Healthy Egg Omelettes 101: by L.L. Cool J

What You Will Need:

3 Eggs (mine are farm fresh)
1 Tbsp of each filling (I chose canadian bacon and bacon)
1 lo-cal string cheese(pulled apart)
Butter (for greasing the pan)
Water
Tabasco (opt.)


(this picture below is called Mise en Place. We'll teach it later)















This week, I'm talking about the versatility of eggs. They're used in everything from breading meats to baking sweets (impromptu rhyming).

Today, I'm making a healthy omelette. I seperate the whites from the first two eggs and put them in a bowl. I discard the yolks but if you're baking enough, you can store them in the fridge for a short time for future recipes. I also use one whole egg for color and texture.















Using a fork, break the yolk and whisk them rapidly to pull apart the strands within that bind them. You're looking for a lighter yellow color with some frothy bubbles when your mixing is complete.

Alright. This is where Mr. Cool J lends a hand. In the Oscar worthy movie, Deep Blue Sea, L.L. plays the role of an undersea chef. My favorite part of this movie...you'll see why the rest is unlikeable...is when L.L. is seen with a mixing bowl full of eggs and a whisk. He starts pouring water in and someone asks why not milk. He immediately rips into a the person saying that milk is mama's way of appearing smarter. Milk will create a creamier egg but if you really want a light and fluffy omelette, water is the key in my opinion. Also L.L.'s opinion. Pour a small amount of water into your eggs and whisk them rapidly again until it is thoroughly combined.















Next, I add my flavoring of salt and ground black pepper. If you should choose a little Tabasco, I recommend the Chipotle variety for a smoky, spicy omelette. Whisk the eggs one last time to incorporate any seasonings.















Now put your pan over a medium-high heat and add the butter. I understand you may want to use non-stick spray but I promise you that a little butter used for greasing the pan will help you succeed with the omelette flip. I've been doing it for years and I still have problems with non-stick spray. You'll need to lean the pan left, right, forward and back and then move the butter around in a circular motion up the sides of the pan to coat it.















Make sure you have a rubber spatula that can withstand high temperatures. This Pyrex brand model has been with me for years and has never melted a bit. If you go cheap, you may risk leaching plastics into your food. It's not safe.















Now that the butter is melted, we have to work very fast to avoid scorching. Add the fillings to the pan and move them around occasionally for about thirty seconds.















Pour in the eggs and move the pan around in a circular motion. The fillings will move out toward the edges when the eggs pour in. The circular motion helps redistribute them evenly throughout the pan so you will have a little filling in every bite and not just near the edge.

Now we wait for the edges to set a little. The egg will cook around the edges and bottom leaving uncooked liquidy eggs on top. You have to move it around to cook completely.















Start with your spatula at the bottom left...call it 7 o'clock if you want. Push the spatula under the solid egg and lift slightly. Lean the pan towards the lifted section so the uncooked egg pours underneath. Then continue around to 9 o'clock, 11 o'clock, 1 o'clock, 3 o'clock, etc. Keep doing this until you have as much of the egg cooked as possible.















It should look close to this picture on the left. Now we flip. Everyone's technique is a little different but I lean my pan up towards 12 o' clock and let the omelette slide until its at the very edge of the pan. With a flourish and flick of the wrist, I thrust the pan up and back and raise the pan to meet the airborn egg. It takes practice and on occasion, I still miss but not much. Don't let the egg fly into the air a few feet and land in the pan with a splat. Hot, wet eggs WILL burn you and there's no way to live down the embarrassment of these battle scars. "Hey man...what happened??" "Dude, I was attacked by hot eggs!". Be smart and be careful.















The acrobatics aren't over yet. After the first flip, wait about 25 seconds for the other side of the egg to cook and I recommend flipping it back again. This will put the hottest part of the egg facing up. It also puts your fillings in the center and not the outside when you fold it and serve it.















Add your string cheese to the omelette. I position mine on one half of the total area.















Now you push the spatula under the non-cheesy side and fold it over into a half-moon shape.















I don't think it shows well in the picture but this omelette has height and it's very light and fluffy.
You'll want to use the spatula to push the omelette from the pan to the plate.















If you call yourself a man (and I hope that none of you ladies have this problem), now is the time to add the hot sauce and enjoy.















By using one whole egg and two egg whites, you're increasing protein and lowering calories and cholesterol. Using water keeps calories low too. Here's the calorie breakdown:

2 egg whites= 34
1 egg, whole= 78
1 lo-cal string cheese=70
1 slice canadian bacon=15
1 Tbsp bacon, crumbled=25
OMELETTE TOTAL=222 calories

Not bad, huh? It's very filling, very customizable and very tasty (my wife hates that word). I hope you have fun finding your own combinations of healthy fillings.

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Mise en Place

The technique I'm teaching for this week is more prep work than technique. If I took one thing away from culinary school, it was "Mise en Place". It translates, loosely, to "Everything in its place". If you go back to the top of the blog, you'll see a picture of everything needed for the recipe. String cheese is already pulled apart for melting. Bacon and canadian bacon are already measured and the eggs and bowl are where I need them to be.

By doing this, you reduce cooking stress. Think about it. If you're deep in the middle of a rapid recipe like this and you have your egg cooking already but you have to get the string cheese from the fridge, open the wrapper, peel it into strings and then put it on your egg, you've already overcooked or BURNED your egg. It works the same way with any recipe.

Have everything measured, weighed, sliced, chopped, marinated and whatnot before you begin. Organize the items in a way that is most convenient to you and the preparation of the food.

Try this. You'll thank me and the members of that kitchen brigade that thought of it so long ago.

Next time you watch that Bam guy, the Grill guy, the Italian Princess with the big smile, the Saturated Fats Lady or the Shoeless Dutchess lady, you have to know what goes on behind the scenes. These guys aren't just miraculously whipping this stuff together on the fly. They've got a team of people that prep everything so it's in a place most convenient for the celebrity chef to prepare it in front of the camera. They make it look so easy and if you take the time to do it, you'll find out how easy it is too. A good example of a celebrity cooking show that gives it to you straight is "Good Eats" with Alton Brown. This guy almost always uses a still shot of what you need before showing you how to cook it. I'm going to try to do the same.

Mise en Place is a required technique for the stew I'll be making next week. Thanks for tuning in.

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A Haiku of Mise en Place

Where are my spices
Should have done my Mise en Place
Just like Pasquale