Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and 81,283 recipes mention both. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
How to Make an Omelet
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the mixture
Use a clean pan.
Beat eggs lightly with a little minced parsley, not too much.
Stir one tablespoon flour into one cup milk.
Stir one-half tablespoon melted butter into the milk mixture.
Add a little salt and beat the whites before adding to the mixture.
Cook and serve
Pour the mixture into the pan.
Cook over the stove for about ten minutes until set.
Transfer the pan to the oven to brown the top.
Serve immediately.
Optional meat variation
(Optional) If adding meats: beat half a dozen eggs lightly, add minced ham or tongue, cold chicken or veal, and a little butter to warm through; pour into pan, brown lightly on both sides, season, fold, serve.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
-
Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Milk + flourtop 14% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Butter and flour share little aroma chemistry, yet 124,287 recipes mention both: they likely work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Set and structure the omelet as they cook, and whites add lightness when beaten.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and tenderness to the eggs as they set.
- Flour
- Thickens the milk mixture and gives the omelet a more stable body.
- Butter
- Adds richness and flavor, and helps the omelet brown in the pan.
The step that matters
Cooking the set omelet on the stove. Eggs turn from liquid to firm within a narrow temperature range, so heating too fast or too long makes them tough, dry, or rubbery. Cook gently until just set.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
More omelet recipes
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipes
Yorkshire Pudding264 recipesThe Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.