In the original Cook & Tell, Mom occasionally featured recipes and stories from her male subscribers. Here’s the first in my ongoing series of the new Cook & Tell.
I know, I know. Egg prices are still off-the-hook ridiculous, I said this before, but I can’t resist a challenge, so…
Recently, Rob W, a subscriber and long-time friend, asked why his omelettes sometimes deflated, which led to a heated debate over broilers versus stovetops, which then led to a dare to see who could make the best omelette. I’ve known Rob for four and a half decades, which makes us sound, well, old, and maybe we are by some standards. Whatever. We first met in freshman Latin class, which makes us sound nerdy, and maybe we were. But in those days, Latin was a pre-req to any other language class and we were taking it because eventually, we planned to take French and besides, if you want my honest opinion, the real definition of “old” is…Latin.
Anyway, you probably noticed that I’m using the French spelling of “omelette.” Like the melodious language I studied for years after slogging through Latin, the French word looks prettier than the Americanized “omelet.” Also, Mom was half-French, which makes me un peu français, so there’s that.
And voilà! In a fairly roundabout way, I bring you Cook & Tell’s First-Ever Great Omelette Challenge.
I think we’re all familiar with omelettes, but in case you aren’t, here’s a simple definition: a breakfast dish consisting of eggs that have been beaten, cooked until set, and folded over. Another source says this: eggs beaten until frothy, often combined with other ingredients, such as herbs, chopped ham, cheese, or jelly.
Wait: jelly? I think not.
Today, we’ll stick to the basics. Having mastered the traditional egg omelette myself, I decided to go big with an eggless omelette made with aquafaba because I know some of you may be vegan, on a budget or both. And because I don’t want to overwhelm you any further, the recipes are not in Latin. Or French.
Rob made his ultimate omelette, which he sticks in the broiler as a finishing step and one I simply cannot get on board with. Also, I’m pretty sure this may cause it to deflate—which was the question that started this entire challenge.
Let’s put it to the test!
The Ultimate Omelette, According to Rob
I think people are intimidated by omelettes. But they’re simple! Really! As a kid, I often made breakfast for my family, and when I was 13 years old, I received a hinged folding omelette pan as a Christmas gift.
That pan was an epic fail. You’d pour the egg mixture in each side, cook and flip and everything seeped out all over the stove. It was a mess.
From that experiment, I learned that to make the perfect omelette you need the perfect pan. Also, I use water—never milk.
(Okay, I thought: we agree on this.)
But the ultimate secret weapon is my broiler.
(I’ll say it again: we do not agree on this.)
I’m old school. I keep it simple. I throw in a little cheese, maybe some cooked broccoli or sauteed mushrooms and onions left over from last night’s supper. Once I’ve poured the eggs into the pan, I cook my omelette without utensils. If the temperature is right, the eggs will slowly set and won’t get too brown or crispy on the bottom.
If I ever told my friends I was making a vegan omelette, they’d run for the hills!
ROB’S ULTIMATE OMELETTE
2 eggs
2 T. water
Leftover cooked veggies
Cheese of choice, cut into small enough pieces to allow for easy melting
Olive oil cooking spray
Preheat broiler to high.
Spray a 9” sauté pan (nonstick or well-seasoned) with cooking spray. Place on burner under medium heat. This is important because you don’t want the bottom to brown too quickly.
While waiting for pan to heat, whisk eggs and water thoroughly in a bowl. The water will evaporate during cooking and create a fluffier omelette.
Pour eggs into pan and once they’re set, toss in cheese and veggies. The eggs can still be slightly runny on the top; they will still have time to completely cook once you’ve added the ingredients.
Then, finish the omelette under the broiler. This fluffs the eggs and ensures the ingredients are warm. When eggs are firm and cheese starts to bubble, it’s done.
Remove pan from broiler and test to establish that the omelette will slide out of the pan. With a plate in one hand and the pan in the other, slide the flat omelette onto plate, folding in half as you completely remove it from the pan.
Enjoy!
