On Mon, 30 Jul 2007 13:19:07 +1200, bob <[email hidden]>
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Was it Gordon Ramsay who said that one of his tests for evaluating whether or not a "chef" was if the "chef" could cook a decent omlette? I'd put scrambled and poached eggs in the equation too.
I have heard other chefs say that as well. I can't remember if Jacques Pepin said something like that too...
Another item that is supposed to be a good test, is a good roast chicken. I just re-read recently from one chef that someone that could turn out a good roast chicken, with crispy skin and moist flesh, was their idea of a good cook.
Christine, who is about to attempt that again tonight.
Steve Wertz wrote: > The secret to good scrambled eggs:
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> Have patience, Grasshopper. Use a slightly buttered pan on _low_ > heat. Fold eggs gently and often from the outside towards the > middle - don't chop them.
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> This makes for perfectly textured eggs rather than those ugly > sponge pieces you end up by cooking over medium or high heat.
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> Same goes for omelets - low heat.
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Hmmm. Isn't it a bit late for breakfast in your neck of the woods?
I guess you don't have any Denny's where you live. I almost always have lunch for breakfast. This morning was very spicy sichuan tofu (again). The perfect eye-opener since I don't drink coffee.
I've been to 2 different Denny's in 2 different states. I didn't even follow my own of "3 strikes" rule.
Never again, no way, no how.
I'll never forget the most blantant case of reverse discrimination in my life at Denny's. We were the only white folks in the place. We sat there for over 45 minutes waiting for two simple breakfasts of scrambled eggs, bacon and whole wheat toast. Meanwhile a party of 8 came in after us, was seated and served in 20 minutes. We sat there, stewing. Watching everyone else seated after us get served. Our waiter brought us more coffee and apologized profusely.... but he knew what was going on. He was white, too. Just as we got up to leave the manager came rushing over to apologize for the delay. Delay?! It shouldn't take almost an hour to get bacon and eggs! Sorry, too little, too late. We tipped the server $10 for the coffee and attentiveness but I've never gone back to a Denny's again. And I won't, ever.
On Sun, 29 Jul 2007 16:52:17 -0500, Steve Wertz <[email hidden]> magnanimously proffered:
Quoted message said:
The secret to good scrambled eggs:
Quoted message said:
Have patience, Grasshopper. Use a slightly buttered pan on _low_ heat. Fold eggs gently and often from the outside towards the middle - don't chop them.
I like eggs many ways (I've just finished off a soft-boiled egg I'd cooked in boiling water for 3 minutes 45 seconds so the yolk and part of the white are still runny). But the method you've described is how I prefer to cook my own scrambled eggs.
Ewww. Runny white.
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You're certainly right about the patience bit ... you can't leave them for a second or stop folding them, otherwise parts of them get overcooked. Makes it a bit difficult to get the toast perfect though.
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This makes for perfectly textured eggs rather than those ugly sponge pieces you end up by cooking over medium or high heat.
In the good old days, one could order scrambled eggs "wet" or "lightly cooked" in a restaurant or cafe. Now they're mass produced in huge sponge-like "wodges" (a word our kids used) that are close to indigestible. It's also difficult to find places that are able to serve poached eggs that don't have solid yolks.
Try ordering "lightly basted." You get a puzzled look.
Quoted message said:
Was it Gordon Ramsay who said that one of his tests for evaluating whether or not a "chef" was if the "chef" could cook a decent omlette? I'd put scrambled and poached eggs in the equation too.
In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...
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aem said:
On Jul 29, 2:52 pm, Steve Wertz <[email hidden]> wrote: [snip]
Quoted message said:
Same goes for omelets - low heat.
Right on for scrambled eggs, but omelets are altogether different and call for a different technique. Unlike the big soft curds you want to pile up for scrambled, your omelet should be smooth and not lumpy. So, you use a medium or higher setting to heat the pan well, then add butter, watch it crackle and foam. The moment the foam begins to subside is the instant to pour in the beaten eggs, which you stir pretty much constantly with the flat bottom side of a fork for the 1 to 2 minutes it takes to cook. Then roll or fold. Whole thing should take at most 2 minutes, whereas good scrambled eggs take at least 10. -aem
Yep, a good omelet requires higher heat than scrambled eggs. I cannot abide dried out hard scrambled eggs. I want mine soft and fluffy. But an omelet should only be moist in the middle and almost gently browned on the outside of the filling. Bacon, spinach and brie is a good filler for an omelet 😄
Jill
I've done bacon/sausage/cheddar. Mmmmm. You just have to pre-cook the fillings. The cheese will melt from the residual heat.
