Step 1

Get Ready: Gather all of your equipment and ingredients: You need an 8-inch nonstick skillet that is in PRISTINE CONDITION (the surface can’t be scratched up or the eggs will stick), a sturdy rubber spatula, and the plate you’ll be serving it on. This recipe moves fast and needs your full attention.

Step 2

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs throughly, until no streaks of white remain and the mixture appears homogeneous. This will take 1 or 2 minutes. Try to mix without whipping air into them (a French omelet is not the time).

Step 3

In the skillet, melt the butter over medium heat, swirling the skillet so that the butter forms a nice, even coating all over the pan. As soon as the butter starts to foam, pour the eggs into the center. The timing is key! You want the pan hot (but not too hot).

Step 4

IMMEDIATELY use the rubber spatula to continually push bits of egg from all around the edges of skillet into middle. You might not seem much happening at first, but keep on going. You'll feel eggs begin to stick on the bottom as you move the spatula, then stick more and more as uncooked eggs flow to the pan's edges. Run the spatula in a circle around the edges as needed. The goal is to cook the eggs evenly and create a smooth skin on the bottom of the skillet.

Step 5

Once the eggs are almost cooked but you still have a small amount of liquid egg that can flow when you move the skillet, use spatula to smooth the remaining liquid portion evenly over the top of the set eggs to create a seal. Reduce the heat to low.

Step 6

Sprinkle the shredded cheese in a 2-inch-wide strip down the center of the omelet so that the strip is running perpendicular to the skillet handle (this will allow you to roll the eggs around the filling as you shape the omelet). Cover the pan let sit over the lowest heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute—the eggs should still look shiny and a bit undercooked but not so wet that liquid can flow.

Step 7

Remove the lid and use the spatula to gently loosen the cooked eggs from the surface of the skillet, starting at the edge closest to the handle. Work your way around the omelet to make sure it is completely loose (feel free to sneak a bit of butter under it if needed to help it release).

Step 8

Use your spatula to fold the side of the eggs nearest to the skillet handle over the cheese, as if the omelet were a letter you were folding into thirds. With your fingers (be careful it's hot!) or the spatula, gently roll the omelet away from the handle into a tidy log. When you reach the end, you have two options: scoot the omelet to the far edge of the pan, then tilt it quickly down towards your plate at a 45-degree angle and use the spatula to slide it out of the pan so it lands on the plate in a tidy log with the seam-side down. OR, use the spatula fold to the loose end of the omelet up towards the center to complete the log, press it gently to adhere, then gently transfer the omelet to your plate, placing it seam-side down.

Step 9

The omelet should be a beautiful pale golden color with no brown spots, smooth on the outside, and ultra creamy in the middle. Smear the remaining 1/2 teaspoon butter all over the outside of the omelet to make it shiny (and French!). Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and herbs as you please. Enjoy immediately.