Making an Omelet? Cook the Filling First.

Although it seems like such a simple meal, cooking an omelet can be tricky. Everything comes together fast; once those eggs hit the pan you’re only a few minutes away from digging in. And there’s nothing worse than taking a bite of a picture-perfect omelet and encountering a crunchy piece of broccoli or cold feta. Or even worse, discovering overcooked and rubbery eggs.

The secret to solving your omelet woes? Cook the filling first. Here’s why.

The last thing you want is a crunchy pepper disrupting the cohesion of your breakfast. To avoid this, cook the filling first, adding ingredients in stages based on how long they’ll take to cook. Ingredients like bacon or onions would be added before tomatoes, and delicate items like herbs would be added just at the end or even off heat.

Because vegetables release water when they cook, they can completely sog out an omelet if you add them raw. Cooking the ingredients first drives out the moisture and concentrates the flavors. This helps keep the vegetables–and their flavors—inside the omelet rather than all over the plate. Cook your vegetables until they are crisp-tender but not completely soft. 

Some vegetables (like spinach) shrink down a lot—a cup of spinach can wilt to a few tablespoons in mere seconds. Cook your omelet filling to fit more than a few measly mushrooms in your Fluffy Omelet. Keep in mind: An 8-inch omelet can hold about ½ cup of filling.