The Perfect Omelet...at last!

A common test for new chefs in a professional kitchen is to make a simple omelet. A perfectly done omelet is unbeatable. There are 100 things (all right, maybe fewer) that factor into the whole thing coming together. Here's a few of the keys:

1) Size of the pan (I use a 7" non-stick)
2) Heat of the pan (medium)
3) Amount of eggs used (2 - if you use more, you run a greater risk of the bottom overcooking and the top being runny)
4) How long you stir the eggs before leaving them alone to let them set for a minute
5) When you stop cooking
6) How you turn it out onto the plate

and so on...

Well... today I have finally achieved perfection. I define perfection in the following ways:

1) External appearance - NO BROWN SPOTS. Once you start to brown eggs, they start to go rubbery. Rubbery = awful.

2) Internal softness. The French call this consistency 'baveuse'. It means soft in the middle - JUST BARELY cooked JUST past the point of runnyness. The egg will DISSOLVE in your mouth when you eat it. It is super-soft and a totally luxurious mouthfeel.

3) Seasoned properly

4) Appealing on the plate. Rolled-up in a nice, neat package.

It has taken me a long time to get here. I hope you give this a try. That said, I have gone through MANY omelets to get here. It is so gratifying. Don't give up.

2 eggs
1 tablespoon milk
pinch of pepper
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon butter

Combine the eggs, milk and pepper in a small bowl and whisk through to combine. Do NOT add the salt yet. Adding it too early to eggs can make them go watery.

Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. When hot, add the butter. When the butter has sizzled and bubbled and is JUST starting to subside, the pan is just the right temperature. Add a pinch of salt to the egg mixture now, stir and add to the pan.

With a rubber spatula, start stirring the eggs around until they start to form some good-sized curds. The eggs should appear to be about 40% cooked. Leave it to cook for 1 minute so the bottom can set.

With the spatula, carefully lift up an edge of the omelet, while tilting the pan slightly. The idea is to get any runny, uncooked egg to run down and pool under where you have just lifted the egg up, thus speeding up the cooking of the runny parts. Work your way around the pan like this until most of the runny parts have been drained down underneath the omelet.

Let this cook for another 30 seconds or so. (Note: if you had fillings, you'd put them in now in a row across the middle, perpendicular from the pan handle.) Pull the pan off the heat. Tilt the pan away from you and, using the rubber spatula, carefully lift up the edge closest to you and roll it toward the bottom end. It's OK to simply roll it in half here too.

When you have it rolled out, grab the pan as though it were the fretboard of a guitar. Hold a plate with the other hand and tilt it up to the edge of the pan. With a swift motion, flip the pan over onto the plate. If you have done it right, the omelet will roll itself up when it lands on the plate. (NOTE: This take a few times to get right)

Sprinkle with a little sea salt and pepper and serve.

(NOTE: I have made mine here with some mushrooms, garlic and shallots sauteed in some butter and thyme. Also, there is a bit of grated Gruyere cheese. You can fill them with anything, but be careful of the volume. You don't need a ton of filling - it will be much harder to work with and it may mask the flavor of your perfectly cooked egg)