# Making Omelets **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 12, 2009, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-omelets/485508 "2009-02-12T08:49:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-omelets/485508/41 "2009-02-14T16:43:41Z")
I always had problems folding it from the pan. I think it was from Alton that I learned to put the “add ins” (ham, cheese, etc.) to the half of the pan away from the handle. Then grab the handle with the palm of your hand under the handle. It feels awkward at first, and I don’t know why, but now all of my omlets come out of the pan perfectly. I used to get so mad making what looked perfect in the pan, but was a mess on the plate. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-omelets/485508/42 "2009-02-14T18:19:48Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I’m not too sure about adding milk to an omelet. I was taught to add about a tablespoon of water to a three-egg omelet. Milk or cream is for scrambled, and added near the end, if at all. Milk is what my mother taught me and it always seems to work for me, although I use two eggs (any more would swamp my omelet pan). ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-omelets/485508/43 "2009-02-14T18:38:18Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > Milk is what my mother taught me and it always seems to work for me, although I use two eggs (any more would swamp my omelet pan). According to both Julia Child and Alton Brown, neither is correct. Eggs, salt and pepper, nothing else. Child’s instructions call for the omelet to be finished in 30 seconds, which would take some practice, especially with fillings. Omelets are not supposed to be browned at all, of course, and the French consider an omelet with brown on it to be a failure. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-omelets/485508/44 "2009-02-14T19:32:10Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Child’s instructions call for the omelet to be finished in 30 seconds, which would take some practice, especially with fillings. Holy cow. Would you have a link or a reference to search for? ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-omelets/485508/45 "2009-02-14T19:46:58Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > According to both Julia Child and Alton Brown, neither is correct. Eggs, salt and pepper, nothing else. Child’s instructions call for the omelet to be finished in 30 seconds, which would take some practice, especially with fillings. Omelets are not supposed to be browned at all, of course, and the French consider an omelet with brown on it to be a failure. Well, between my mother and Julia Child, I’ll take the one who _wasn’t_ a spy. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-omelets/485508/46 "2009-02-14T19:57:12Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > > [@Chefguy](#): > > > > Child’s instructions call for the omelet to be finished in 30 seconds, which would take some practice, especially with fillings. > > Holy cow. Would you have a link or a reference to search for? [Here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpIndUafTJU) is a YouTube video of Julia Child demonstrating her omelet technique. She does seem to finish in about thirty seconds. I like how modest her kitchen is, with an electric stove (no fancy Wolf range) and using a pair of chopsticks to whisk the eggs. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-omelets/485508/47 "2009-02-14T20:19:12Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > [Here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpIndUafTJU) is a YouTube video of Julia Child demonstrating her omelet technique. Man, she’s good. Cracking two eggs at once. Cooking on an electric burner. :eek: Bu back to the spy thing…she does sort of look like Ian Fleming. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2009, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-omelets/485508/48 "2009-02-14T20:51:01Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > glee, in my experience, scrambled eggs are eggs that are beaten together in a bowl and fried while stirring more or less constantly. The main difference between scrambled eggs and a plain (no filling) omelet is that the omelet comes out of the pan folded and in one piece, while the scramble is just a pile of cooked egg. There is also a recipe called a “scramble” where it’s scrambled eggs with stuff added in, like sausage and cheese, and served in a pile. > > I’m not really sure about your omelet technique, when you break the eggs into the pan and add the milk, do you mix it thoroughly while cooking? I think that’s one important aspect to the omelet, the eggs are combined into a smooth consistency. OK, thanks for the examples. I was taught to add a dash of milk and not stir at all (except to move the runny bits to the outside of the pan to cook. I’m going to try some alternative methods. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2009, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-omelets/485508/49 "2009-02-15T02:21:53Z")
[Julia Child’s “omelette” recipe](http://www.randomhouse.com/knopf/authors/child/recipe.html), with illustrations! ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2009, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-omelets/485508/50 "2009-02-15T14:28:39Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > and the French consider an omelet with brown on it to be a failure. There is not a single French way to make omelettes but several local and personal variants. For example, a [Mont St-Michel omelette](http://montstmichel.hostarea.org/mere_poulard/omelette_poular.jpg), is most definitely brown. (And the thing about French people not refrigerating eggs is not universally true. Some don’t, but I’d say many if not most do.) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2009, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-omelets/485508/51 "2009-02-15T16:18:23Z")
