop of water sizzles in it. Pour in the egg mixture, mounding it slightly higher at the sides. Cook over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until puffed, set and golden brown on the bottom. Then bake it in a 325 degree Fahrenheit oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Loosen the sides of the omelet with a metal spatula. Make a shallow cut slightly off center across the omelet. Fold the smaller side over the larger side.

HAM-AND-CHEESE PUFFY OMELET

Prepare as above, except while the omelet is baking, melt 1 tablespoon butter or margarine in a saucepan. Stir in 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour. Add 2/3 cup milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more. Stir in 1/3 cup shredded Cheddar or Swiss cheese (or a combination of both) until melted. Stir in 1/4 cup diced, fully cooked ham and one 2-ounce jar or can of sliced mushrooms, drained. Heat through. Pour over folded omelet.

-- "The Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book"