Chefs Secrets To Help You Make The Perfect Breakfast

Looking to wow your family with an amazing breakfast? I know I personally need omelet class.  Here are some tips on how to ace some of the best breakfast items right in your own kitchen.

1. Omelet Want a perfect omelet? Getting the egg out of the pan is the challenge. Here are some helpful hints chefs already know:

* Heat the pan hot! When you pour in the egg, it should sizzle and bubble. The pan should be hot enough to cook in just moments, without browning.

* Use a heavyweight nonstick pan, and make sure it is spotlessly clean.

* Use a heatproof rubber scraper. These flexible tools, once used merely to scrape batter out of pans, have become major cooking tools with the advent of heatproof silicone blades.

2. Hash Browns Boil the potatoes in advance and — this is the key — refrigerate them overnight before grating them, resulting in picture-perfect hash browns that are golden-edged and crisp. That’s because cooking and chilling will crystallize the potato starch, allowing them to cook up dry and crisp, not gooey.

3. Frittata For an extra crispy, perfectly browned frittata top, drizzle with a light splash of extra-virgin olive oil before popping into the oven.

4. French Toast Ever wonder how restaurants get their French toast so brown and sweet without overcooking the middle? Here’s the trick: When you melt the butter, add a pinch of brown sugar, a pinch of ground cinnamon, and a pinch of salt to the pan at the same time. When the butter begins to foam, put the bread in the pan, but do not move it around until it’s time to flip!

5. Muffins and Scones Are your breakfast baked goods a little tough? Here’s a secret weapon that just might help: sugar. Stir a few tablespoons of sugar in when combining the dry ingredients. Sugar helps weaken the gluten in the flour so it can’t form such tough bonds. When it comes to baking, sugar is a natural tenderizer.

6. Pancakes The best and lightest pancakes are made from buttermilk and baking soda, which together create air bubbles that are trapped by the gluten in the flour. This simple chemical reaction happens and subsides quickly, so don’t wait around. Mix the pancake batter quickly (and minimally — overbeating makes them tough and flat) and cook them immediately. Discard any leftover batter.

7. Bacon To avoid splatter, and for even cooking, cook bacon in the microwave. For 1 sandwich, place 1 or 2 slices of bacon on a folded paper towel and lay it in the microwave. Cook on high for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp and sizzling. For more than 2 slices of bacon, lay the paper towel on a plate and increase the cooking time as needed.

See even more helpful hints via 13 Chefs' Secrets for the Perfect Breakfast | Reader's Digest Version.