Grant Crilly is the Executive Director and cofounder of ChefSteps. Grant is a classically trained chef and, prior to ChefSteps, he worked on the award-winning cookbook series Modernist Cuisine and cooked at various restaurants, including L’Astrance in Paris, Busaba in Mumbai, and Mistral Kitchen in Seattle.

Grant Crilly

Grant is pretty sure he has invented the boiled omelet. Honestly, it’s the lightest, fluffiest omelet you will ever eat. Plus, it’s ridiculously easy to make. The key is that the boiling water transfers so much heat so quickly, the eggs souffle. Think egg drop soup intersects omelet—go with it. Chef Daniel Patterson of Coi published a recipe for poached scrambled eggs more than a decade ago. In our estimation, that technique never got as much attention as it deserved. Patterson, like most chefs, never ate breakfast at home. So he played with making scrambled eggs in water. (It’s a chef thing, making familiar food in a new way.) Patterson made a whirlpool in boiling water, poured in whisked eggs, and covered the pot to wait. Within 20 seconds, the eggs floated to the top of the water, soft and fully cooked. He poured off the water and moved the eggs to a strainer. Fluffy scrambled eggs with no grease in less than a minute. These scrambled eggs checked all the boxes. Grant has been making these scrambled eggs for years. And then he started thinking. Why has no one ever made an omelet with this technique? Traditional omelets intimidate so many young cooks. They come out thick or browned or tough at first. Is there an omelet that doesn’t require a hundred attempts before a cook feels confident? We’ve got it. Cooking an omelet in boiling water makes sense. The lightly whisked eggs instantly soufflé when they hit that super-hot water, ensuring that every part of the eggs turns fluffy. Then you gently let them fall into a paper towel you set over the strainer. Gently squeeze out the water with a fork and wait a few moments. Voilà! A tender omelet you can top with melted butter and fresh herbs. And you never set a skillet on the stove.

The Boiled Omelet