A Posh Omlette & A New Pan

We recently (well, last year) acquired a new cooker, and because we chose to get an induction hob, we had to buy a whole new set of pans as well. Ever since then we've only had one frying pan, which isn't really enough - I've been constantly looking out for a nice one, but for a long time I didn't see anything exciting enough to tempt me.

But while flicking through a Lakeland catalogue a month or two back, their Stoneline® pan caught my eye. It took me a while to get around to placing the order, but eventually I bought one. And it took me a few more days to get around to using it... but now I've ordered a second one, because it's absolutely amazing.

Disclaimer: I'm not in any way associated with Lakeland or the pan manufacturer. I'm just really, really impressed.

Essentially, this is a non-stick pan that's still okay for metal utensils, and looking at the pan lining it really does seem unlikely to chip. The marketing blurb also says that you can cook without oil, which sounds great. I wasn't feeling quite that brave for my first attempt - however, I put less than 1/4 tsp of olive oil to make my omlette (recipe below) just to coat the pan, and it didn't stick at all, even after the onions had clearly absorbed all the oil and started to caramelize. I even dragged my husband and unsuspecting friends through to the kitchen to look at the pan! (I've never denied being a kitchen geek...)



I have subsequently used the pan with no oil, and it was absolutely fine.

The omlette was absolutely yummy, with a great helping of fresh vegetables, and felt like a posh meal rather than the super-quick dinner it actually was. We served ours with roast potatoes, carrots, and sausages - but for a lighter lunch it would be just as nice with salad and crusty bread.


Mixed Vegetable Omlette
Serves 4

3 small red onions
1 sweet red pepper (I used the long, thin kind, but I'm sure a bell pepper would also be fine)
4 large chestnut mushrooms
1 medium courgette
8 spears of asparagus
Olive oil to grease the pan
7 medium eggs
Black pepper to taste
100g cheddar cheese
25g parmesan cheese

1. Chop all the vegetables (fairly thin slices/small pieces), and grate the cheeses.
   
   
2. Put all the vegetables into a frying pan, and fry over a medium heat until tender.
   
   
3. Meanwhile, break the eggs into a bowl and mix them with a fork. Add pepper to the eggs and stir.
   
   
4. Pour the eggs into the pan with the vegetables, and turn the mixture a few times to combine. (The egg will start to cook as you're doing this, which is fine.)
   
   
5. Leave to cook over a low heat until the top of the omlette is set (around 10 minutes, but this will depend on the level of heat).
   
   
6. Sprinkle the cheeses evenly over the top of the omlette, and put under a hot grill for a couple of minutes to melt the cheese.
   
   
7. Slice and serve straight away.