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Omelet, with Fine Herbs

A quick omelet flavored with fresh herbs, salt, pepper, and butter.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 6 ingredients
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Why it works: Parsley and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 34,122 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓

Omelet, with Fine Herbs

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, herbs, salt, and pepper until well combined.

  2. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat and add a small amount of butter.

Cook and serve

  1. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and cook until the edges begin to set.

  2. Gently lift the edges with a spatula, allowing uncooked egg to flow underneath.

  3. When the omelet is mostly set but still slightly runny on top, fold it in half and slide it onto a plate.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Parsley + peppertop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together34,122 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  2. Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together81,283 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

  3. Parsley + buttertop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together28,563 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).

  4. Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together118,967 recipes

    Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

  5. Egg + milktop 18% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together88,785 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Eggs
Set into a tender structure as they cook, forming the body of the omelet.
Milk
Adds moisture that keeps the eggs soft and tender rather than dry.
Fresh herbs
Contribute aroma and fresh flavor to the eggs.
Butter
Adds fat for richness and helps keep the omelet from sticking to the skillet.

The step that matters

Removing the omelet while still slightly runny on top. Egg proteins keep setting from residual heat after leaving the pan. Folding and sliding it out while the top is still slightly moist prevents overcooking, which makes eggs tough and rubbery.

Swap the parsley

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, milk, pepper, butter):

  1. Nutmegfits about as well
  2. Parsleythe original
  3. Cinnamonfits about as well
  4. Tarragonfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against egg, milk, pepper, butter. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“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.

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