"Christine Dabney" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
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jmcquown said:
Christine Dabney wrote:
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And according to Jacques Pepin, it is also not browned. He says that browning it is Grand Mere style, which I guess translates to grandmother style? I guess in classic French cooking, the omelet has to show no browning whatsoever.
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I don't think I exactly said "browned"... I said gently browned but moist in the center. Not like, blackened LOL
Jill
In classic French cooking, it is not even gently browned. But for ordinary cooking and for your own taste, whatever you want to do with an omelet is okay. 😉
Christine
DH makes the eggs. He makes great omelets. I don't know how he does it, but the best I can explain it is that he doesn't pour the eggs in all in at once, he layers it as it cooks a bit. . He must've seen it done on a cooking show and thought it a good idea. Has anyone ever done that. But if it isn't perfect, I'll eat it. Dee Dee
"jmcquown" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
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Quoted message said:
Steve Wertz said:
On Mon, 30 Jul 2007 00:05:44 +0200, Chatty Cathy wrote: > Steve Wertz wrote: >> The secret to good scrambled eggs:
>> Have patience, Grasshopper. Use a slightly buttered pan on _low_ >> heat. Fold eggs gently and often from the outside towards the >> middle - don't chop them.
>> This makes for perfectly textured eggs rather than those ugly >> sponge pieces you end up by cooking over medium or high heat.
>> Same goes for omelets - low heat.
> Hmmm. Isn't it a bit late for breakfast in your neck of the woods?
I guess you don't have any Denny's where you live. I almost always have lunch for breakfast. This morning was very spicy sichuan tofu (again). The perfect eye-opener since I don't drink coffee.
I've been to 2 different Denny's in 2 different states. I didn't even follow my own of "3 strikes" rule.
Never again, no way, no how.
I'll never forget the most blantant case of reverse discrimination in my life at Denny's. We were the only white folks in the place. We sat there for over 45 minutes waiting for two simple breakfasts of scrambled eggs, bacon and whole wheat toast. Meanwhile a party of 8 came in after us, was seated and served in 20 minutes. We sat there, stewing. Watching everyone else seated after us get served. Our waiter brought us more coffee and apologized profusely.... but he knew what was going on. He was white, too. Just as we got up to leave the manager came rushing over to apologize for the delay. Delay?! It shouldn't take almost an hour to get bacon and eggs! Sorry, too little, too late. We tipped the server $10 for the coffee and attentiveness but I've never gone back to a Denny's again. And I won't, ever.
Jill
I don't go to Denny's. DH's f-i-l loves to go there, thinking he's getting a bargain on the senior's page. But I don't think any of the meals are "good value." But the last time I 'HAD' to go there under these circumstances, it was breakfast, and I asked them if I could have a curry type vegetable plate that they had on for later in the day -- By Golly, they did it! Dee Dee
On Sun, 29 Jul 2007 17:15:43 -0700, [email hidden]
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Steve Wertz said:
I guess you don't have any Denny's where you live.
Denny's ???!!!
I only mention them because they serve breakfast 24 hours a day. I haven't been to a Denny's since 1999 (I had a "Reuben"😉, and it was 6 years before that (when I had a chef salad).
Right on for scrambled eggs, but omelets are altogether different and call for a different technique. Unlike the big soft curds you want to pile up for scrambled, your omelet should be smooth and not lumpy. So, you use a medium or higher setting to heat the pan well, then add butter, watch it crackle and foam. The moment the foam begins to subside is the instant to pour in the beaten eggs, which you stir pretty much constantly with the flat bottom side of a fork for the 1 to 2 minutes it takes to cook. Then roll or fold. Whole thing should take at most 2 minutes, whereas good scrambled eggs take at least 10. -aem
I disagree. A perfect omelette is cooked at low heat, just as is scambled eggs. An omelet should have no brown on the outside at all.
