Jen's Cooking Something Good Up: Omelets...yummy!!

Cheese Omelet

The omelet is a wonderful thing. It can be filled with anything you can image, although I've never tried sweets but to each their own. There are at least 5 steps to making a good omelet and I've included them below. Omelets sound and, for some, look really complicated but they can be easy. Another nice thing about omelets is that the are individualized. You want meat and cheese, your husband wants peppers and onions, and the kids want just cheese. No problem. Everyone can have their own

Step One: Take the eggs out of the fridge! Eggs cook better at room temperature so you can lay them out early. How many eggs should you use? That's up to you. I think 2 eggs work great but 3 works too. Don't use more than 3 since it will be harder to cook. Beat eggs until mixed well, adding salt and pepper to taste. Add about 2 Tablespoons of milk or heavy cream. Either will work. Mix well and let sit until ready to cook.

Step Two: Choose your filling. You need to decide exactly what to put in it your omelet. Chopped luncheon meats, sausage, bacon, cheese, mushrooms, peppers, onions, hash browns, tomatoes, chilies...I could go on, but I'll stop for now.You can use any kind of meats and cheeses. And don't be afraid to experiment, add several different types of cheeses or meats for a yummy dish. If the kids like pizza, use pepperoni, mozzarella cheese and a little marinara sauce. Make sure that you have everything laid out and ready to toss in the pan. Don't start cooking the eggs and then start to chop up the filling. If you have everything laid out and ready to go in the omelet, it will be easier to put together. Another advantage is that with everything ready to go it will be quick to put them together when you're cooking for more than one person. An idea is to get a small bowl and mix all the ingredients for each omelet together that way the filling is mixed up when you put it in and not layered.

Step Three: Choose the right pan. I think this is where most people mess up, they choose a pan that is too big. A small skillet, about 9 inch, works best for me. The one I like the best is from Ikea and only costs $2.99 (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/96225800). Which means you can have more than one and cook multiple omelets at one time. Spray the pan with cooking spray and don't forget the sides a bit! Don't do just the bottom of the pan, after all the eggs will be on the sides too.

Step Four: Time to cook. Once you have all your ingredients together, heat up the pan. Use a medium to medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, the eggs will sizzle a bit when a drop hits the bottom, pour the eggs in. Don't stir them just let them cook for a minute or so. Then using the tip of a spatula, push from the edge towards the middle. Let the uncooked egg mixture fill in the gap. Repeat from different angles until most of the egg is solid. You can see in the picture how the it will wrinkle up.

Carefully ease spatula under middle of the egg and flip to cook other side.