[cheerios]

I decided that I was gonna have an omelet today... I almost made it, but it kinda failed. So, questions. #1, do you guys flip your egg platter to cook both sides before adding the fillings? I tried, and flung a nice chunk of as-yet-uncooked egg across the kitchen!! and how big an egg-disk do you make? and HOW do you fold it in half w/o it.. breaking, for lack of a better word??? and if you don't flip it, how do you cook the tops without burning the bottom??

Oh well, I've a special treat of a ziplock full of REAL parmesan cheese, not that stuff in the can, and it was good on dem eggs, omelet shaped or not!

[agentz]

Hell, at least you tried.

I don't flip - just wait til it starts to cook off, then sorta prod it a bit to let the liquidy stuff drain through to the bottom to cook, hopefully ending up with an omelette about the size of the pan.

Alternatively, chop up some veg, peppers, courgettes, mushrooms or whatnot, fry them off slightly in a frying pan, then pour your omelette gloop over the veg and let it cook.

Edited to add: And where was Juan during all this? Surely you could've aimed the escaping egg at him and then laughed while he tried it.

[andi*pandi]

well, using an omelette pan (one with a flip in the middle) is the easiest way, but somewhat cheating. And there's nothin' wrong with ending up with scrambled eggs when it goes wrong! Unless you're trying to impress someone, or are a hopeless showoff. Like Mastrap.

pour yer scrambled egg mix in the hot fry pan (8" round or so). Should cover bottom of pan completely. Sprinkle yer yummy parm/tomatoes/meat product/etc on one side. Cook until there's not much runny bits left, and cheese is melted. Run the spatula around all the edges, and sneak it completely under the side with no toppings. Flip quickly.

A little egg stuff will spill out, but it will cook up quickly and seal the edges.

Use two spatulas if it helps.

Voila!

[andi*pandi]

agentz:

An omelette that's not flipped is a fritatta. Not bad, but usually dry and to my mind not so yummy.

[cheerios]

Originally posted by agentz:
Edited to add: And where was Juan during all this? Surely you could've aimed the escaping egg at him and then laughed while he tried it.

Ha! in bed, of course, and hell if he got any of my omelet, either!

[mrtaber]

I'm not the person to ask for cooking advice. Just wanted to say 'kudos' for the effort. Glad you were able to pull it out and actually end up with something to eat.

Mark

[philzilla]

Originally posted by andi*pandi:
Unless you're trying to impress someone, or are a hopeless showoff. Like Mastrap.

please amend your list of showoffs! do i get extra points for breaking the eggs with one hand?

[andi*pandi]

ok, hopeless showoffs like Phil and Mastrap.

[maxelson]

What he says. First off, good tools are key. A good pan. A good spatula.
Whip up the egg mix. Pour it into a HOT pan. VERY hot. As the egg on bottom cooks and congeals, move the solid stuff toward the center, making hot pan room for the liquid that still needs cooking. Manipulate the pan so that the liquid runs into the spots the hard stuff used to occupy. Later, rinse, repeat. After you have most of that down, put in your fillings. Flip half over to enclose. Here, I will usually cover the pan, take it off the heat and let it sit a few- just to heat the remaining liquid to cooked-ness and heat up the internals.
Good? Yah?

[cheerios]

Hey agentz, what do you do when the bottoms' gone solid, and you can't scrape some over to let the runny stuff through, 'cuz most've it's cooked?? I dunno, I'm just not a fan of dem dar raw eggs.

[maxelson]

Originally posted by andi*pandi:
ok, hopeless showoffs like Phil and Mastrap.

Ahem... taptaptap...

[maxelson]

Originally posted by cheerios:
Hey agentz, what do you do when the bottoms' gone solid, and you can't scrape some over to let the runny stuff through, 'cuz most've it's cooked?? I dunno, I'm just not a fan of dem dar raw eggs.

Oh. I see you're using a sh!tty pan, then. Well, the optimum would be to get that puppy to not stick. Using whaever form of grease is at hand. Butter. Olive oil. Massage lotion.
Oh. Oh, I'm sorry. You weren't addressing me. My DEEPEST apologies.

[cheerios]

ya max, very good. just cheese in it, 'cuz no mushrooms had I, but, dammit PARMESAN!! uf, I feel spoiled

[Nai no Kami]

I do the omelette in a different way.
I use a pan that is thick and hence the heat distributes evenly and yor omelette is not roasted on the bottom and raw on top.
I also set the fire on minimum, to prevent the effect described above.

So, when you see that the egg on the bottom is more or less "solid", but the top is still "babeuf", I add the ingredients. Then I flip one third of the "disc" into the central part, and then the other over both. So, I flip it instead of "in half", "in thirds": The right third over the central third, and the left third over both.
I let it cook for a little time more and then flip it all over adn let it finish.

On a sidenote: the "real" omelette is done very differently: it is made using "layers" of "semi-raw" egg that, when cooked become like a whole thing. Much like the Japanese "tamago no atsu yaki" used in sushi. Doing it well is a kind of art. Ask one of the Japanese guys here.

[DaKiwi2788]

Word of caution: DO NOT MAKE EGGS WITH THE PERFECT PANCAKE!! I don't care what the infomercial says, it doesn't work. They end up all over the stove and the floor.

Although, I will have to say that I highly recommend everyone here run out and purchase one. They really are the BEST pancakes.

[agentz]

Like I said, at least you tried Omelettes aint one of my most favourite things, but still, when the notion takes you there's nothing better than it.

