Don’t let the picture fool you, I judge an omelet on its flavor. If I want food with a perfect appearance, I’ll get it from a restaurant. I generally chalk it up to luck if my omelet looks good too. I realize it’s more a matter of me being patient while cooking, but hey, let’s call it luck.
There are some differences, of course, if cooking multiple omelets; I’ll try to account for them. The most important part is the filling… if you just wanted to eat an egg, you could have fried, boiled, or poached it. You’ll want to pick two or three items that have complementary flavors. My default fillings are mushrooms and cheese, with a lot of variance as to what cheese I use. Costco sells any amazing Merlot cheese, and Swiss is a perennial favorite. (If you don’t like cheese, skip the cheese part! I had an amazing omelet without cheese the time we went to Philadelphia.)
If I’m cooking for just myself or one other person, I sauté any vegetables in the same pan that I’ll be cooking the omelet(s) in, starting with a tablespoon of melted butter. If I’m including garlic, I drop that in after I’ve flipped the (usually) mushrooms and turn off the burner. There’s a 50/50 chance that I’ll wash the knife and cutting board at this stage, forgetting that I need them to slice the cheese. If you’re only making one omelet, that single tablespoon of butter is all you’ll need, though make allowance for the pan you’re using. If I’m making omelets for more than two people, I’ll prepare the filling in a separate pan (if it’s something that needs cooking – leftovers work too), but I still mix each omelet individually.
While the vegetables are cooking, I crack an egg into a mixing bowl and add milk. As a general rule, a large egg is equivalent to about 1/4 cup of liquid, and I eyeball the milk at about half of that (so 1/8th cup, which is 2 tablespoons). If you want a two or three egg omelet, just adjust up with the same proportions. I dash a bit of salt and pepper in before I whisk the milk and egg together.
When the vegetables (if any) are cooked, I move them from the pan to another dish. This is the important part – the pan should still be hot, but not so hot that the egg bubbles when you add it to the pan. Pour the egg mix into the pan, make sure it spreads out, and turn the burner back on medium. (Yeah, sometimes I forget and wonder why my omelet isn’t ready yet.) If needed, rotate the pan until the top of the omelet is almost solid, then any meat (sandwich meat works great) to one half of the omelet, then the sautéed vegetables, followed by cheese (if desired).
Flip the half of the omelet you didn’t put anything on over the fillings. This is when you find out if your omelet will look perfect, or if it’s just going to taste perfect. If you didn’t include cheese, just give it a minute to finish cooking and move it to a plate. If you included cheese, turn the burner down to medium low… cheese takes a bit to melt, and you don’t want to burn the omelet in the process. At this point, the timing is going to vary based on the cheese… try to find that balance between compulsively checking it because you’re super hungry and you really want the cheese melted.
If you’re cooking multiple omelets, I’ve found about half a tablespoon of butter is the right amount for subsequent omelets. If you’re cooking in a non-stick pan, this is optional, but it’s partially for the flavor.
Just in case you jumped to the end as if this were a food blog, here’s the basic recipe: for each egg, 1/8 cup of milk, fillings of your choice. If any fillings are raw, cook them first and remove them from the pan. Cook the egg mix until it begins to solidify, add fillings (start with flattest, then vegetables, and top with cheese) to one side and flip the other side of the omelet to cover it.