Southern Appalachian Herbs: From The Omnivore's Guide to Home Cooking: Omelets

Wednesday, October 28, 2026

From The Omnivore's Guide to Home Cooking: Omelets

There are two basic types of omelet. The French style is made, essentially, just as I described in the first half of how I make scrambled eggs. Herbs may be beaten into the eggs, or added later. Pour the beaten eggs into the pan and stir to let the curd set. Then you fold up the sides into sort of a football shape and gently, just soft fry the smooth outside in butter before turning it out onto a pan. The technique is easier to see than to describe. I will put up some videos, but I again recommend seeing Julia Child or Jacques Pepin do it on youtube. The French style omelet is soft and custardy on the inside, with no browning. Cheese, herbed compound butters, sautéed vegetables, etc are added once it is on the plate, either to the side, or the omelet is sliced open somewhat stuffed.

An American, or western omelet may be made in several ways. Usually, this is an omelet stuffed with sautéed ham, peppers, onions and cheese, but you can use whatever you like. The western omelet is usually cooked more firm, and slightly browned. Some folks mix the filling ingredients into the eggs while beating and simply cook the whole thing as a piece. Others add the filling in the pan and fold the omelet over, sandwiching them inside. Some folks make this omelet much as they would a French omelet and stuff it or top it on the plate. How you do it is totally up to you. But, I would stress that the veggies be pre-cooked so your eggs don’t get watery if you cook everything together. To save a pan, you could even saute the mushrooms, peppers, etc. first and then pour the beaten eggs over them. Flip and cook on each side with a heavy, metal spatula.

What I think is an even better option is the frittata. A frittata is sort of an Italian omelet. This is what I make when I need to cook breakfast for more than one guest. Unless you are a short order cook in a diner, with everything you need on hand and a big griddle to cook everyone’s eggs to order quickly, you can go nuts trying to please everyone. This builds on the last omelet option. Take a big well seasoned, cast iron pan. This will go in the oven, so while you could use a different type of metal pan, be sure not to use anything with plastic handles and such. Over medium heat, sauté whatever veggies and meat you want to use. You can get very creative with this. I like to use small florets of broccoli or asparagus, sautéed in butter, with red onion or shallots, spinach, halved cherry tomatoes, maybe some olives, etc. Before you pour in your beaten eggs, arrange the veggies in a pretty pattern… think of it like a stained glass window or a mural. Add some fresh herbs, artistically placed and melt in a bit more butter or olive oil Then, gently pour your beaten eggs in so as not to disturb your little natural art. The eggs should immediately set on the bottom and cook in the still hot pan. Grate some cheese on top. Finish cooking in the oven, under a hot broiler until just browned. When you are ready to serve, put an inverted plate on top of your frittata and quickly turn the pan upside down. If it doesn’t fall out right away, let it sit on a counter, upside down for a few minutes so the steam will collect between the pan and egg. If the pan was well seasoned and you used enough butter it should drop onto the plate with just a few taps and no prying with a spatula. When it is plated, cut into wedges like a pizza and serve with bread and a brunch-type wine or cocktail.