[ratter]

If you're not proud (and I'm not), you can cook the top (what will be the inside, once it's folded) under the broiler in your oven for a minute or two. Then fold. No more runny.

And here's a folding method to try that you might dig:

Rather than just flop it in half, get the omellete loose in the pan. Fold 1/3rd of it over towards the center. (Kinda like folding a letter to put it in an envelope.) Then tilt the pan a bit and slide the omellette so that the unfolded 1/3rd is hanging outside the pan. Grab your plate and hold it under that unfolded third, and flop your pan over, flipping the omellete over on top of itself, completing the fold. You get something tubular, rather than half-round. One of those things that's way easier to show than explain...

[Mac Zealot]

Originally posted by DaKiwi2788:
Word of caution: DO NOT MAKE EGGS WITH THE PERFECT PANCAKE!! I don't care what the infomercial says, it doesn't work. They end up all over the stove and the floor.

Although, I will have to say that I highly recommend everyone here run out and purchase one. They really are the BEST pancakes.

I find these things awesome for cooks like me who get frusterated after a few minutes and decide to bang the oven with it

As for hopeless showoffs!!!!!!!!

[daimoni]

.

[G4ME]

Originally posted by philzilla:
please amend your list of showoffs! do i get extra points for breaking the eggs with one hand?

only if you can two at a time and 15 dozen in under 10 minutes I had to do about 10 gallons each morning every morning I worked at a small caf�, this past summer, this is where you seporate the men from the posers.

For my personal omlet I use a two pan method, a small 6 incher for my filling that I usually have some sausage, green peppers, chives, onions, and maby bacon if we got it.

I brown these while i have my egg in a 10" Calphlon pan with a little butter, (BTW this was the best 60 bucks I have ever spent, i got the nice stainless steel with the big rivited handle, ) I pour the egg in the pan and use the technique Agentz mention of letting the bottom cook and pull up the sides a little to get the raw egg under neath and cook, about 3 min into it my filling is done, i add in my cheese, on one half of the egg, perferable pepper jack, but motzerlla works fine, and on top of the cheese i add my filling mixture. I then fold over the bare portion of the egg, I let it cook for about 30-45 sec longer to get the cheese melted and seal it in. this usually creates an omlet that is about 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick and oh so good.

alrigh we need to stop all of these cooking threads because I am stuck in my small crappy dorm with no mean of cooking my own food, i just can't wait untill I get home for thanksgiving i will make everything that i have been craving for the past 3 months.

[Mastrap]

Originally posted by andi*pandi:
! Unless you're trying to impress someone, or are a hopeless showoff. Like Mastrap.

Objection your honour. I am never hopeless when I'm showing off. Hopeful, maybe.

Deliah does explain it better than I ever could. With pictures no less.

Hopeful indeed.

[G4ME]

you are going to trust a women on how to cook your omlet thats your first mistake shame I'd much rather try Johnson and Whales, even though they are way over priced.

[scaught]

getting the "amount of egg you have" in proper proportion to the "size of pan youre using" is pretty important and difficult for people like me who only have like 2 pans. small and gargantuan.

ps. who cares what the omelet looks like as long as its tasty. if it comes out in a bunch of pieces, you made fancy scrambled eggs with veggies and cheese in it. big whoop. grab some toast and eat up.

[Face Ache]

After breaking my eggs one handed (ahem ) I whip my eggs up in the food processor which adds bubbles. I think bubbles are important. Then I put it into my cast iron *EGGS ONLY* pan and cook it on a low heat, moving the eggs around at the start so it's not just the bottom cooking. At this point the bubbles kick in and the thing raises to about 1.5" thick. Add fillings of choice and cheese. Wait until cheese melts. Flip over. Now it's 3" thick and light and fluffy. Mmmm. Top with parmesan. Easy Peasy (Oops! Slipped into Jamie Oliver speak ).

Eggs pick up flavours from the last thing cooked in the pan so everyone should have an *EGGS ONLY* omlette pan. Also (because of the flavour thing) NEVER wash your *EGGS ONLY* omlette pan with detergent. Wipe it down with kitchen paper instead.

[daimoni]

.

[G4ME]

Originally posted by Face Ache:


Eggs pick up flavours from the last thing cooked in the pan so everyone should have an *EGGS ONLY* omlette pan. Also (because of the flavour thing) NEVER wash your *EGGS ONLY* omlette pan with detergent. Wipe it down with kitchen paper instead.

you might want to try a little oil and some kosher salt along with the towel to get a true no stick pan, at least thats what the pros use

[Mark Tungston]

Originally posted by scaught:
getting the "amount of egg you have" in proper proportion to the "size of pan youre using" is pretty important and difficult for people like me who only have like 2 pans. small and gargantuan.

ps. who cares what the omelet looks like as long as its tasty. if it comes out in a bunch of pieces, you made fancy scrambled eggs with veggies and cheese in it. big whoop. grab some toast and eat up.

same applies to me

it's all the same in your stomach

besides in the AM all my eyes are looking at is the sports section anyway

[Face Ache]

Originally posted by G4ME:


you might want to try a little oil and some kosher salt along with the towel to get a true no stick pan, at least thats what the pros use

There should already be butter/oil on the pan from cooking the eggs.

Didn't know about the salt though.

[G4ME]

Originally posted by Face Ache:

There should already be butter/oil on the pan from cooking the eggs.

Didn't know about the salt though.

try it next time you are finished, just a little bit of salt and oil and wipe with towel, you could fry and egg with nothing in the pan after this technicque.

[The Godfather]

Why nobody has cared to make an iMovie of how to cook an omelette. All these tools that Steve gives us are going to waste