Omelets Sous-vide

 

Reasons to be skeptical of a recipe:

-- It came from a random woman your mom sat next to on a plane

-- It involves raw eggs and a Ziploc bag

Needless to say, we were a little suspicious when Zach's mom B. arrived on her recent visit saying we just had to make an omelet she'd heard about from some woman on her flight. "You just mix everything together, dump it in a bag, and cook it in hot water for 10 minutes!"

Hmmmm...

Turns out, this omelet was a total success!

(Alright, it's not really sous vide -- we didn't use a vacuum sealer and we probably cooked it at too high a temperature to qualify. But somehow "Omelets in a Plastic Bag" sounded a little off-putting. And by the way, the New York Times' food answer guy says the heavy-duty Ziploc bags can withstand the heat just fine.)

The preparation was really easy, and the result was a fluffy, creamy, almost custardy omelet that maintained far more of its eggy flavor than most omelets we make in a skillet.

It's not quite as simple as B. made it sound: For one, you need to pre-cook any meat or veggies you are using, before mixing them in with the eggs and cooking the omelet.

But it does make for a delicious, noticeably different omelet that's really worth a try!

What about you? Ever cooked anything sous vide? Or, as in our case, faux sous vide?

Omelets Sous-vide

Of course this recipe, like any omelet recipe, is endlessly variable. Swap in the vegetables you like. Don't use meat if you don't want to. Here's our go-to version, but do whatever you want to make it your own.

Serves: 2
Prep time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

*4 strips of bacon, diced
*1 medium onion, diced
*2 green peppers, diced
*6 eggs
*1/4 cup of heavy cream
*salt and pepper to taste
*parsley, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large stove pot, bring 3 quarts of water to a low simmer.

2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium heat, cook the bacon until it is slightly crisp. Place a paper towel on a plate and use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel to drain. Reserve the grease in the saucepan.

3. Saute any vegetables the peppers and onions in the grease until softened, about 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetables from the pan. Discard the grease.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until smooth. Whisk in the cream, salt and pepper.

5. Pour the eggs into a sealable, heavy-duty gallon-size plastic bag. Add the bacon and the vegetables and seal the bag.

6. Submerge the bag in the simmering water and cook until the omelet is firm enough to hold its own shape, about 10-12 minutes. Be careful that the bag doesn't touch the sides of the pot and melt. If you need to, remove the bag, add some more water and let it come back to a simmer before re-submerging the bag.

7. Remove from the bag and garnish with parsley. Serve immediately.

Comments

[Allen]

I've heard of the ziploc omelet too (hmm, from my mother as well) but haven't yet tried it. I have a vacuum sealer and intended to try cooking sous vide when I first bought it ... like 2 years ago. It fell off my list of things to do but you've inspired me to give it a try soon!

[Zach @ The Bitten Word]

Allen -- If you try sous vide, let us know! I think an omelet would be a good trial dish to make, because it's not that complicated. And even if you mess up, it's not like it's that big a deal.

[Keith]

I'm sure you guys have already seen this, but Thomas Keller has a Sous Vide cookbook coming out this fall.

[Mrs. L]

I too, have heard of it but have yet to give the ziploc omelet a try. Hmmm, I do have a ton of eggs in the fridge....

[[eatingclub] vancouver]

This is certainly an interesting way to cook omelettes. It sounds like there's still going to be clean-up involved (the skillet with all the meats). I have to try it though because it looks like the eggs are cooked to a nice texture.

[Elizabeth]

I heard about this to--or actually saw this--on Paula Deen's show on the Food Network. I haven't tried it but it's basically the same recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/omelette-for-a-crowd-recipe/index.html

[patrick]

This does sound cool, especially for camping and when you have too many other things going on at breakfast time, but boiling food in a plastic bag may not be too healthy. There has been a lot of information about plastics leaching different chemicals into water and food. As cool as this sounds, I wouldn't recommend doing it too often, if at all.

Heating your food in thin cheap plastic - not so good!

[laura]

Can't believe this is news to you guys. This is classic camping breakfast! Glad you enjoyed it though.

[Julie]

I've definitely never heard of this, but it's intriguing and now I'm eager to try it out! Thanks!

[Laura K]

My family does this when there are a lot of people around for breakfast. Way easier than trying to make eggs for everyone the way they want them. I haven't had eggs cooked this way in years! Maybe I'll have to try it again...

[Mark Boxshus]

I have a gourmet friend who raved about this recipe. Since I had great success using Zip Lock bags to make Amish Friendship Bread, my paranoia about their safety and performance issues subsided, and I decided to give this recipe a whirl. It really makes a very good omelet.

[Becca]

A long time ago I went to my college roommates house for dinner, and this is what her mom made. Everyone got to pick their own fillings for their omelet and then we tossed them in the boiling water. They were super good, and it was kind of fun too.

I just found this blog today and I've been reading it like crazy! It's really inspiring me to cook more.