Having trouble with your omelets always breaking and busting on you? Learn the secrets of the flip, and if and when you need it, only here.
Try to name one person whose heart won’t melt at the sight of a fluffy, golden-brown omelet for breakfast or brunch on a late Saturday morning, we challenge you!
There’s something about the omelet, or as the French are wont to say, le omelette, that makes it an almost uncontested dish for a weekend—and why not a weekday—breakfast. At least when it’s done right. And that, as you’ve probably experienced first-hand since you’re here, is the hard part.
If a well-prepared omelet is a work of art, then an omelet that’s burned or mangled is like a second-rate forgery; you don’t need to be an appraiser to realize that the forger’s technique was inherently flawed. Which brings us to the question(s) of the day…
Do you need to flip an omelet when preparing it? Can you get away with skipping this one tricky step that intimidates the most experienced of home cooks and professional chefs, even? And, if the answer is “yes, you can,” then how in the world do you do it? We cover all of that, and more, below.
Do You Absolutely Have to Flip an Omelet?
Read as many cookbooks as you want, and, sooner or later, you will come to the conclusion that every recipe requires you to flip the omelet at a certain moment in time.
Chances are you will be told to wait till the eggs start to set, become golden-brown in color, or, at a minimum, time your cooking as best as you can—while remembering that every stove, frying pan, and home cook is likely to do things a little differently.
But do you have to flip an omelette when preparing it?
A flipped omelet is an omelet that’s cooked evenly on both sides. However, flipping must only be done after the eggs have set, and preferably after the omelet has been folded or rolled over.
As with many other things in cooking, it comes down to technique. We will go into the correct omelet-flipping technique momentarily (and run through a few common mistakes we all tend to make when preparing omelets), so read on.
Roll, Fold, or Keep Flat?
Though some may argue with me about the exact number, there are generally three ways to make an omelet: the French way, by rolling it over; the American way, by folding it over; the farmer’s way, by keeping it flat and popping it in the oven.
Rolled, French-Style Omelette
There is the rolled omelet, also known as the French-style omelette. This is the classic omelette that intimidates most cooks, and for good reason; it is frankly the most difficult to prepare.
Beat the eggs, but do so only enough to combine the yolks with the whites. Contrary to what most people think, it is not necessary to beat the eggs until they turn airy and bubbly.
Grease a non-stick frying pan or a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet with clarified butter or vegetable oil and heat over medium-high heat. Non-stick pans take 20-30 seconds to preheat, whereas cast iron skillets take 2-3 minutes.
Pour the beaten eggs into the hot pan. This is where the technique gets tricky. Start swirling and shaking the pan in one hand, and gently stirring the eggs with a silicone spatula in the other until they begin to curdle and nearly set.
Hint: you want to wait for the eggs to stiffen up and turn golden, but not set completely and turn golden brown.
When you are ready, hold the tip of the spatula under the end of the omelet that’s facing you, and roll one-third of the omelet over toward the center of the pan. The result will be a fat, double-rolled half in the center of the pan—and a thin, unrolled half on the side that’s opposite of you.
Using the same rolling technique, you place the tip of the spatula under the fat, double-folded half of the omelette and you roll it over to the thin, single-rolled half. Lo and behold, you just made a French-style omelette!
The roll, as you will immediately notice, is thick and sturdy enough to flip without mangling. Depending on how you like your omelette, you can either continue cooking it on both sides until it becomes golden brown and crispy on the outside, or you can tilt the pan onto a plate to prepare the omelette for serving.
Folded Over, American-Style Omelet
Then there’s the modern, folded-over omelet, also known as the American-style omelet. Note the subtle difference in spelling between the French and the American versions of this dish; it is not an editorial oversight.
Crack the eggs into a bowl and, with a whisk, beat them just until the yolks and the whites turn into a uniform mass. As we already established, there’s no need to beat, and beat, and beat the eggs constantly until air bubbles form.
Grease a non-stick or well-seasoned cast iron skillet with 1-2 tablespoons of clarified butter or vegetable oil. You are using these oils, and not regular butter or extra virgin olive oil, because they have a high smoke point and won’t burn over medium-high heat.
Pour the mixture into the hot pan. Stir gently with the spatula, shaking the skillet occasionally, until the eggs slowly but surely start to settle. Now, it’s time to add the fillings on the side that you won’t fold over, be they cubed ham, shredded cheese, or sautéed vegetables.