On Jul 29, 2:52 pm, Steve Wertz <[email hidden]> wrote: [snip]
Quoted message said:
Same goes for omelets - low heat.
Right on for scrambled eggs, but omelets are altogether different and call for a different technique. Unlike the big soft curds you want to pile up for scrambled, your omelet should be smooth and not lumpy. So, you use a medium or higher setting to heat the pan well, then add butter, watch it crackle and foam. The moment the foam begins to subside is the instant to pour in the beaten eggs, which you stir pretty much constantly with the flat bottom side of a fork for the 1 to 2 minutes it takes to cook. Then roll or fold. Whole thing should take at most 2 minutes, whereas good scrambled eggs take at least 10. -aem
Yep, a good omelet requires higher heat than scrambled eggs. I cannot abide dried out hard scrambled eggs. I want mine soft and fluffy. But an omelet should only be moist in the middle and almost gently browned on the outside of the filling. Bacon, spinach and brie is a good filler for an omelet 😄
The combination may be verboten for purists, but: nice big shrimp, coarsely chopped onion and more finely chopped jalapeños. Mmmmmm.
On Sun, 29 Jul 2007 16:52:17 -0500, Steve Wertz <[email hidden]> magnanimously proffered:
Quoted message said:
The secret to good scrambled eggs:
Quoted message said:
Have patience, Grasshopper. Use a slightly buttered pan on _low_ heat. Fold eggs gently and often from the outside towards the middle - don't chop them.
I like eggs many ways (I've just finished off a soft-boiled egg I'd cooked in boiling water for 3 minutes 45 seconds so the yolk and part of the white are still runny). But the method you've described is how I prefer to cook my own scrambled eggs.
Ewww. Runny white.
Only enough to ensure that none of the yolk is solid. But my wife wouldn't eat them that way. All the white has to be solid, so she (or I) cooks hers for five minutes. That's using jumbo free range eggs ...
--
una cerveza mas por favor ...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Right on for scrambled eggs, but omelets are altogether different and call for a different technique. Unlike the big soft curds you want to pile up for scrambled, your omelet should be smooth and not lumpy. So, you use a medium or higher setting to heat the pan well, then add butter, watch it crackle and foam. The moment the foam begins to subside is the instant to pour in the beaten eggs, which you stir pretty much constantly with the flat bottom side of a fork for the 1 to 2 minutes it takes to cook. Then roll or fold. Whole thing should take at most 2 minutes, whereas good scrambled eggs take at least 10. -aem
I disagree. A perfect omelette is cooked at low heat, just as is scambled eggs. An omelet should have no brown on the outside at all.
You don't have to agree with me, and you can produce a smooth omelet with lower heat but it takes unnecessary work because you have to keep stirring for a longer time while the eggs cook to get that desired smoothness. (I said nothing about brown eggs, and mine don't have it. Some people like it; I think it usually means it's overcooked.) Check one of the websites devoted to French cuisine and you'll probably find not only a description of the technique but also a video. -aem
Have patience, Grasshopper. Use a slightly buttered pan on _low_ heat. Fold eggs gently and often from the outside towards the middle - don't chop them.
This makes for perfectly textured eggs rather than those ugly sponge pieces you end up by cooking over medium or high heat.
Same goes for omelets - low heat.
-sw
And taking the eggs off the heat before they are totally done. The residual heat finishes cooking them.
Scrambled eggs that bounce are not a good thing. -- Peace, Om
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"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a [censored]" -- Jack Nicholson
Right on for scrambled eggs, but omelets are altogether different and call for a different technique. Unlike the big soft curds you want to pile up for scrambled, your omelet should be smooth and not lumpy. So, you use a medium or higher setting to heat the pan well, then add butter, watch it crackle and foam. The moment the foam begins to subside is the instant to pour in the beaten eggs, which you stir pretty much constantly with the flat bottom side of a fork for the 1 to 2 minutes it takes to cook. Then roll or fold. Whole thing should take at most 2 minutes, whereas good scrambled eggs take at least 10. -aem
I disagree. A perfect omelette is cooked at low heat, just as is scambled eggs. An omelet should have no brown on the outside at all.
