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An omelette for breakfast sounds like an easy, quick, no-brainer, and healthy meal. On the surface, it is just about whisking eggs with salt and pepper, adding butter to a non-stick pan, and tossing the eggs in to cook on medium-high heat. But how often does it happen that the omelette loses its fluff, turns too leathery, or browns too much on one side? This deceptively simple dish is actually rather tricky to prepare and requires a fair bit of technique to get it just right. To nail that perfect omelette seems like a Herculean task, but here are some tips to whip up your protein-rich eggs to attain the ideal fluff and taste, mastered, of course, with a little practise and patience:
Use Fresh Eggs
For the perfect omelette, make sure to take a leaf out of the Julia Child cookbook and use fresh eggs. Not only does the freshness mean better taste and more creaminess, but it also means that the eggs will hold their shape once plopped into the pan. Tips abound around testing the freshness of eggs; one way to gauge it is by the colour of the yolk. The darker the yellow yolk, the fresher the egg.
Whisk The Eggs And Keep Them Aside
Another pro tip to ensure that your omelette achieves its fluffy consistency is to whisk eggs, salt, and pepper in a bowl along with the toppings of your choice like olives, cut-up sausages, onions, capsicum, and chillies (or anything else available in the fridge) and set it aside for a few minutes. Allowing the foamy egg mixture to set before cooking it on medium heat will give the omelette a soft texture without turning it too leathery.
Don't Use A Spatula!
Ok, this will require a little bit of training, but do away with the spatula used so many times to flip and fold the eggs to cook a plain, creamy omelette with a fluffy and smooth texture. Julia Child's French omelette recipe involves adding a splash of water to two lightly seasoned eggs and pouring them into a buttered non-stick pan. Now, the tricky bit is to push the swirling mixture towards the edges of the pan before it comes together and attains a soft, perfectly cooked centre.
Whisk The Whites And Yellows Separately
If the ambition is to whip up a perfectly creamy soufflé omelette, take three eggs and separate the whites and yellows. Whisk the yellows in one bowl until they resemble a rich, cheesy dip. In a larger bowl, whisk the egg whites into a frothy and foamy mix. Fold the egg yellow mixture into the whites before gently pouring the eggs into the pan and cooking on medium heat. Season only after the omelette is perfectly cooked.
Adjust The Heat
While it's common knowledge that omelettes are generally cooked on medium to high heat, it is important to monitor how hot the pan is once the eggs are already in. Lower the heat if necessary to keep them from browning while they cook. Another pro tip: adjust the heat the moment the butter melts in the pan to prevent it from burning, and keep a close eye to make sure the eggs are perfectly cooked, not brown and dry!
