French omelet: (1) Scour the omelet pan with salt and vinegar, and wipe it; (2) just before using the pan, scour it with salt; (3) beat the eggs just enough to break them (12 revolutions with a Dover beater),' (4) to 3 eggs, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, a dash of pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of butter broken into small bits, adding a teaspoon of milk or not as desired; (5) heat the pan; (6) grease the pan with 1/2 teaspoon of fat; (7) turn in the eggs; (8) with a fork break the cooked surface quickly, in several places around the edge, or press the egg away from the sides, letting the uncooked part run under; (9) when the egg is cooked, but still quite soft on top, lift the pan on one side, slip a knife under the omelet, and carefully fold it through the center; (10) let it cook a moment to thicken any of the egg that has run out; (11) place a hot dish over the pan, and invert the two in such a way that the omelet will fall in the proper place; (12) press it into good shape; (13) garnish it with parsley and serve at once.

Variations: (1) Sprinkle a little finely chopped parsley over the top; (2) turn tomato, Bechamel, or mushroom sauce on the dish around the omelet; sprinkle the top with chopped mushrooms, if mushroom sauce is used; (3) spread the omelet with chopped ham, oysters, or chicken before folding it, and serve it with a sauce; (4) spread the omelet with creamed peas or other vegetable before turning it, and serve it with white sauce; (5) spread the omelet with jelly or jam before folding it.

Puffy omelet: (1) Beat the whites of the eggs until they are dry (page 535); (2) beat the yolks until they are thick and lemon-colored; (3) add 3 tablespoons of water, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and a dash of pepper for each 3 yolks, and mix the ingredients thoroughly; (4) turn the mixture over the beaten whites; (5) cut and fold the whites into the yolk mixture; (6) turn the mixture into a hot buttered pan; (7) cook it for 2 minutes over moderate heat; (8) set it in the oven to cook the top slightly; (9) when a knife thrust into the center comes out nearly clean, remove the omelet from the oven, cut it across the center of the top at right angles to the handle, fold the part nearest the handle over the other part, and turn it on to a hot platter.

Variations: (1) To 3 egg-yolks, add the grated rind of 1 orange, 3 tablespoons of orange juice, and 3 tablespoons of powdered sugar, garnishing the omelet with sliced oranges and powdered sugar (this is a good chafing-dish recipe); (2) add 2 tablespoons of maraschino juice and 1/3 Cup of chopped maraschino cherries to the beaten yolks, and garnish the omelet with strawberry jam and cherries.

Omelet with a starchy foundation: (1) Make 1 cup of medium white sauce (page 552); (2) stir into this the yolks of 5 eggs; (3) fold in the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs; (4) melt 1 tablespoon of butter in an omelet pan; (5) pour in the mixture, and cook it in the same way as a puffy omelet.

Variations: (1) Finely chopped ham, chicken, parboiled oysters, or mushrooms, may be added with the white sauce to the yolks of eggs; (2) 1 cup of grated pineapple, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, and 1/4 cup of sugar, may be added to the yolks; (3) oranges or strawberries may take the place of pineapple, the amount of sugar depending on the acidity of the fruit.