The Eggs

Use the freshest eggs possible. If you have access to new-laid eggs, by all means use them. City dwellers, however, will usually have to rely on the nearest high-volume supermarket, where a steady turnover of dated eggs is some assurance of freshness.

Crack the eggs into a small bowl. Cold eggs are harder to overcook; room-temperature eggs make a slightly fluffier omelet—take your choice. Sprinkle in a pinch of salt and beat the eggs briefly with a fork. Do not overbeat; your goal here is to mingle the whites and yolks so lightly that the finished omelet will have striations of both. Homogenizing the texture of the eggs produces a tougher omelet. Grind in a little black pepper and set the eggs aside.