How do I make an omelette or frittata?

The difference is time and thickness. An omelette is thin and quick with a soft interior; a frittata is thick and slow with a set one. Both fail the same way — too much heat too fast.

What you'll need

• Non-stick pan
• Eggs
• Butter or oil
• Grill (optional)
• Spatula (optional)

Step by step

1. Beat the eggs thoroughly with salt.Until no streaks of white remain. Three eggs for an omelette, six or more for a frittata depending on the pan.
2. For an omelette, use a hot-but-not-smoking pan and butter.Medium heat. The butter should foam without browning — that is your temperature indicator.
3. Pour the eggs in and stir briefly, then let it set.Stir for the first ten seconds to create curds, then leave it to set into a base for about a minute.
4. Add the filling to one half and fold.Keep fillings light and pre-cooked. Fold while the top is still slightly glossy — it will finish from residual heat.
5. For a frittata, cook the fillings in the pan first.Vegetables, potato, onion, meat. They need to be cooked before the eggs go in — the egg time is too short to cook them.
6. Pour the eggs over and cook on very low heat.Ten to fifteen minutes. The edges set and the middle stays wobbly. Rushing it gives a rubbery base and a raw middle.
7. Finish the frittata under a medium grill.Two or three minutes until the top is just set and lightly golden. Watch it — it goes from set to dry quickly.
8. Take both off the heat while slightly underdone.Eggs keep cooking from residual heat. Cooking either until it looks done means overcooked by the time it is eaten.

Tips

• A frittata is one of the best uses for leftover vegetables, potatoes and cheese, and it is as good cold as hot.
• Do not overfill either. Too much filling relative to egg means it will not hold together.
• A well-seasoned or non-stick pan matters more here than in almost any other dish. Eggs stick to everything else.

Common mistakes

• Cooking eggs over high heat — The proteins tighten and squeeze out water, giving a rubbery texture and a weeping surface.
• Adding raw vegetables to a frittata — The egg sets long before they cook. Everything going in should already be cooked.
• Cooking until it looks done in the pan — Residual heat continues cooking it. Both should come off slightly underdone.

Questions people ask