Cooking a classic omelet is a dish known to make even chefs cry, but who knows why? Yes, getting a lovely soft rolled takes some care but cooking it is straightforward, bearing a few things in mind before you start.

The classic omelet takes no time to cook; there is a temptation to cook the omelet until it is set throughout – NO. This is the most common mistake; the egg inside needs to be set but not cooked. The outside will cook in the hot pan, and once rolled, the heat from this will continue to cook the eggs, so when you cut into it, it will be the tiniest bit soft, the cheese melted, and altogether delicious.

The second mistake is to not overbeat the eggs before adding them to the pan. They should never be beaten. This will introduce too much air, and the eggs will cook very quickly and become tough; and contrary to what some say, a classic omelet should not include any milk.

The ham or cheese you use is up to you and can be varied to your liking. Making an omelet is a great way to use leftover ham or gammon, switching the flavors between smoked or unsmoked. With the cheese, choose a good melting cheese; cheddar is probably one of the best but try a grated Gruyere with its strong flavor, or a softer cheese like a Feta, which will give you a creamier, fluffier omelet. Parmesan is and so works well in an omelet, but is salty, so lower any additional salt.

Serve the omelet immediately onto a hot plate; if you can’t serve it immediately, cover it with another warmed plate, not in the oven, or it will continue to cook.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup ham pieces
• 3 medium fresh free-range eggs
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 3/4 cup cheddar cheese

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.

1. Gather the ingredients.
2. Heat butter in an 8-inch skillet or omelet pan over medium heat. Add ham pieces and cook gently to warm through for 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Break eggs into a small bowl. Gently mix with a fork. As mentioned above, do not whisk.
4. Tip gently stirred eggs over ham in skillet over medium heat. Using a fork, gently move egg around pan, pushing cooked egg from the pan’s bottom and allowing uncooked, liquid egg to run into its place. Gradually, all the eggs will start to set.
5. Immediately once egg starts to set, sprinkle cheese and stop stirring. Let omelet sit for about one minute for heat to start to reach cheese. Sprinkle over a tiny pinch of salt and black pepper.
6. Once cheese is starting to warm, take a spatula and carefully nudge omelet’s lower edge two-thirds of the way over.

Take a warmed plate, hold skillet over plate and gently tip pan away from you and roll omelet out and over onto plate, so the seam is underneath. This is easier to do than it sounds. Serve omelet immediately.