For those who don’t cook omelet’s on a regular basis, cooking a perfect omelet may seem like somewhat of a mystery, especially if you have visited a brunch omelet bar. Watching the sous-chef’s pump out omelet after omelet in a matter of seconds can seem like pure magic when you attempt to produce the same thing in your kitchen. You may find that, when you first start out on your mission to produce those same omelets, lightening speed quickly turns into "snail" speed and the results are not as beautiful as those chef’s working the omelet bar. Keep in mind that those chef’s are pumping out omelet after omelet, day after day — hence there experience alone gives them the ability to produce the perfect omelet with little effort.

The question is, can you master the perfect omelet in your own home. The answer is, yes, of course. There are several tips that will help you get started. First, have your filling ingredients ready. If you are filling your omelet with vegetables, you may want to sauté them first. Make sure that any cheese is grated and ready to go. Second, make sure that the number of eggs in your omelet fits your pan — we’ve found the optimal number to be 2 or 3 eggs. If there are too many eggs in your omelet pan you will find it difficult to cook the eggs all the way through without burning the bottom or over-browning the bottom.

The beauty of an omelet is that it can be anything you want it to be. Omelets make a great breakfast, brunch, lunch or even dinner menu. For a basic omelet all you need is 4 ingredients; eggs, salt, pepper and butter! Usually you should figure 2-3 eggs per person. Making omelets can be easily broken down into 6 steps:

1. Beat the eggs well and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
2. Heat the about 2 teaspoons of butter in a seasoned omelet pan over high heat, tilting the pan to coat the entire surface.
3. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and scramble with a fork. Move the pan and the fork at the same time until the egg mixture has firmed slightly. At this point add your desired fillings.
4. Let the egg mixture finish cooking without stirring.
5. Tilt the pan and slide a fork or spoon around the lip of the pan, under the omelet, to make sure that it is not sticking. Slide the omelet to the front of the pan (towards the handle) and use a fork to fold it into the center.
6. Turn the pan upside down, rolling the omelet onto the plate seam side down.

Helpful tip: Using clarified butter will prevent the butter from burning while your omelet is cooking.

Here are some delicious filling ideas (filling is added in step 3 above):

Enchilada – diced yellow, red and green peppers, jalapeño’s, and jack cheese. Serve with guacamole, salsa and corn tortillas

Fresh herb omelet – Add a variety of fresh herbs and your favorite cheese

Spinach omelet – Spinach leaves sautéed with shallots and seasoned with nutmeg and salt

Ham & Mushroom omelet – Sautéed sliced mushrooms and ham topped with Gruyere cheese

Seafood omelet – Cooked shrimp, smoked salmon, caviar or a combination along with crème fraîche and chives.

Sun-dried tomato omelet – Diced meat (ham, turkey, sausage, etc.), grated sharp cheddar cheese, sun dried tomatoes and fresh herbs

Western omelet – diced ham, red and green peppers, onions and sharp cheddar cheese

Enjoy!

- Glutenfreeda