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On Thu, 23 Aug 2007 18:31:00 +0000 (UTC),
(Steve Pope) wrote:

>Giusi > wrote:
>
>>"Nancy2" > ha scritto nel messaggio
>
>>> Really, why is it called a frittata when it's just an omelet with
>>> different kinds of stuff in it? I don't get it.
>
>> I was reared in a French kitchen and now work in an Italian
>> kitchen, and to me they are very different. A frittata seems
>> more like a Spanish tortilla than a French omelet. A frittata
>> is denser, cooked through, served room temperature. A French
>> omelet is fluffy, taken off the heat still runny and at its (IMO)
>> best, anything added is added when it is folded, not in the eggs.
>
>You're aware, probably, that an American omelet is cooked through
>and so in that respect is more or less the same as a fritatta.
>
Not all American omlets, Steve. I cook mine so it's just a little
runny on top, add my filling (usually just a sprinking of cheese and
maybe some chopped green onion tops), fold. By the time it gets to
the table it's completely set and wonderful.

>>An omelet is usually cooked with butter. A frittata is cooked in oil.
>
>I would never use other than olive oil for an omelet. But then,
>I'm Italian-American.

Butter for omlet, OO for fritatta... for me.
>
>>Grated cheese is often added to the raw eggs, too.
>
>That, and being served room temp, are key differences between
>a fritatta and an American omelet. Usually the fritatta is
>thicker -- more eggs for a given sized pan, and it is usually
>finished under a broiler, but that is not uncommon for omelets
>here either.
>
I don't make appetizer fritatta, which is thicker, room temperature
and served as finger food. I make dinner fritatta, which is thinner
and served hot. My fritatta is not finished off in the oven. I do
individual fritattas and they are flipped in the pan.

--

Ham and eggs.
A day's work for the chicken, a lifetime commitment for the pig.