Here's How To Make Perfect Omelets Like IHOP
Omelet making isn't always easy. For some, the knack of it comes easily, while for others, attempting to flip or roll the egg mixture at the moment of its utmost delicacy is to invite disaster. Be honest — how many times have you sat down to a breakfast that started out as an omelet, but ended up as inadvertent scrambled eggs? We won't judge. If this sounds familiar, you may have resigned yourself to a life where diner omelets are your only option — so perhaps it's poetic justice that the folks at IHOP have a trick that may help you muster the perfect omelet in your own kitchen.
@ihop Our griddle masters can whip up a delicious, rolled omelette in no time 🍳🧀
In a video on IHOP's TikTok channel, the restaurant's Culinary VP Scott Randolph reveals the diner chain's secret to making the "perfect rolled omelet". To a mixing bowl of whipped raw eggs, Randolph makes a surprising addition — a small amount of IHOP pancake batter, which he then gently whisks into the eggs. Once combined, he pours approximately eight ounces of the egg mixture onto a hot griddle prepped with melted butter. Randolph reveals that IHOP griddle-masters use two spatulas to flip their omelets, which offers greater control over this dicey step in the cooking process.
After squaring the omelet off, Randolph sprinkles on a liberal amount of a cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese blend, then uses a single spatula to slowly roll the omelet until it is ready to plate, whereupon it is topped with even more cheese. In a different TikTok video, IHOP shows how to make their aptly named Bacon Temptation Omelet. This follows a similar method to maintain the omelet's structural integrity, but includes — as both filling and garnish — white cheese sauce along with the cheddar and Monterey Jack, diced tomatoes, and crispy, custom-cured hickory-smoked bacon.
Tips for the best IHOP-style omelettes with pancake batter
If you do choose to make your omelet the IHOP way, you'll want the secret ingredient of batter to be as close as possible that used by the pancake house itself. There are quite a few copycat recipes for IHOP-style buttermilk pancakes out there, but you can use our recipe for buttermilk pancakes minus the roasted berries. Scott Randolph does have a couple of tips, however. He told Delish that the batter "is best made as close to cooking time as possible", as the longer it is left, the more the buttermilk-activated leaveners within it will lose their lift, preventing your pancakes — or your omelets — from achieving maximal fluffiness. Randolph also urges that all liquid ingredients be kept chilled, emphasizing that "super-cold eggs are key". Finally, it's always a good idea to avoid over-mixing pancake batter so that you don't produce excess gluten, which can result in a chewy texture no one wants, regardless of what you're using the batter for.
Should you wish to take further eggy inspiration from the pancake chain, our own ranking of IHOP's best omelets judged its Spicy Poblano Omelette to be supreme. It combines fire-roasted poblano peppers, red bell peppers, serrano peppers, onions, shredded beef, poblano cream, cheddar, Moneterey Jack, and avocado, and our tester rhapsodized that the omelet was "like a burrito that's stuffed with all the mouth-watering elements". If, on the other hand, you feel like going off the IHOP reservation, you could try our recipe for an omelet inspired by the culinary TV show "The Bear", boosted with garlic-and-herb Boursin cheese and garnished with crushed potato chips. The possibilities for omelets are virtually endless, so it's important to have a reliable method for preparing them that works for you.