making an omelete

[sweetpotato]

I love omeletes and was curious about one thing. I usually pride myself on the fact that the outside of my omelete is not brown. Yet I was watching Top Chef Seattle last week and many of the contestants as well as Wolfgang Puck created omeletes that were brown on top.

Is this just a matter of taste, or is it actually better for the omelete TO be brown a bit on the side facing out?

Thanks!

[akachochin]

As a child, it was my father who was the omelet maker. For some reason, his idea of an omelet was to spread the beaten egg very, very thin (think crepe), sprinkle the filling on top and either roll into a cylinder or fold into a package. It was not until I was teenaged that I found that was not what everyone did.

FWIW, his were not brown, probably because when he made scrambled eggs, they could almost be reassembled and hatched because the were so lightly cooked.

[michaelsr67]

" they could almost be reassembled and hatched because the were so lightly cooked."

This is the best description I've read in a long time. Thanks!

[Puffin3]

The 'brown' on an omelet are of course scorched protein strands. They taste scorched IMO. Agreed there is no 'perfect' omelet just one that suits your taste buds. I prefer mine not browned but not runny either. Thats when very low and slow comes into play and some cooks don't have the patience to wait and/or they don't care that much.

[Will Owen]

My mom's omelets were of the dry puffy kind favored in '50s America, scorched almost to black on their leathery exterior and moistened internally only by an inadequate amount of cheese between the layers. Scorched egg tastes to me exactly like burnt hair smells; it was (besides sweet custard) the only egg dish I hated, but one eats what is put before one and says nothing, was the rule. So I did. This is why my discovery of the French omelet was such a marvellous revelation - it didn't HAVE to be brown at all! It could taste like egg, and cheese, and whatever one cared to put in it (my favorite being ham, cheese and avocado). From Julia's first high-heat demonstration for Johnny Carson to Pepin's low-and-slow technique, I've done them all and loved each one. And though a bit of oil gets used, it has to have butter. If there's no butter to be had, we'll do something else.

[ipsedixit]

I don't really care how an omelet is made - browned, soft and runny, or somewhere in between - just as long as there is no butter I am fine with it.

[sweetpotato]

Thanks for your answers, everyone! Happy Thanksgiving.

[paulj]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57afEW...
Jacques Pepin makes 2 styles of omelet, a country style with some browning, and a classic French that is pale (he doesn't even let the butter brown) and tender. He says browning will toughen the albumin. But he stresses that one is not better than the other, just different.

[tavalo101]

+1,Took the words right out of my mouth.

[Terrie H.]

Exactly the segment that popped into my head when I saw this question. Perfect reply.

[adamj880]

another +1, both are correct, and it's down to personal taste. I usually make the unbrowned version because I get the nicest texture that way, but I can't say anything bad about the flavor of browned protein.

[Terrie H.]

And I like the browned butter taste on the "country style" version. It's a matter of personal taste, so sweetpotato, make it as you like it.

[Harters]

All a matter of personal taste - I like a bit of colour on my omelette

[C. Hamster]

Me too.

Has to have a bit of brown. Without it it looks like an Egg mcMuffin

[escondido123]

I've never had an omelet at a restaurant in France that was browned.

[Bacardi1]

Ah - but that really doesn't mean a darn thing when it comes down to personal preference. France doesn't enjoy the be all & end all for personal preference.

[sisterfunkhaus]

I don't like color on my omelette at all, but I agree that the originating country (or certain types of foodies who are stuck on authenticity) doesn't get to decide how people "should" make a dish. They can set a standard, but after that, people can make it how they like it. If you like it brown, make it brown. Otherwise, you won't enjoy eating it. The whole purpose of good food is to enjoy it.

[escondido123]

And I did not say it was the be all and end all. France, for me, is the only place I order an omelet since it meets my personal preference. (I watched Top Chef Seattle tonight and found all but one of those omelets to be bad.)

[latindancer]

<France, for me, is the only place I order an omelet since it meets my personal preference>

I'm curious....are you saying the only place you are able to order an omelet the way you like it is in France? I agree with you on your assessment of the omelets on Top Chef. I had no idea it was so difficult for presumably good chefs to make an omelet.

[Bacardi1]

Like nearly everything regarding food, it's neither right nor wrong - just a matter of personal preference.

[sunshine842]

purely personal taste -- there are a couple of threads running right now about how some people like the brown crust, but others just won't eat it if it's brown.