7 Ways to Ruin an Omelet
Danielle Walsh
Omelets come in many shapes, sizes, and iterations. Your classic diner omelet is army-sized, studded with visible fillings and semi-browned. A French restaurant will serve you a small, light-yellow omelet, precisely folded, sprinkled with chives or filled with cheese. At home, we sometimes appreciate a fluffy omelet with a browned crust. Is there one RIGHT way to make an omelet? No. But there are definitely wrong ways to make this brunch staple. We talked to assistant food editor and eggs-pert (ha-ha) Claire Saffitz about the mistakes people make when they cook omelets, and the right technique for a fluffy, filled, folded omelet that any breakfast, brunch, or dinner lover will enjoy. Her advice, below:
1. DON’T Be Gentle with Your Eggs
“Lots of times, people take a fork, give the eggs a couple whisks back and forth, and then use them for a scramble or omelet. Not so fast. You have to beat those suckers with a fork or a whisk, with an up-and-down as well as back-and-forth motion, until there are no strands of white or yellow. In other words, make your eggs a beautiful homogenous light yellow that’s a little frothy.”
SEE MORE: How to Reheat Leftovers, from Pizza to Pasta to Eggs
2. DON’T Add Milk for Texture
“Just no. Adding more liquid makes your eggs tough and slimy. Leave out the water, milk, cream, ANYTHING and go for just egg.”
3. DON’T Make a Huge Omelet for a Crowd
“That’s called a frittata. Use two or three eggs, or two eggs and one egg white for the perfect single-serving omelet.”
4. The Bigger the Pan, NOT the Better
“If you use a pan that’s too big, your egg will be super-thin and break under the weight of your fillings. For a two-to-three-egg omelet, use an 8-inch pan. And make sure it’s nonstick, unless you’re a masochist.”
5. Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot
“A pan that’s too hot will result in an overcooked, browned bottom and an undercooked, runny top. I like to heat butter over medium until it’s finished foaming, then pour in the eggs.”
SEE MORE: How NOT To Ruin Oatmeal
6. DO Touch!
“An omelet should be constantly moving. I use wooden chopsticks to agitate the eggs to form little curds, and so that all of the egg will have an opportunity to come into contact with the pan. Once the omelet is pretty set, I tilt the pan to let the raw, runny egg hit the side of the pan for lacy edges.”
7. FALSE: With Fillings, Anything Goes
“First of all, your fillings should be cooked before you put them on your omelet. Make sure you cook wetter ingredients like mushrooms, tomato, and spinach VERY well—you don’t want a watery omelet. Yuck. Use only about 2 tablespoons of your filling, otherwise your omelet will break when you fold it, one of the sadder things that’s happened to breakfast.”
Hungry yet? Check out our basic omelet recipe.
See more from Bon Appetit:
10 Snacks You Thought Were Healthy But Really Aren’t
22 Recipes Everyone Should Know How to Cook
