Recently I started watching ‘The Bear’ on Disney Plus. Am I late to the party? Of course I am. Truth be told I avoided this show for so long because I thought it would be in more of the realm of the ‘depressing-adult-sex-and-drugs’ style show I was used to seeing hanging around the streaming services. This assumption only grew when I heard it was based around a chef. The stereotype I’d seen across most shows including chefs as the main feature was nearly always along these lines, especially in dramas.
Thankfully I was wrong. ‘The Bear’, whilst still slightly generalising about the catering industry and having some questionable decisions from the chefs, is actually highly engaging with interesting, fleshed-out characters. The subjects they hit, they (at least so far as I haven’t finished it yet) try to hit with empathy and compassion. They make some very clever decisions regarding characters, plot and twists—one in the first series that I’d love to talk about but, for once, I’m trying to keep this spoiler-free so that you can enjoy the twists for yourself.
I do question some of the decisions, e.g. why is this sandwich shop in the middle of housing developments doing so poorly?; Why would you change a sandwich shop in the middle of a housing development into a Michelin-aiming restaurant? (Michelin starred restaurants are meant to be restaurants you would travel to visit and you’re judged, I believe, on more than just the food—why would people travel to visit a restaurant in the middle of a housing development with no real parking, on a high street?)… Why is there so many chefs working in a sandwich shop? Why do they hire chefs and not cooks? Why do they make things other than just sandwiches? I could go on and perhaps when I’m finished I might do a full review of the show.
But that’s not what I’m here to talk about today. I’m actually here to talk about an Omelette. I know, again, I’m late to the party as I see the video on YouTube of Sydney (sous-chef on ‘The Bear’) making her Omelette came out months ago, and I see that other YouTubers etc. have tested or made their own versions of this Omelette already, but I really wanted to have a go myself. I especially wanted to see how it compared against the Omelettes I already regularly make myself.
Now, to start with, let me tell you how I make my Omelettes already. It was a ‘French’ method (or at least that’s what I was told) that I learned whilst studying Professional Cookery. In fact, I did a practical test where I had to make the perfect one. It’s deceptively simple but also deceptively hard. I made so many bad ones before I even got close to making a good one. I practiced at home and at college so many times that I was practically eating Omelettes for every meal.
The method involves whisking your eggs (usually 3 eggs but I have done it with more) with a fork until you have a runny smooth texture, with no goopy bits you usually have in eggs. The eggs should be completely liquid with potentially bubbles on the surface. You then season your eggs with salt and pepper, to taste. I’ve also added herbs etc. at this stage before. You then put a small non-stick/seasoned* frying pan (or large depending on number of eggs) onto a very high heat, add a bit of butter and a splash of sunflower/vegetable oil** (the oil is so the butter doesn’t burn) and turn it round as it melts to coat the bottom and sides of the pan.
Once the butter is melted and your pan is very hot pour in your eggs and (this is where it gets hard) start whisking with your fork, constantly moving both the fork around the eggs and shaking the pan on the hob with your other hand. When the eggs start to form a cooked layer (or start to resemble an omelette) you can stop and take it off the heat. There will be some rawer egg and if you feel uncomfortable eating raw egg you can continue to cook it on a lower temperate for a bit longer. At this point, if you want fillings, you can also add them now (harder cheese will have to be added earlier to allow time to melt). Grab a plate, tilt your pan and use your fork to slowly fold it from top to bottom, allowing it to gently land on your plate.
It sounds easy, but really it’s not. It takes a lot of practice, but when you get it, it creates the most perfect, buttery, fluffy omelette imaginable everytime (not nearly as fluffy as the souffle style Japanese omelette which is essentially an egg souffle). I rarely bother adding fillings or toppings to it because the taste of the egg alone is heavenly.
Sydney ‘The Bear’s’ Omelette however uses the more commonly used, easier to do version of an Omelette. This method is done slowly and gently, allowing the cook the time needed to process exactly what they’re doing. Visually it creates a nicer colour and shape but with a slightly less impressive flavour and texture. It’s a lot thinner but, compared to mine, is perfect for filling as it’s almost crying out for other flavours and textures to join it. She added Boursin Cheese (garlic and herb cheese spread, apparently expensive in America but very easy to get here in France and the UK) for both flavour and a smooth texture in the middle; sour cream and onion crisps/chips for a satisfying crunch to go along with the spongy omelette; she rubbed the cooked omelette with garlic, which I must test against a version with no rubbed garlic some day as I’m not sure how much it actually added but would love to see if it did; and chopped chives because—well, let’s face it, because the green colour pops on the yellow Omelette and it makes it look prettier.
Now, was Sydney’s Omelette tasty? Definitely. I would definitely recommend trying it as I guarantee, if you would struggle to make my version, this is an easy and tasty Omelette with some interesting additions. However, if you can spend the countless hours I did to learn my method, I would 100 percent choose my version over it. I made both versions and had my parents taste them side-by-side (and yes, obviously these aren’t proper test results as they’re biased testers) and they also preferred my version (obviously by ‘my’ I mean ‘my college’s’ as I didn’t invent it).
