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Cheese Omelet (Follow the directions)
Follow the directions for plain omelet, and after it begins to stiffen sprinkle over the top 2 tablespoonfuls of grated cheese. Fold over and serve.
A variation entry that leans entirely on the book's plain omelet, so the base proportions and the pan technique are where the real work sits.
- The base omeletPlain omelets in books of this type commonly run three or four eggs, beaten with a little milk or water and seasoned with salt and pepper, cooked in butter; check the book's own plain omelet entry for its proportions, since they vary from book to book. That quantity serves one generously or two modestly.
- Heat is the hingeMedium-low, not the brisk heat the older books often assume from a coal range. A cheese omelet that browns before the top sets will be leathery by the time the cheese melts.
- When to add the cheese"After it begins to stiffen" means when the surface is still glossy and just barely wet — not set. The residual heat of folding plus half a minute in the pan finishes the melt.
- Which cheeseA period American kitchen meant dry aged Cheddar, sometimes called simply "American cheese" then, which is not the processed slice of that name today. Gruyere, Comte or a sharp Cheddar all behave well; pre-shredded bagged cheese carries anti-caking starch and melts poorly.
- Two tablespoons is modestThat is roughly a quarter ounce to half an ounce grated. Doubling it is reasonable by modern taste, but more than about an ounce weeps fat and slumps the fold.
- Grate fineCoarse shreds will not melt in the seconds available. Use the fine side of a box grater or a rasp.
- ServingSlide onto a warmed plate seam-side down and eat immediately; an omelet held even five minutes tightens and the cheese sets again.
Household manuals of this era were often organised this way, with one master method per technique and a run of short derivatives after it, which saved type and paper: the cook already knew the plain omelet and needed only the departure from it. The cheese called for was most likely a firm, dry, domestic Cheddar-style cheese, the ordinary keeping cheese of the American larder before refrigeration made soft and imported cheeses everyday items.