" 'In despair I went to my friend, who was sur-
prised at my failure ; but, to my great delight,
she said, " Stay to lunch, and I will make an ome-
let so that you may see just how it is done." I
watched carefully every movement, and kept say-
ing, "/did precisely so," until stirring time came.
Then my interest grew intense. Placing the
omelet in the pan, she set it over moderate heat,
and waiting just about a minute, dipped in the
fork. Finding the egg had set, or slightly
cooked upon the bottom of the pan, she lifted or
picked it up, here and there, at various points, —
each time raising her fork entirely out of the
omelet, and dipping it in at another point. Light
dawned. I saw the secret of the whole thing was
in this peculiar moving of the omelet as it cooked ;
and in my amazement, I exclaimed, "And that
performance you call stirring ? I might have tried
till doomsday, from your directions, and wouldn't
have cooked the omelet properly." "AYell, if it
isn't stirring — what is it? AVhat would you call
it ? " " Lifting would express the idea more cor-
rectly," I replied. "It is lifting the cooked egg
that adheres to the pan, so that the uncooked egg
may take its place. The egg forms a thin layer
or cake on the pan, and dipping the fork in here
134 COOKING AND CASTLE-BUILDING.
and there at various points and lifting, loosens the
whole mass. The eflects produced by stirring and
liftmg are very different, and in the manfacture of
an omelet are Very apparent." When a second
layer had cooked, the lifting operation was re-
peated, and so on until the cooked egg filled the
pan, and there was no more to be let underneath.
In this delicate process of lifting lies the whole
secret of the operation. Done in this manner,
the butter is not stirred away from the bottom of
the pan, and enough remains to allow the omelet
to brown nicely, and prevent it from sticking.
Since that memorable day I have never failed in
makins: an omelet that o'ave me entire satisfac-
tion.' "
"I had no idea," interrupted Emeline, "such
m3^steries Avere hidden away in an omelet. Few
of us, I fear, Avould labor as Mrs. Rose did to dis-
cover them."
■* No," I replied, " the most of us are too lazy
or too careless to do so. We accept the indiffer-
ent food that is placed before us, and grumble at
the cook for selecting such unpalata])le dishes ;
but never dream the wretched preparations can be
improved upon. Mrs. Hose is an exceptional
woman, who never rests satisfied with a dish that
she thinks she can in any way improve. Pier
omelets, I know, from having seen and tasted
many of them, are unsurpassable. And I am not
OMELET AND DAINTY DISHES. 135
willing to believe any woman such a natural
stupid as to be capable, after reading the' minute
description given in these graphic exiieriences,
of makins: a failure of an omelet. Her letter con-
tinues :
Page 56
Presented as published in 1880. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
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" 'In despair I went to my friend, who was sur-
prised at my failure ; but, to my great delight,
she said, " Stay to lunch, and I will make an ome-
let so that you may see just how it is done." I
watched carefully every movement, and kept say-
ing, "/did precisely so," until stirring time came.
Then my interest grew intense. Placing the
omelet in the pan, she set it over moderate heat,
and waiting just about a minute, dipped in the
fork. Finding the egg had set, or slightly
cooked upon the bottom of the pan, she lifted or
picked it up, here and there, at various points, —
each time raising her fork entirely out of the
omelet, and dipping it in at another point. Light
dawned. I saw the secret of the whole thing was
in this peculiar moving of the omelet as it cooked ;
and in my amazement, I exclaimed, "And that
performance you call stirring ? I might have tried
till doomsday, from your directions, and wouldn't
have cooked the omelet properly." "AYell, if it
isn't stirring — what is it? AVhat would you call
it ? " " Lifting would express the idea more cor-
rectly," I replied. "It is lifting the cooked egg
that adheres to the pan, so that the uncooked egg
may take its place. The egg forms a thin layer
or cake on the pan, and dipping the fork in here
134 COOKING AND CASTLE-BUILDING.
and there at various points and lifting, loosens the
whole mass. The eflects produced by stirring and
liftmg are very different, and in the manfacture of
an omelet are Very apparent." When a second
layer had cooked, the lifting operation was re-
peated, and so on until the cooked egg filled the
pan, and there was no more to be let underneath.
In this delicate process of lifting lies the whole
secret of the operation. Done in this manner,
the butter is not stirred away from the bottom of
the pan, and enough remains to allow the omelet
to brown nicely, and prevent it from sticking.
Since that memorable day I have never failed in
makins: an omelet that o'ave me entire satisfac-
tion.' "
"I had no idea," interrupted Emeline, "such
m3^steries Avere hidden away in an omelet. Few
of us, I fear, Avould labor as Mrs. Rose did to dis-
cover them."
■* No," I replied, " the most of us are too lazy
or too careless to do so. We accept the indiffer-
ent food that is placed before us, and grumble at
the cook for selecting such unpalata])le dishes ;
but never dream the wretched preparations can be
improved upon. Mrs. Hose is an exceptional
woman, who never rests satisfied with a dish that
she thinks she can in any way improve. Pier
omelets, I know, from having seen and tasted
many of them, are unsurpassable. And I am not
OMELET AND DAINTY DISHES. 135
willing to believe any woman such a natural
stupid as to be capable, after reading the' minute
description given in these graphic exiieriences,
of makins: a failure of an omelet. Her letter con-
tinues :