The only ingredients of a genuine French omelette, or omelet as we Americans refer to it, are eggs and butter. To give the egg a sensitive, velvety feel, it is folded. It requires some work to perfect because there are only 10% ingredients and 90% technique.
| Prep Time: | 2 mins |
| Cook Time: | 5 mins |
| Additional Time: | 3 mins |
| Total Time: | 10 mins |
| Servings: | 1 |
Ingredients
- 3 large fresh eggs
- ½ teaspoon cold water
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 pinch cayenne or white pepper to taste (Optional)
Instructions
- Whisk eggs, water, and salt together in a mixing bowl. Whisk until mixture is very liquid and whites are completely blended in, 1 or 2 minutes.
- Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a 9- or 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. As soon as butter melts and before it starts to sizzle, pour in whisked eggs. Stir in a circular pattern with a heat-proof spatula, lifting and scrambling eggs, shaking the pan to keep leveling out the mixture, and scraping down the sides. Continue stirring until shaking the pan no longer levels the eggs.
- Reduce heat to low. Using the spatula, smooth the surface to move runny eggs to less runny spots, working toward an even thickness. As soon as the surface is wet but not runny, remove from heat.
- Starting at the handle side of the pan, use the spatula to begin rolling omelette into a cylinder shape, about 3 rolls until omelette is about 2 inches from opposite side of the pan. Use the spatula to fold the last flap of egg over the top of the cylinder leaving the seam-side up. Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter to the pan. Gently push the butter as it melts under the omelette.
- Slide omelette to edge of the pan. Flip onto a plate with the seam-side down. Even out the shape, if necessary. You can tuck in the ends, if you like. Brush surface with a bit more butter. Dust with cayenne pepper.
- Feel free to stuff this with your favorite fillings before folding up, but if you’ve never had an authentic French omelette before, I highly recommend making one without filling first. You’ll be amazed at just how delicious these few ingredients can be when elevated using this method.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 393 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 1 g |
| Cholesterol | 552 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Protein | 17 g |
| Saturated Fat | 19 g |
| Sodium | 668 mg |
| Sugars | 1 g |
| Fat | 36 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Thanks for the video, it really helped! Great easy recipe, love all your recipes chef John!
I just made this for the first time, fully expecting to botch it. After watching the video, I followed the recipe exactly and it was incredible! Totally worth the time and effort. Next time I’m going to try adding goat cheese and chives. You’ve done it again, Chef John!
This one has been a go to for a long long time
If you know what’s good for you, you’ll do exactly as Chef John suggests and make this first without stuffing any other ingredients. It was amazing plain, and plain is NOT at all how this tasted! These simple ingredients prepared using this technique will have you never adding cheese, meats or veggies to your omelette again!
So easy to understand and the second attempt came out perfect. Added mixed roasted mushrooms and topped with chives and butter as directed. When folding, took off electric burner to prevent any browning, then returned to low heat when finishing the edge fold. Otherwise, followed Chef John to a T. Filling was like a soft creamy crepe.
Simple and very nice, when you have mastered the technic.
Perfect. Just like Julia’s. Just needed to keep in mind that I’m not flipping it at any time. Just like a crêpe, I went from every edge and pushed to the center and tilted the pan and had the runny egg fill in the gaps until I had completed an entire circle. That leaves curdled eggs in the middle – so you use your spatula to press it all down flat and fill in any holes. Then you turn the heat down to low and wait. It’s done when it’s still a little shiny but not raw. I added a very thin slice of baby Swiss cheese and then started the folding. I waited about 20 seconds in between each fold. Tilting the pan away from me. Once it was completely folded I turned off the heat and let it sit for 20 seconds while I grabbed the plate and the toast. This allowed the cheese to melt. I topped it with fresh ground pepper.
Can’t wait to perfect this. First try was delicious. Thank you for the video
Perfect recipe with tons of buttery goodness. Used a small scanpan and only 1tbs of butter.
A lovely looking omelette! I myself don’t stir the eggs, but use the angle down pan and slide and flip technique. I can do the tilted pan and handle strike technique but don’t see any advantage in the least as it’s harder than the tilt, slide and flip technique until you achieve what Chef John has rolled by hand, a little bit of a egg life hack LOL Chef John, and there’s never enough butter!
I’ve made this many times now, so easy and one of my hubbys fave!!
Thank you chef John! Perfect instructions and so easy to follow! Going forward this is the only way I will take an omelette.
I made half of it and yet it still came out beautifully. My whole family enjoyed it after I made more.
Followed the instructions and got a perfect omelette on the first try.
This is a French Omelette without the French…more an American Pragmatism Omelette than the French variant. The two taste near the same but they differ considerably in appearance. No water in the French version as that just adds steam and fluff. No spreading either. When the eggs firm to the point they trace the pan jar the pan to cover the bottom, take it off the heat and fold the handle side in an oval fashion. Thrust the omelette to the far edge of the pan using the curve of the pan to add the final shape ( an oval ) to the omelette. Flip it onto a plate. It will look French and taste French. The American version will taste French ( which is where its really at ) but look American.
I added a bit of cheese and it was so good
I never knew after all these years how wrong I was making my omelettes, after I work on my technique I’ll have this mastered, thanks chef for sharing,
Great recipe! I salted it at the end instead of at first and added cheese on the inside. Tomatoes cut the egg real nice. Delicious, very happy.
Added pepper and parsley, great recipe
Oh my goodness! I made these for the first time and I may never have an American omelette again! Creamy, buttery deliciousness. Mine even looked mostly like the picture. As a note, don’t be tempted to add more salt. The pinch is plenty, even with unsalted butter.
great and easy