Pas d'omelette ? Si.

« On ne fait pas d'omelette
sans casser des œufs. »

————
You can't make an omelet
without breaking a few eggs.

I don't know if this proverb first showed up in French or in English. But what it means is that when you make big changes, there are inevitably risks and sacrifices involved. And as somebody said, whether or not you're happy about the changes depends on whose eggs get broken and who gets to eat the omelet.

I tend to think the proverb originated in French, because that's obviously where the word omelette comes from. ("Omelet" without the final -te is chiefly an American form.) And France is the place where the best omelettes are made, in my humble opinion.

Une omelette aux épinards

What makes a good omelette? First, the egg whites and yolks need to be mixed together quickly with a fork, not a whisk. The eggs shouldn't really be rougnly beaten, in other words — that's too violent. And then the omelette needs to be cooked just enough to hold together. It should be very tender, not browned on the outside, and slightly runny inside.

In France, that's called an omelette baveuse — one that "drools." I don't think I've ever had une omelette baveuse outside France (unless I cooked it at home). Maybe things have changed...

The first omelette made in the new pan

Some say that how well a cook can roast a chicken — just a plain chicken cooked in the oven — is the ultimate test of cooking skill and talent. You might say the same thing about making an omelette.

The Larousse Gastonomique says this about it:

Making an omelet looks harder than it really is. You will succeed every time if you follow these rules:

• Cook the omelette over a very hot fire;
• Use a rigorously clean pan that is used only for cooking omelettes;
• Beat the eggs only moderately, and only at the last moment before putting them in the pan;
• Don't put too much butter (or other fat) in the pan;
• And finally, "have confidence in yourself."

Here's the French:

La difficulté de préparation de l'omelette est plus apparente que réelle. On la réussira toujours si l'on observe les points suivants :

• Avoir un feu très ardent ;
• Opérer avec une poêle rigoureusement propre et ne servant qu'à cet usage ;
• Battre modérément les œufs, et seulement au moment de faire l'omelette ;
• Ne pas mettre trop de beurre (ou de graisse) dans la poêle ;
• Enfin, « avoir confiance en soi ».

In other words, nobody can really tell you how to make a good omelette. You can make a good bœuf bourguignon or coq au vin if you just follow the recipe. For an omelette, you have to have faith in yourself and just figure it out.

I'm certainly not an expert. But I've been thinking about omelettes a lot lately, because we just got a new non-stick frying pan. If you know any good tricks, I'll be glad to hear them.