Rob's Ultimate Omelette, featuring "The Flip"
The Ultimate Omelette, According to Amie
For our vegan friends and those adventurous types who like to try new flavors and not run for the hills, we’re testing an aquafaba omelette. Non-vegans may be asking: What the heck is aquafaba?
Aquafaba gets its name from a combination of the—wait for it—Latin words aqua (water) and faba (beans). It’s the liquid leftover from cooked garbanzo beans. You can either drain a can of garbanzo beans (aka, chickpeas) and reserve the liquid, or cook your own chickpeas and reserve the leftover cooking liquid, which seems far too time-consuming (aka, not fun) so we’re skipping that.
My Aquafaba Omelette
The Aquafaba Omelette clocked in at a zero on the DeflateGate scale; in fact, it puffed up like a pillow, even more than the usual non-broiled, non-vegan omelettes I make in my magic copper pan*. Maybe it was from covering the pan (which actually was not my magic copper pan—I was cooking in someone else’s kitchen) for the last few minutes or the yeast or, dare I say it, the whipped garbanzo juice? Besides its billowy appearance, the hearty nuttiness was surprisingly tasty and filled me up the whole day.
If you’re wondering what to do with those leftover garbanzo beans, I’ve included a bonus recipe for Spicy Hummus, shared by Cindy L, another long-time pal, original Cook & Tell subscriber, official taste tester of the above-mentioned omelette and thoroughly undeterred by garbanzo juice.
Who’s the ultimate winner of this challenge? Feel free to cast your vote in the comments or reply to this email. Think your omelette’s the ultimate? Send me the recipe!
*For my omelettes—vegan or otherwise—I use the 10” Red Copper ceramic infused nonstick skillet, which I will admit ranks right up there with the “As Seen on TV” fold-over omelette pans. Not an item I would have ever considered purchasing, it was a Christmas gift from Mom a few years ago after—you guessed it—she saw the infomercial on TV. And it really is magic.
Growing up, my dad would make us kids a dinner omelet he called yellow garbage. As and adult
I realized that he was trying to make eating on the cheap fun (for back in those days eggs were a cheap food and didn’t require a loan and collateral to procure a dozen or so). Dad would cut up hot dogs or other cheap meat like bologna or table scraps and add onions or spuds if we had any (Mom, Dad, my younger sister and I were all born in Idaho, though at the time of the advent of yellow garbage we lived in Colorado, which is why we four call potatoes spuds and my two youngest siblings are boring and just call them potatoes.) He would then serve the yellow garbage with ketchup. Us kids thought we were enjoying fine dining!
Great post, Amie! Eggs are by far and away my favourite food, and I do love an omelette (we spell it the French way in British English, too!). For me it must be eggs, just eggs, beaten with a little salt, cooked in a cast-iron plan in plenty of foaming butter. A grind of black pepper before making the fold, and the egg MUST still be quivering. The grill (that’s what we call a broiler over here) is not the omelette’s friend. Eat with just a fork. SCRUM!!!
Growing up, my dad would make us kids a dinner omelet he called yellow garbage. As and adult
I realized that he was trying to make eating on the cheap fun (for back in those days eggs were a cheap food and didn’t require a loan and collateral to procure a dozen or so). Dad would cut up hot dogs or other cheap meat like bologna or table scraps and add onions or spuds if we had any (Mom, Dad, my younger sister and I were all born in Idaho, though at the time of the advent of yellow garbage we lived in Colorado, which is why we four call potatoes spuds and my two youngest siblings are boring and just call them potatoes.) He would then serve the yellow garbage with ketchup. Us kids thought we were enjoying fine dining!
Great post, Amie! Eggs are by far and away my favourite food, and I do love an omelette (we spell it the French way in British English, too!). For me it must be eggs, just eggs, beaten with a little salt, cooked in a cast-iron plan in plenty of foaming butter. A grind of black pepper before making the fold, and the egg MUST still be quivering. The grill (that’s what we call a broiler over here) is not the omelette’s friend. Eat with just a fork. SCRUM!!!