Beat that omelet!

Omelets are devilishly tricky!  

Here's how a few notable chefs remember how they made their first (almost) perfect omelet: http://www.bonappetit.com/people/chefs/article/perfect-omelet-chefs

Now for a few more tips:

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, 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!)

If your omelet is browning, there are 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.
• DON'T FORGET! C-CAP standards ask that this omelet be a nice, golden yellow.  This takes practice!

This omelet only has salt and pepper in it - and it needs enough to be apparent in the taste.  So season judiciously!

Finally, make sure your plate is completely clean before presenting your omelet for judging.  There must be no butter or oil slicks on the plate, and definitely no stray pieces of egg.