I have actually asked this in a few countries, in China the most common answer I got was Peking duck or thousand year egg, every interesting processes.
I love to challenge myself in the kitchen, in fact its the only place I like to challenge myself.
Anyone who has worked in a kitchen commercially, what is your hardest dish, or one you just remember having the toughest time with? What specifically didn’t go right?
Omelette.
So many factors: fat-to-air ratio, time whisking, time resting, egg by itself vs. adding ingredients, pan temperature, length of heat exposure… And that’s just chemistry. That doesn’t even take into account the physics of folding and lifting.
can second, i tried to make a french rolled omelette this morning and… it was not rolled, i’m not even sure it was french
was tasty though!
And getting it right without any burning or scarring on the outside without drowning it in butter or oil is crazy difficult.
Edit: saw this the other day, and it’s crazy impressive, even for a short order position in a kitchen:
So I’m not a chef, and I’m not disagreeing, but I think omelettes are one of the easiest things to practice. You mess them up and you just have 100% edible scrambled eggs for breakfast. You do that every morning you want eggs and you can get pretty good at it.
It’s because I’m no good at baking, but frying an egg involves similar chemistry/math to baking.
I can fix a bitter stew by adding sweet fruit or vegetables. I can fix thin soup by simmering it longer. I can fix a steak by not fucking cooking it too long.
If I add fine pepper to the egg? Coarse pepper? Coarse pepper because I forgot to change the setting on the grinder? How much moisture is in the paprika? Kosher salt or high-mineral sea salt?
…shit, the thing broke when I tried to flip it, because the eggs had more moisture in the pan than I realized. “GARY, WHERE’S THAT OMELET?” start over from scratch
I’m being overly dramatic - and my name’s not Gary - but hopefully you can understand why I found it challenging!
Uh what? If that number is anything other than zero I’m pretty sure you’re doing it wrong.
I make perfect French omelettes nearly every day, and it’s a 90 second start to finish process once the pan is heated. Other than whisking there are no required tools. Folding and flipping are done with the pan and a little wrist movement.
Unless your pepper is enormous (ex: cracked instead of ground) the size doesn’t matter. Paprika is a garnish in this dish, and even if it were an ingredient its moisture content is irrelevant.
Getting the heat right can be tricky at first, until you figure out your equipment. I can’t help but feel you’re overthinking this whole thing (or trolling)
Yeah, a classic French omelette is simpler, but American omelettes have a wider range of ingredients and styles.
Tomato is the worst. Tastes great, but adds a TON of moisture.
That’s exactly what someone who’s name is Gary would say!
side note, i’ve heard of using a baking sheet over your pan when cooking eggs to prevent having to clean the pan as much. has anyone had any truth to this?