So I bought a toaster oven at a recent kitchen store blow out sale…. and just had to try it out with an old classic.  The open faced sandwich which as you know is open to about any topping you so desire.  I decided to go with a chicken breast as the feature.

I went ahead and sliced up the cooked chicken breast, added in some red pepper flakes, basil, ground parmesan cheese and a little miracle whip and mixed that all together.  Then I cracked some fresh black pepper and a little salt for taste. For best results, I went with a nice fresh whole grain bread sliced about 1 inch thick.  Because I am a bit of a health nut – I added the chicken mixture to the dry bread ( no butter ) and then topped it with shredded mozzeralla cheese and shredded cheddar cheese.

Just as simple as that – popped it my new toaster oven and within minutes… bubbly goodness melted cheese and nicely browned toast with a great crunch.  It really is tough to beat a toaster oven.  So simple yet powerful.  A great kitchen appliance for anyone who is without.

The first thing to remember is that you need the right size of frying pan. This is more important than you may think. Too large, and the omelet will dry out; too small, and it will not cook through.

As a basic guide, you need a 15 centimeter pan for a two-egg omelet and a 25 centimeter pan for a four to six egg omelet. That is, 6 in. and 10 in. respectively. Which, handily enough, is pretty much the size of pans you should have in your kitchen anyway.
The second most important thing is not to beat the eggs. I’ll repeat that for all of those chefs out there who think they can cook omelets: do NOT beat the eggs.

Instead, abandon the habits of a lifetime and stir the yolks into the whites using a knife blade. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Warm your empty pan through on a moderate heat, add a good knob of butter, turn up the heat and swirl it round to coat the bottom and sides of the pan.  When the butter is foaming pour some into the egg mixture, stir it in and then immediately pour the eggs into the pan.

Shake the pan to spread the mixture evenly. Now, using a fork or thin spatula, draw the cooked egg away from the edge of the pan and let the uncooked liquid run into the space created.

When the omelet is almost cooked, but the surface is still soft and liquid, flip one edge of the omelet towards the center of the pan so that it folds over. Then slide the unfolded edge onto a warmed plate, rolling the folded edge over the top of it as you do so.  An omelet cooked in this way requires no filling, except perhaps some fresh, chopped, herbs added to the egg mixture about 15 minutes before cooking.

So just to recap, by all means you can add extra ingredients to your omelet, whether it be cheese, vegetables or meat.  It will not really change the cooking time just be careful not too add to much extra “stuff” as it will dry out the mixture.