You Can not Make an Omelette without Breaking the Eggs

"You can't Make an Omelette without Breaking a Few Eggs."

At the age of eighteen I decided that, could no longer continue living with my parents.

My brother had died within the last year and the rules about being home were confining to say the least. 9.00 PM became the curfew hour to be Home by. Not allowed on a push bike after 5.00 PM. My Mother was stifling me with love as she was scared that I would be killed like her son who was nineteen years of age when he was killed by a hit and run drunken driver. Here I was Breaking a Few Eggs.

Walter Duranty (not to be confused with the late, great Jimmy Durante, of course) was an American journalist who, for many years, acted as the New York Times' chief correspondent to Stalin's Soviet Union. For his reporting on the Soviets' "Great Experiment," he was eventually awarded the Pulitzer Prize.

Duranty is also generally credited with the phrase "You can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs." If you've ever used the phrase, keep in mind that he first popularized it

I discussed this move and career change with my parents and told them I wanted to register as a Male Nurse at the Geriatric hospital, where it was required that I live in the Hospital grounds. This hospital was an old USA army hospital and situated in a park, built on one level and all wards joined by a corridor, which was over 1 mile long. Most people went from one to the other on a push bike because of the distance. This hospital catered were the birth of a baby to the death of an ageing person, with nothing in between. Literally this was ‘The beginning and the ending of life.'

I settle down into my new life very quickly, all the males Nurse were housed in a separate ward with their own bedroom and common kitchen and a lounged room. Plus we had the Staff dinning room 1.5 miles down the end of the corridor across a field in a separate building. As it was treated as a ward we had linen supplied to our own linen room. I had clean ironed sheets every day for the two years I lived there. I mean every day. Life was great.

I was attracted to a young nurse my age and she was happy that I would spend money on her. My second love lasted a month. I was so upset about this catastrophe, I decided to take my self away from the world of entertainment, work where I was directed and not mix with any one and cook and prepare my own meals. I had done most of the coking at home as Mum was in hospital a great amount of the time when I was young. It was a matter of cooking or starving.

That is just the prelude of what is to come. As I cooked eggs in all the ways I could find, invent or read about. I become the master of the Omelette.

Never less than three sometimes up to 24 eggs. In fact Every December our Church makes a Yearly Breakfast in December, initially all the Sunday School Children and naturally parents, and then finally for any one who would like Frank's egg breakfast. A couple of times we had a100 mouths to feed.

It was great fun

"You can't Make an Omelette without Breaking a Few Eggs."

Eggs are high-quality protein and are usually bought at a great price. They lend themselves to an endless number of flavor combinations and are the basis of a large variety of wonderful dishes in all forms of cooking.

The Omelette

As in life there are certain requirements that one should observe.

The main concern is to make sure you have the right size frying pan, or skillet.

This is most important.

Too large, and the omelet will dry out.

Too small, and it will not cook through.

As a basic guide, you need a 15 centimeter pan for a two-egg omelet.

A 25 centimeter pan for a four to six egg omelet. (Or 6 in. and 10 in. respectively.)

The second most important thing, please do not to beat the eggs.

I'll repeat all restaurants who claim to serve beautiful omelettes:

Do NOT Beat the Eggs.

Instead, abandon the habits of a lifetime and stir the yolks into the whites using a knife blade.

You should season with freshly ground black pepper and parsley now. (If you make soup stir in the pepper last as you will boil it away. Do not add any salt as it hardens the omelette.)

The Perfect Omelette

Warm your empty pan through on a moderate heat, add a good knob of butter, turn up the heat and swirl it round to coat the bottom and sides of the pan.

When the butter is foaming pour the excess into the egg mixture, stir it in and then immediately pour the eggs into the pan.

Shake the pan to spread the mixture evenly. Now, using a fork or thin spatula, draw the cooked egg away from the edge of the pan and let the uncooked liquid run into the space created.

When the omelet is almost cooked, but the surface is still soft and semi-liquid, flip one edge of the omelet towards the center of the pan so that it folds over. Then slide the unfolded edge onto a warmed plate, rolling the folded edge over the top of it as you do so.

An omelet cooked in this way requires no filling, except perhaps some fresh, chopped, herbs added to the egg mixture about 15 minutes before cooking.

You can, if you wish, use olive oil instead of butter, which will give you a less creamy but still satisfying finish.

So...what is an omelet? An omelet is a dish consisting of folded eggs that are cooked until set and folded over, often including a filling of cheese and other fillings of your choice. They are remarkably easy to prepare and can provide a quick, yet impressive and elegant addition to breakfast or brunch menu. We often have an Omelette for dinner

An individual omelet is generally prepared with 2 or 3 whole eggs, although they may be prepared from egg whites only. The list of suitable filling ingredients is quite lengthy and the combination of fillings to include in an omelet may be varied endlessly. To mention only a few good omelet fillings, one might choose: diced cooked turkey or chicken, chopped cooked ham, smoked salmon, crab meat, cooked shrimp, even barramundi flaked. Crumbled cooked bacon, proscuitto, chives, shredded cheddar, Swiss or jack cheese, bell peppers, spinach, sauteed fresh mushrooms, chopped tomatoes, pimento, minced onion...the choices are limited only by the imagination.

Tips & Warnings

• Practice with plain omelets before you try filling them.
• Omelets are really an individual dish. Make separate omelets for each person (since they only take a few minutes, this is not an overwhelming obstacle). If you want to serve a lot of people, make a scramble instead.
• To make a low-fat omelet, prepare using one whole egg and two egg whites, instead of two whole eggs.
• If you do fill the omelet, place a few tablespoons of filling on one half of the omelet right before it's done, then fold over and slide onto a plate. Don't put too much inside; it gets difficult to fold the omelet over. You can always put more filling on top of the omelet. Try filling your omelet with cooked fresh mushrooms, grated cheese or even fruit and yogurt. Experiment and have fun!
• Try omelets for a light dinner, with some salad and a glass of wine - that's what the French do!
• For some ingredients like Barramundi, (Poach first, Mushrooms and onions sauté first before folding into the Omelette.)

