Omelets

1 Tbsp peanut oil
1-2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 egg
1 Tbsp water
You can put just about anything in an omelet as a filler. Deviled ham, asparagus tips, artichoke hearts…, I like
cheddar cheese and spinach. Here’s how you do the omelet part.
You can’t do a good omelet without a good pan. Best are the heavy stainless steel pans made especially for the
purpose. I don’t have one, so I use a copper-clad Revere-ware stainless-steel frying pan. You want something
that diffuses the heat well and doesn’t have hot spots. I don’t use the Teflon –coated pans… for some reason the
omelets don’t brown nicely and come out with a kind of a slick texture from those pans. Well-seasoned wrought
iron pans will do in a pinch, but there is more risk of the omelet sticking.
Preheat the pan, high-heat. Put in the oil. Tilt and rotate the pan to spread the oil. In a bowl, beat the egg with
the T of water. Add the butter to the pan, spread around by tilting and rotating. The butter should be bubbling.
The pan should be very hot. When the butter is just starting to brown, pour the beaten egg into the pan. As it
cooks, shake the pan vigorously with a circular motion to help keep the egg from sticking and to spread it out
into a nice disk shape. Add filling if desired, fold the omelet over onto itself and tilt it onto a plate.
Omelets made this way cook very quickly, a couple minutes at the most so don’t expect to be able to leave
the stove for any time at all once you have started or you’ll end up with a burnt omelet. (This is the voice of
experience talking so listen up, OK?
When you get around to cleaning the pan, it’s best to wipe it out with a paper towel and some salt, no soap. A
pan cleaned this way is unlikely to burn omelets.