For the past few weekends, Amy has been an omelet-making machine. People may not know this about her, but as a teenager, she waited tables and cooked at a breakfast joint in her hometown, so she's pretty good at making eggs of all kinds. And what's better, for breakfast, brunch, or dinner, than a light, fluffy omelet filled with all kinds of goodies? Not much, in our opinion! But the recent craving for omelets has less to do with eating them than making them, especially with the amazing tools that OXO sent us through their Blogger Outreach program. We'll get to that in a minute. But first, let's talk ingredients.
Although not a lot of preparation has to be involved in making omelets, we seem to think they come out better when both the eggs and the ingredients one plans to fill the omelet with have gotten to room temperature. What kinds of ingredients do we use? In Amy's mind, every omelet has to have cheese, and we use whatever we have in the cheese drawer or the cheese that will go best with the other ingredients we plan to use. Roasted peppers and onions go well with cheddar. Spinach and tomatoes are lovely with a little feta. Bacon and American - why not? This amazingly delicious omelet (below) was one of Amy's recent creations, made with a small wedge of Brie cheese, about 1/4 cup of cooked lobster leftover from an afternoon splurge with bestie J, and some freshly chopped tarragon. Oh yeah, that was some good stuff. Suffice it to say, just about anything can go in an omelet so use your leftovers and your creativity.
Once you have your ingredients together and your eggs at room temperature, you need to beat the eggs really well to get as much air as possible into them. This is what will make your omelet nice and fluffy. We also like to add about 2 tablespoons of milk per every 3 eggs as we find this helps the fluff factor. And this is also where OXO comes in, with their new egg beater. The design of this thing is genius - a no-slip grip handle, a smooth whirring motion in both the handle and the beaters, and best of all, it comes apart for convenient washing. Just throw the beaters into the dishwasher! Love. This. Thing.
Watching your cholesterol? Have an egg white omelet made by using OXO's egg separator. With different ridges to fit different size bowls, it's nearly impossible to make a mess with this. And it, too, is dishwasher safe. But no lie, the best thing OXO sent us was their new "Flip and Fold Omelet Turner." It simply does not compare to a regular old spatula. It is absolutely the perfect size and shape for, well, flipping and folding omelets. Every omelet we've made with this thing has come out just right and without a struggle. It also is dishwasher safe and since it is silicone, it is heat resistant up to 600 degrees (not that your omelet should get that hot).
The right pan is also a major part of making the perfect omelet. We always use a 6-inch non-stick omelet pan swirled with some melted butter, and we add our fillings and fold the omelet while the eggs are still a little soft.
So there you have it, some tips and tricks to making omelets, straight from a former teenage line cook, with a little help from our friends at OXO.
Basic Omelet Recipe
Ingredients:
3 eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons milk, at room temperature
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper to taste
filling combinations of your choice including such things as cheese, cooked meat, cooked seafood, raw or cooked vegetables, and/or fresh herbs, at room temperature
Crack eggs into a large mixing bowl (OXO's rubber-bottom mixing bowl is perfect for this, too - it doesn't tip!) and add the milk, salt and pepper, and any herbs you may wish to use. Beat the eggs well, until they are foamy and pale yellow in color. Heat an omelet pan over medium heat and put the butter in. Once butter is melted and hot enough for a droplet of water to make a sizzling sound, add the egg mixture. Let sit for about a minute so the bottom will set. Using a heat-proof spatula, gently push one edge of the omelet toward the middle of the pan and tilt the pan so the liquid flows to the other side. Do this until there is no liquid left but the eggs are still soft. Add fillings in the center of the omelet and gently fold one side of the omelet over the other. Cook for another minute to allow the fillings to heat through. Fold onto a plate and serve with toast and a salad for a delicious meal.
Disclaimer: We received the three OXO egg tools mentioned above for free as part of the OXO Blogger Outreach Program. We have not been otherwise compensated for our opinions which are, as always, our own.