Basic Technique for Preparing an Omelet... Janice Faulk Duplantis

1. Start by cracking 2 or 3 eggs into a bowl. Whisk the eggs with a wire whisk or fork until the yolks and whites are combined. One or two tablespoons of milk or water may be added to make the eggs fluffier. Add seasonings such as ground black pepper, favorite herbs, etc., to the egg mixture if desired. (Avoid adding salt as it will toughen the eggs.)

2. Coat an 8- or 10-inch nonstick omelet pan or skillet with cooking spray and heat it over medium heat. The smaller the pan, the easier it will be to manage the omelet, however, if using more than 3 eggs, a pan of greater size will be needed.

3. Once the pan is hot, pour in the egg mixture and gently swirl the pan to evenly distribute the eggs.

4. The eggs will begin to set after 20 or 30 seconds. Once the edges are set, gently push them toward the center and allow the uncooked liquid to flow into the exposed pan.

5. When the eggs are about 70% to 80% solid, add the filling ingredients on one side only in a half moon shape, leaving a little room around the circumference so that the fillings do not spill out. Do not add too much filling, or else it will be difficult to fold the omelet.

6. Once the eggs are cooked, run the tines of a fork around the edge of the omelet to make sure the egg layer has not stuck. Carefully run a spatula under the empty half of the omelet and gently fold it over the top of the full half.

7. Allow the omelet to remain in the pan for an additional 30 seconds. Take the spatula and run it under the omelet to make certain it has not stuck to the pan. Angle the pan over a serving plate and slide the omelet out of the pan onto the plate.

Many people, who wish to reduce fat and cholesterol in their diets, prepare omelets using egg whites only. Separating the egg white from the egg yolk is a simple skill to master. Just follow the step-by-step guide below:

How to Separate an Egg...

1. Fresh eggs separate more easily than older ones, so choose the freshest eggs possible.

2. Lightly crack the shell of one egg at its midpoint on the edge of a bowl. Glass, ceramic, or steel are preferred as a plastic bowl will not crack the egg shell as well.

3. With thumbs placed on either side of the crack, carefully open the shell into two halves, making sure that the egg yolk stays in one half of the shell.

4. Over the bowl, gently pour the egg yolk back and forth between the two shell halves, allowing the egg white to fall into the bowl while keeping the yolk in the shell.*

5. Once all the white is in the bowl, put the yolk into a covered container and refrigerate for later use in sauces, custards and cream fillings. Discard the shell or add to compost.

* Note: Be careful not to pierce the yolk on the rough edge of the egg shell, as this will cause the yolk to mix with the white. A small amount of yolk in the egg white is not a problem when making an omelet, but if the white is intended for use in making a meringue topping, even the tiniest amount of egg yolk mixed in with the white will prevent proper whipping.

Omelet Tips...

a. It is best to not add salt to the eggs before cooking. Doing so will toughen the eggs.

b. Eggs come in different sizes. Most recipes assume the use of large eggs.

c. To reduce fat, omelets may be prepared using only the egg whites. Two egg whites are equivalent to one whole egg.

d. An egg white is easiest to beat at room temperature. If time allows, take the eggs out of the refrigerator about one-half hour before using.

e. The addition of a tablespoon or so of water or milk folded into the eggs will result in a fluffier omelet. This, however, is strictly a matter of personal preference.

f. Many omelet recipes call for butter. Butter does not merely prevent the omelet from sticking to the pan, but it also enhances the flavor of the omelet. To avoid butter, an olive oil spread or nonstick cooking spray may be used.

g. Chopped vegetables may be sauteed in a little butter or olive oil before adding them to the omelet.

h. If fresh mushrooms are used as an ingredient, they should always be sauteed before adding them to the omelet.

Your Perfect Omelet...

If your cooking skills have been limited to serving scrambled eggs, take a little time to step out and broaden your horizons by learning how to prepare an omelet. You will not regret it and your family and friends will be greatly impressed.

Omelets are quick and easy to make and with the broad range of filling ingredients, their versatility will allow you to introduce a great deal of variety to your meals.

Please consider including omelet preparation in your cooking repertoire. You may wish to follow omelet recipes verbatim at first, but with a little experience you will quickly become an expert omelet chef creating your very own variations of the perfect omelet.

Copyright ©2005 Janice Faulk Duplantis

To make the simplest of Omelettes.

Ingredients: -

2 Tablespoons of Butter

4 Eggs

! Tablespoon of heavy cream (Optional)

Method:

• Melt butter in non-stick omelet pan or skillet. Cover pan well with butter as it melts. Fold eggs (Do not beat.) with remaining ingredients. Pour into pan and tilt to spread eggs to edges. Cook over low heat. Loosen eggs from sides of pan with spatula as they begin to set. Lift eggs with spatula and tilt pan to allow uncooked eggs to run to sides and under eggs to continue cooking.
• Carefully lift one side of outer edge of eggs with spatula and fold over towards center making a half circle or flattened cone. Slide omelet out of pan onto dish and serve. If filling omelet, spoon filling mixture on top of and in the center of omelet prior to folding edges over to form half circle.

WINE: -

Eggs are difficult to pair with wine, but the crisp acidity in Champagne makes it a wonderful pairing here. Two good bottlings to look for are the delicate Laurent-Perrier Brut L-P and the brioche-scented Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve.

inthemoney has asked for more fish Omelettes

That will be in part two tomorrow