And even then, it takes a
lot of practice.
Omelets are just
deceptive. They look so easy - and
yet, it's so tricky.
Tricky, that is, until
you've practiced to make this simple kitchen trick an instinctive part of your
repertoire.
Here are a few more tips
on omelets.
Remember - break your
eggs on the edge of your cutting board, not your bowl (you don't want any stray
bacteria in your omelet).
Agitate your eggs, using
a whisk or a fork, making certain to beat them enough to remove any indication
of egg white (you need to break the whites so no strings of white show through
in your omelet).
[Special note: C-CAP standards are especially rigorous
here. You need to NOT have any
clumps, bumps or strings of white showing in your omelet.]
Have your pan hot. Really hot.
Don't let your eggs sit
still in the pan; you need to keep the eggs and pan moving.
Fortunately, this won't
take long (it's a really hot pan, remember?)
Moving the pan and eggs
constantly keeps the curds of egg small, and in this case, small means
tender. You want to have a
consistent, very tender feel to your omelet, inside and out.
Shift the eggs to one
side of the pan, tilt the pan and use your fork to help roll the omelet out of
the pan onto a plate (this should help you have a near-perfect roll to your
omelet). The eggs will still be
slightly wet. (Don't forget how
Jill and the other practice chefs have shown you how to hold that skillet!)
And why do you not want
it brown? (NO! Not a teeny bit!) If your omelet is browning, there are a
couple of reasons.
You're not stirring it
enough while it's cooking. Omelets
cook quickly and you must not stop moving those eggs around.
You overcooked it. This
omelet does not look entirely dry when it's done; it should have a little
glistening sheen to it.
You didn't whip the eggs
sufficiently to start with:
browning indicates there's albumin - that's egg white! - that wasn't
entirely incorporated in your mixing.
[Note, again: C-CAP standards ask that this omelet be a nice, golden yellow. Definitely NOT browned. Tip - don't brown the omelet. This takes practice!]
This omelet does not have
anything but salt and pepper in it - and it needs enough of those to be
apparent in the taste. So season
judiciously!
Finally, make sure your
plate is completely clean before presenting your omelet for judging. Don't leave any slicks of butter or oil
resting on the plate, and definitely not any stray pieces of egg!
Students did a great job at the competition yesterday. I wish all good luck in the next round.
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