Wes Ellis./ a personal notebook
Technology. Stories. Side projects.
A few things worth writing down.
SearchSubscribe
← Back to Short-Order Kitchen

Short-Order Kitchen

Diner-Style Omelet

By Wes Ellis2 min read
Recipe card
Servings
1
Prep
5 minutes
Cook
10 minutes
Method
Griddle
Heat
300–325°F (griddle)
Difficulty
Medium
Jump to ingredients & directions ↓

Part 4 of the thread The breakfast fundamentals

THE SHORT VERSION4 points
  • Griddle at 300 to 325°F, and the omelet goes on last.
  • Sauté the meat and veggies first for a few minutes, before the eggs go down.
  • Let the eggs spread thin and set for about 2 minutes, then fill and fold into a rectangle.
  • A little wet inside is fine. Residual heat finishes it.
THE RECIPE · DINER-STYLE OMELET

Ingredients

You'll need

  • Flat-top griddle
  • Wide spatula

Directions

  1. Heat the griddle to 300 to 325°F. Make the omelet last, after your potatoes, bacon and pancakes.
  2. Oil the griddle. Don't be shy about it. Extra oil keeps the eggs from sticking.
  3. Put the diced veggies and meat on the griddle and sauté them for a few minutes before the eggs go down.
  4. Slowly pour the beaten eggs onto the griddle and let them spread out and cook.
  5. After about 2 minutes the eggs should be set.
  6. Add the fillings and cheese, then fold the eggs into a rectangle.
  7. Don't worry if it's still a little wet inside. It keeps cooking from residual heat.
Notes Use whatever's in the fridge: ham, sausage, peppers, onions, mushrooms, any cheese that melts.

wesellis.com/blog/diner-style-omelet/

This is the omelet you get when you sit at the counter at a diner. Not a tidy round from a ring, not a fussy French roll. The eggs go down flat on the griddle, the fillings go on, and the whole thing gets folded into a rectangle and slid onto a plate.

It's part of the breakfast fundamentals because once you have it down, it'll take anything you throw in it.

Cook the fillings first

Raw peppers and onions don't soften in the two minutes the eggs spend on the griddle. Put the diced veggies and meat down first and give them a few minutes on their own. Then the eggs go on and everything finishes together.

Tip

Extra oil. The eggs spread thin here, and thin eggs stick to a dry griddle.

Pour slow, fold early

Pour the eggs slowly and let them run out into a wide, thin sheet. They'll set in about 2 minutes. That's your cue: fillings and cheese in the middle, then fold the sides over into a rectangle.

Heads up

Pull it while it still looks a touch wet inside. It'll keep cooking on the plate, and waiting until it looks done on the griddle gets you a dry, rubbery omelet.

If you'd rather have a neat round, the 3 Cheese Omelet uses a ring. And for the eggs themselves, How to Make Eggs covers the rest of the basics.

Pour a cup of coffee. You've earned it.

LINKED FROM4 notes

Keep reading