The Perfect Omelet

I love to cook breakfast.  When the kids were growing up, omelets were the order of the day on most Saturday mornings.  Simple cheese omelets filled the requests most of the time, but as the kids grew, so did my adventurousness as well as my repertoire.  Garden omelets, hot sauce and salsa-stuffed ones, and my personal favorite…asparagus and cheese, all became frequent options.  As an omelet-making incentive, I’ve enjoyed having the “raw material” right in my own back yard.

I’ve raised chickens now for about 12 years, and have really enjoyed tending “the girls” as a part of my daily routine.  Why chickens?  Perhaps the connection is that I used to gather eggs on Uncle Russell’s farm as a kid.  My first dozen layers were about 8 weeks old and purchased from Moyer’s Chicks in Quakertown, but I’ve had as many as 32 hens at a time.  Those were raised from two-day old peeps, purchased from McMurray’s Hatchery in Webster City, Iowa.  At McMurray’s, the chicks are hatched and shipped immediately, without food or water.  Newborn peeps can easily survive for up to three days without food or water, so when you get the call from the post office, you go.  I was surprised that our first shipment came on a Sunday morning.  I got the call and took Matt along to the Collegeville Post Office after church.  I told him that he could tell his friends that he and his father had been out picking up “chicks” over the weekend.  (He didn’t, and as a middle-schooler, didn’t think that was particularly funny, either.)

Three breeds of poults:  White Leghorns, Barred Rock, and Rhode Island Red

I set up the first brooder in which to raise the chicks, in the basement.  What a mistake.  It started out okay, but as the birds grew, and their wings developed, they began to exercise them.  The resultant dust was blown all over the place by the poults and took forever to clean up.  It was literally everywhere.  Future brooding was banished to the sheep shed.

For the last year, I’ve had 8 birds.  Then there was the raccoon incident, (and then there were 3.)  Just last week, before dark, a fox got two more.  The sole survivor is a barred rock, and she has been faithfully laying an egg a day, even after being traumatized by having her remaining two coop-mates snatched from her.  I used to be able to let the hens free range non-stop.  Now, the Skippack area has become so much more developed that something seems to be waiting for the birds if they are ever left out to stretch their claws.

I’ll get more, but it’s generally easier to start with a “clean slate” instead of trying to introduce new birds to an existing flock.  The “pecking order” is alive and well!  For now, one egg a day will do.  I just have a number of friends who miss getting the best brown eggs you can find.

Ben Sagnella & Emily Fender*, current Royersford Elementary 4th graders, "melt"

while holding a newborn chicks when they were in kindergarten

Each year in the spring, the kindergarten classes at Royersford Elementary experience a chick-hatching project right in their classrooms.  In addition to teaching the children a lot of science, believe it or not, raising the chicks is a developmentally appropriate way to introduce the beginning concepts of sex education.  One of the best kindergarten stories involves a chick-napping incident.  After the peeps had hatched and the chicks had developed into adorable little balls of fluff, one went missing….without a trace.  It was a mystery…until an older brother "dropped a dime" on his younger brother.    The kindergartner had spirited the chick out of the classroom in his backpack.  He then continued the “chick-op” by smuggling it into his bedroom without being detected.  A phone call home enabled his mother to locate the baby bird.  She found the peep nestled under the covers in her son’s bed, right where he had been caring for it…for four days!  Imagine the condition of those sheets! (*Ben & Emily were not the culprit!)

A lot of people shy away from omelets, thinking that they are too difficult.  They do require a little more expertise than scrambled eggs, but anyone can make a perfect omelet.  First, start with the right pan.  I use a non-stick 8” Caphalon pan.  I’m fairly particular about my omelets, so I cook nothing else in my omelet pan.  Here's the spatula I use.  It's narrow enough to maneuver easily, but long and sturdy enough to flip the omelet properly.

To make a basic omelet you need the following:

Ingredients:

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons water

pinch of salt (optional)

dash of pepper (optional)

1 Tablespoon margarine or non-stick cooking spray

Basically, you use one tablespoon of water (not milk) for every egg.  Use milk when making scrambled eggs or French toast, but water combines with the eggs to make a "stronger" omelet.  Remember, you have to flip it...in one piece.  I also seem to get better results with room temperature eggs and water.  I don’t cook with butter in the omelet pan as it tends to burn more quickly compared to margarine or cooking spray.  Brushing the pan with some olive oil or other cooking oil would also work well.

I usually beat the eggs and water with my hand blender.  Some criticize this practice saying it makes the eggs too fluffy.  Now really…can you ever get eggs too fluffy?  I like them that way.  I also add salt and pepper after cooking, rather than adding it when beating the eggs and water.  Not to worry if you don't have a hand blender.  A fork works just fine.  Beat the eggs until the yolks and whites are well blended.

You should see the edges start to cook almost immediately

Heat the pan over medium to slightly higher heat.  After “lubricating” the omelet pan, gently pour in the beaten eggs and water.  If the pan is at the right temperature, you should hear a slight sizzle and notice the eggs beginning to cook almost immediately at the edges of the pan.  Allow the eggs to cook for about 30 seconds to a minute.

Omelet after "draining," and before flipping

Then use a spatula to start lifting the sides of the omelet to allow uncooked egg to flow underneath.  Divide the omelet into for quadrants or sides and repeat this, lifting all four "sides," allowing the egg to "drain."  Most of the uncooked egg should be allowed to flow under to be cooked.  If more remains, continue to lift the sides.

"Just flipped" omelet

After another 30 seconds or so, place the spatula under the omelet and quickly but gently flip it over.  Once flipped the uncooked top can cook.  If, when starting to lift the omelet, it starts to break up, you probably haven’t allowed it to cook long enough.  Wait a little longer or increase the heat for the next omelet.

Place desired filling on half of the almost-cooked omelet

If you have cheese or some other filling, (use about 1/3 to 1/2 cup), place it on top of one half of the omelet as soon as it is flipped.  After another 30 seconds to minute, use the spatula to fold half of the omelet over, on top of any filling.  Slide the omelet out of the pan and onto a plate.

Asparagus & Cheese; my personal favorite

For an asparagus and cheese omelet, I usually use cheddar cheese and pre-cooked asparagus…which I had plenty of after Easter.  Remember the three side dishes in a previous post?  Well, I prepared the asparagus and water chestnuts, but left it sit in the microwave until mid-dessert.  (No one felt like asparagus at that point!)

Another favorite is a sautéed onion, ham and cheese omelet.  (See opening photo.)  It’s always a good idea to have all of your omelet fillings prepared in advance.  Dice the onions first.  If you have never known how to dice onions easily and without tears, check out this one-minute video from Good Housekeeping on YouTube.

Onions, before and after sautéing

Use a little oil to sauté the onions and allow them to cook until they start to become translucent.  Set the onions aside.  Have your ham diced and your cheese ready, (shredded is good, but slices work, too).

I tried something different this time around, adding a half-teaspoon of horseradish to the eggs and water before beating them.  (In order to get the horseradish to pour with the eggs, don’t allow the it to settle and pour the mixture into your omelet pan in one continuous motion.  Cook as described above, add the cheese, onions, and ham…fold and serve.  The horseradish wasn't overpowering, and really added something.

I encourage you to be adventurous in exploring potential omelet fillings.  Always check your leftovers.  Use them to create a new omelet name.  If it sounds good, it probably is!  Enjoy!

Tried another sorbet!  Lemon-lime…and it was the best yet!  (Also, very easy to make.)  Stay tuned for the incredibly simple recipe.