-sw
Totally agree!!! It's why I won't eat any eggs that dad has cooked. They always have a crust.
Ick.
Oddly enough, he likes my cooking better than his. All he has to bloody do is ASK me to make him an omelet!
<sigh>
Burnt egg is not quite the nasty smell as burnt popcorn, but damed near! -- Peace, Om
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"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a [censored]" -- Jack Nicholson
On Jul 29, 2:52 pm, Steve Wertz <[email hidden]> wrote: [snip] > > Same goes for omelets - low heat. > Right on for scrambled eggs, but omelets are altogether different and call for a different technique. Unlike the big soft curds you want to pile up for scrambled, your omelet should be smooth and not lumpy. So, you use a medium or higher setting to heat the pan well, then add butter, watch it crackle and foam. The moment the foam begins to subside is the instant to pour in the beaten eggs, which you stir pretty much constantly with the flat bottom side of a fork for the 1 to 2 minutes it takes to cook. Then roll or fold. Whole thing should take at most 2 minutes, whereas good scrambled eggs take at least 10. -aem
Yep, a good omelet requires higher heat than scrambled eggs. I cannot abide dried out hard scrambled eggs. I want mine soft and fluffy. But an omelet should only be moist in the middle and almost gently browned on the outside of the filling. Bacon, spinach and brie is a good filler for an omelet 😄
The combination may be verboten for purists, but: nice big shrimp, coarsely chopped onion and more finely chopped jalapeños. Mmmmmm.
I like shrimp omelets, but Shrimp Quesadilla is even better. ;-d -- Peace, Om
Remove _ to validate e-mails.
"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a [censored]" -- Jack Nicholson
On Sun, 29 Jul 2007 16:52:17 -0500, Steve Wertz <[email hidden]> magnanimously proffered:
Quoted message said:
The secret to good scrambled eggs:
Speaking of cooking eggs, my otherwise much loved step-mother was such a terrible cook that she even massacred eggs. She was the only person I've ever known who could overcook a fried egg to the point where the edges of the white became so hard and crystallised that they could cut the roof of your mouth if you weren't careful. I suppose it's sort of a talent, since no one else I know can do that. Sometimes, the whites of her fried eggs looked like melted cellophane.
--
una cerveza mas por favor ...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Christine Dabney" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
jmcquown said:
Christine Dabney wrote:
Quoted message said:
> And according to Jacques Pepin, it is also not browned. He says that > browning it is Grand Mere style, which I guess translates to > grandmother style? I guess in classic French cooking, the omelet has > to show no browning whatsoever.
Quoted message said:
I don't think I exactly said "browned"... I said gently browned but moist in the center. Not like, blackened LOL
Jill
In classic French cooking, it is not even gently browned. But for ordinary cooking and for your own taste, whatever you want to do with an omelet is okay. 😉
Christine
DH makes the eggs. He makes great omelets. I don't know how he does it, but the best I can explain it is that he doesn't pour the eggs in all in at once, he layers it as it cooks a bit. . He must've seen it done on a cooking show and thought it a good idea. Has anyone ever done that. But if it isn't perfect, I'll eat it. Dee Dee
I've always held back some raw-egg in the bowl to add later while making omelets. Comes in handy, especially to fix 'cracks' and such should those occur during the cooking process. I'll have to give your DH's technique a try and add cummulative layers - that sounds really good!
"Nancy2" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
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Quoted message said:
Yup -- if you boil them, they can turn green...
-- Jani in WA
They only turn grayish around the edges of the yolk if you overcook them. It isn't the boiling, it's the cooking time.
N.
Look at this picture -- ugh! I had an oversupply of eggs (not outdated) and quite a bit of cheddar cheese at the pushing point. Without care, I mixed up the eggs, cooked on top of the stove. Then I put ALL/a lot of the cheddar cheese on top and put it in the oven. Yikes! Green eggs. http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=521uuzm
Wha happened? But I didn't eat them. Dee Dee -- finicky about eggs.