I really enjoyed ‘The Bear’s’ Omelette and, for being a TV Show, they at least chose the version of an Omelette that would be easier for the actor to make—and, don’t get me wrong, there’s also a lot of chefs that make this version both because it’s easier and because it carries other flavours better (it’s essentially a texture/pancake that is designed to hold other ingredients with stronger flavours)—but I would always choose to make my version. I save a lot of money not needing the other ingredients and have a quick meal that takes roughly 3-5 minutes to prepare without needing more than one ingredient and seasoning. If you want my version, tell me in the comments below and I’ll see about making a video to accurately show how to make it (it’s hard to describe in words).
I also want to add about ‘The Bear’s’ version—there is no way she should be chopping those chives and making that drink after finishing cooking the Omelette. That Omelette would have been stone cold before it got to the person who was eating it. A Chef always does mise-en-place first. Those chives and the drink would be the first thing I’d do. In fact, I did chop the chives and have them ready to go before making my Omelettes for this test.
WAIT! Before you go, please read below:
So, you may have noticed (or you may have not, it’s not like I get many views) that I’ve not been posting as regularly as I’ve been meaning to recently. Well, a lot has been happening—and all in one go.
I mentioned, I think, on Instagram that I had to do a stint in hospital in February. It wasn’t planned and it was actually the emergency room that I went to. I had a nap one day, when I hadn’t had much sleep the night before, and woke up unable to speak properly or able to write properly. At the Doctors I was unable to remember how to spell my name and unsure of my name. My parents have informed me that I was speaking gibberish. My memory of it is that I couldn’t remember any of the words I was trying to say so would often try to use another word or give up on the sentence. I was sent to the hospital by the Doctor where I proceeded to completely forget my birthday and feel absolutely awful. The Doctors at the hospital admitted me for the night.
The next day I felt slightly better and my memory had come back but I remained to do some tests. It was the most boring day of my life. I was sat in a bed, in a boiling hot hospital, with nothing to do except look at all the people around me and watch the clock, praying I could go home soon. I was woken at half-seven in the morning and finally managed to be allowed to leave (after a visit from a brain specialist) around 4-ish pm. Luckily, it wasn’t a stroke, the MRI proved it wasn’t brain cancer, and the specialist decided to label it as a migraine.
I have never had migraines before and this experience made me really empathise with the people I grew up with that had them all the time. Not that I didn’t already sympathise with them but experiencing them yourself is a different beast altogether. For the next two weeks I experienced migraines or feeling like they were coming on repeatedly. I missed meals because I was having an attack and often felt like I couldn’t breath and had panic attacks along with them. I couldn’t write during that time as I could barely look at a screen without spinning and couldn’t focus when trying to write on paper. Luckily, touch wood, I haven’t had any migraines since those two weeks.
But that doesn’t mean it was the end. Just as my migraines ended, whilst trying to take my Dad to the port so he could travel back to the UK, my Mum fell and ended up also being admitted into the same hospital as I was. She had broken her femur and needed her hip replaced. For the week she was in hospital I spent my time getting the house ready, and a room downstairs ready, for her arrival back home… and now that she is home I spend my time preparing all the meals for all three of us, keeping her company and helping her with whatever she needs. This means that my ‘Stories Turned Into Food’ series has had to go on hold until I have the free time to make the actual dish (this next one is quite a complicated one and requires a lot of time spent on it), and actual writing has also gone on hold until I find the motivation and time that I can dedicate to it. Still, I do bits here and there, such as this post today—the recipes for my Avatar dish will still be coming out (2 more to go) and the last two parts of ‘Character Strike’ will also be coming out as well.
Along with both these hospital visits we also had the bad fortune of our very young cat (3 and a half years) to suddenly die out of the blue—and we don’t even know the cause. We found her body on the day my Mum came home from the hospital so I’m sure you understand how much shock we were all in, with so much already going on.
Again, I’m going to be trying to bring out as much as I can, and I am working on other projects like a cookbook, fiction books etc. as well but it may take longer than I wish it would.
Thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoyed reading this. If you did, could you leave a like and/or a comment below. I hope you’re having a great day and, if you’re not, I hope tomorrow is better.
Signed,
The Literary Onion
*Seasoned means a pan you’ve made non-stick with the use of either oil or salt. Another thing we were taught to do and tested on in the Omelette test. Essentially you put your pan on a high heat and cover the base of the pan with either an un-flavoured oil like sunflower or vegetable oil or fine salt, and allow it to get very hot (removing the impurities on the pan). Turn the hot salt or oil by tilting the pan so it touches the sides also. Remove the oil or salt and then wipe with kitchen towel. After that it should be perfectly non-stick and you should be able to wash it with a soft sponge easily. When it starts to become sticky again repeat the process of seasoning. You have to do this for Sydney’s recipe as well as mine, if your pan is not already non-stick. I would advise, if you want to try ‘my’ version, not to use a proper non-stick pan and instead use one you’ve seasoned as a metal fork will damage your non-stick coating.
** I’ve also used truffle oil or a nice flavoured olive oil like garlic and rosemary olive oil as it imparts the flavour of the oil into the omelette.
The Literary Onion 