Break four eggs; beat them, but not very much, just so that you can take them up without strings; put a piece of butter in a very clean smooth frying-pan and let it get hot but not burn; put a saltspoonful of salt in the eggs, and pour them in the pan; as the egg sets, shift it from the sides with a spoon that the uncooked part may run in its place; do not let it quite set; fold it half over; shake the pan and slip the omelette off on to a dish.

This is the true French omelette. It has one drawback, it must be eaten at once or it will be tough and heavy. The addition of a little milk - a tablespoonful to two eggs - tends to prevent it getting tough so quickly. Neither of these omelettes can be kept, not even for a minute, and for that reason where you are not sure of your cook, and do not want to make the dish with your own hands, I recommend the one mentioned on page 45. It is good till cold and always handsome, yet true omelette lovers would not approve of it.

Any kind of savory omelette is but a variation on this plain one.