Place your silicone spatula under the side of the omelet that’s facing you. Carefully flip half of the omelet over so that it covers the filings, and continue cooking for 2-30 seconds until the cheese inside has melted.
It probably struck you that, aside from folding, we didn’t flip the omelet at all. Once again, whether you flip the omelet or not is up to you, and it comes down to how cooked you like your omelet. The key is do flip only after you’ve folded; a set omelet is almost impossible to mangle.
To serve the omelet, remove the omelet from the heat, place a plate over it, and turn the pan over.
Flat, Farmer-Style Omelet
Last but not least, there is the farmer-style omelet, also known as frittata in Italy or tortilla in Spain; the kind that you fill with meat, cheese, and vegetables, and then bake in a (greased and heated) skillet in the oven.
As the name suggests, this type of omelet is traditionally prepared by farmers, and is by far the easiest one to make.
Set your oven to 375°F and preheat it for 30 minutes with a heavy-bottomed and thick-walled cast iron skillet inside. Use the time in-between to prep your egg mixture and toppings. Beat the eggs, dice the meat, and slice the vegetables.
Remove the skillet from the oven (remember to use oven mitts or a kitchen towel for the handles; they get very hot in the oven) and place it on a rivet or heat-proof surface. Add 1-2 tablespoons of regular butter or olive oil and swirl the skillet to generously grease its bottom and sides.
Pour the beaten eggs into the skillet, arrange the toppings evenly, and let bake in the oven. Allow the flat omelet cook undisturbed for 5-10 minutes, or until it reaches the desired doneness.
What Causes Egg Flips to Go Wrong?
Flipping beaten eggs can be intimidating, I know. But, as long as you know what to watch out for and which common mistakes to avoid, it doesn’t really have to be. Let’s take a look at the top reasons for egg flipping gone wrong:
You Didn’t Add Oil to the Pan
Yes, a non-stick pan is called “non-stick” for a reason. And double yes, a well-seasoned cast-iron pan behaves much like a non-stick pan. But eggs are liquid proteins, and are notoriously difficult to cook without fat. So I recommend adding some clarified/regular butter or cooking oil to the pan to assist.
The Eggs Haven’t Set Before the Flip
For one thing, you must be sure that your eggs are almost settled before you try to turn them over. If the eggs are even a little loose, they will fall apart—so you will end up with scrambled eggs in the center and burnt eggs on the surface.
The golden rule is to wait until the eggs are almost set. That’s when the consistency changes from runny to solid and the color goes from translucent to golden (but not golden brown).
Your Omelet’s Fillings Are Too Moist
If your omelet is filled with ingredients that have a high moisture content, such as heavy cream or raw tomatoes, there’s a good chance that they’ll release a lot of moisture into your omelet during cooking.
The end result is eggs impossible to flip without mangling. When that happens, the only way to work around this is to go with low to medium heat, stick a lid on top of your pan for 4-5 minutes, and let the whole thing set naturally, without interference.
When you shake the pan, you will know if your eggs need a little more time under the cover. Most of the time, you’ll be good to go—and you can then execute the perfect flip to brown the omelet on the other side.
You’re Not Flipping with Just Your Wrist
When you are flipping your omelette, especially if you are trying to flip the pan, you need to be sure that you are using your wrist alone to create a kind of whiplash action.
If you’re using your whole arm and just cranking through the motion, the chances are good that you are exerting too much force. The end result is an omelette that either flips too much or that doesn’t flip at all. One thing’s for sure; it will definitely misbehave.
Work on your pan-flipping technique. Use only your wrist to “flick” the omelette in the pan, and you should be set. Bear in mind that it takes a few tries to learn the ropes, so temper your expectations.
Your Spatula is Too Narrow
Last but not least, if you’re trying to flip your omelet with a spatula that’s too stiff—or overly narrow—you are almost always guaranteed to tear it up. I recommend using a silicone spatula, the kind you’d also use to scrape dough from a bowl, or a fish flipper.
We’ve written extensively on the topic of spatulas, and shared our best picks, at The Best Spatulas (Metal, Silicone, Wooden). If you want to gear up, I encourage you to go on over and check out our product picks.