> [@jovan](#): > > There is not a single French way to make omelettes but several local and personal variants. For example, a [Mont St-Michel omelette](http://montstmichel.hostarea.org/mere_poulard/omelette_poular.jpg), is most definitely brown. > > (And the thing about French people not refrigerating eggs is not universally true. Some don’t, but I’d say many if not most do.) I don’t mind a bit of brown on mine, mainly because I suck at making omelettes. From now on, I’ll just refer to one of my failures as a St-Michel. 😃 Why are there two spellings for this word? I always used “omelette”, but most seem to use “omelet”. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2009, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-omelets/485508/52 "2009-02-15T16:29:03Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > [Here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpIndUafTJU) is a YouTube video of Julia Child demonstrating her omelet technique. She does seem to finish in about thirty seconds. I like how modest her kitchen is, with an electric stove (no fancy Wolf range) and using a pair of chopsticks to whisk the eggs. Dewey, I owe you a beer. It works great. Mrs. Plant declared it perfect, but she’s still thinking about the dozen roses from yesterday. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2009, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-omelets/485508/53 "2009-02-15T16:33:55Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Why are there two spellings for this word? I always used “omelette”, but most seem to use “omelet”. It has something to do with the Academe Fancais, I’ll warrant, which I probably misspelled, and the fact that the French spelled “Jazz” “Le Swing” in WWII. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2009, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-omelets/485508/54 "2009-02-15T16:48:10Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > > [Here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpIndUafTJU) is a YouTube video of Julia Child demonstrating her omelet technique. She does seem to finish in about thirty seconds. I like how modest her kitchen is, with an electric stove (no fancy Wolf range) and using a pair of chopsticks to whisk the eggs. > > Dewey, I owe you a beer. It works great. Mrs. Plant declared it perfect, but she’s still thinking about the dozen roses from yesterday. 🙂 Isn’t YouTube great? Someone asked in another thread what happened to the Food Network, which seems to show mostly cooking competitions and food tourism shows now, rather than actual instructional programs like those from Julia Child. When you can go to YouTube and find something like this, who needs the television network? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2009, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-omelets/485508/55 "2009-02-15T16:57:32Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Isn’t YouTube great? Yeah, and I thought it was all pet tricks and guys sticking bottle rockets in their orifices. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2009, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-omelets/485508/56 "2009-02-15T17:19:38Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > [Here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpIndUafTJU) is a YouTube video of Julia Child demonstrating her omelet technique. She does seem to finish in about thirty seconds. I like how modest her kitchen is, with an electric stove (no fancy Wolf range) and using a pair of chopsticks to whisk the eggs. I just noticed in that video that she adds a bit of water to the eggs. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2009, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-omelets/485508/57 "2009-02-15T17:50:34Z")
My experiment was a 6" teflon pan, high flame, a lot of butter and one egg, no water. I should be interested in hearing the experience of someone other than me, who knows what they are doing. 🙂 Shaking the pan like that frightens household pets, and causes concerned family members to come into the kitchen and stare. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2009, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-omelets/485508/58 "2009-02-15T18:01:10Z")
I use the method recommended by Alton Brown: [ol] [li]Heat the pan. It’s best if it has a curved bottom.[/li][li]Break the eggs and beat them in a bowl. No milk. Add any spices (except pepper; put the on when serving).[/li][li]When the pan is hot, add a little butter. If it froths, you’re ready.[/li][li]Pour the egg into the pan.[/li][li]Using a spatula, stir the eggs while shaking the pan for about ten seconds. Then lift up the edges just a bit.[/li][li]Walk away.[/li][li]When the eggs seem partly cooked, add any filling to the front half of the pan. I like cheese. Other fillings should be cooked beforehand.[/li][li]Give the filling a few minutes, then flip one-third of the eggs on top of itself.[/li][li]Grab the pan handle so that your thumb is away from the pan. Lift it and slide it onto a plate, making a slight flick of the wrist so it’s folded in thirds.[/li][li]Enjoy.[/li][/ol] The eggs come out crispy on the outside with a creamy filling. ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2009, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-omelets/485508/59 "2009-02-16T01:52:19Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Why are there two spellings for this word? I always used “omelette”, but most seem to use “omelet”. “Omelette” is the way it’s spelled in French. “Omelet” is the English variant but MW says both spelling are acceptable. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-omelets/485508.md?page=2)