Howard Helmer Interview

Howard Helmer Interview

If anyone knows how easy eggs are... its Howard Helmer! The Guinness World Record Holder for making the fastest omelettes in the world, Howard can knock up a tasty, healthy omelette in 40 seconds; and his world records stands at 427 two-egg omelettes in 30 minutes.

Known the world over as the incredible egg man, his huge New York personality has seen him appear on Oprah, visit George Bush at the White House and even cook eggs with our very own Kerri-Ann.

Ask him where his passion for eggs stems from and he'll tell you about his upbringing as part of a Russian migrant family in the United States. His grandmother, the matriarch of the family, would use eggs to turn leftovers into a cheap and tasty meal for everyone.

Howard says, 'I think that this inspired me to spend my life creating delicious omelette dishes for people all over the world'.

Howard broke his first egg world record in 1982 in Disneyland, California in front of media and Guinness Book of World Records officials, smashing the then 184 omelettes in 30 minutes record with an incredible 227 omelettes in 30 minutes. Honing his technique of juggling six frying pans simultaneously, he then went on to smash his record in 1990 with a whopping 427 two-egg omelettes in 30 minutes; that's 14 per minute!

But Howard's egg achievements don't stop there; he also holds two further world records for egg related feats:
The Guinness World Record for omelette flipping
The Guinness World Record for the single fastest omelette

Howard is a master at simplifying cooking methods and inspiring even novice cooks to try egg recipes, from egg basics to elegant French classics. Howard tours the world conducting omelette workshops and wowing people with his egg-thusiasm.

Interview with Howard Helmer

Question: What originally inspired you to attempt omelette making for the Guinness Book of World Records in 1990?

Howard Helmer: It goes back to the 80's; my employer at the time was the American Egg Board and they opened an omelette restaurant on Main St Disneyland in California and my job was to bring press to the opening. At the time it was Guinness Fever, everyone was breaking records, there were special TV shows about record breakers so I thought that the best way to get people and press to the opening, was to go after the omelette making record, which already existed. I went after the record at the opening of the restaurant.


Question: How much training went into being able to whip up one omelette in less than 40 seconds; and a staggering 427 two-egg omelettes in 30 minutes?

Howard Helmer: After decided to attempt the record I went into training, I could do it, because I had all the eggs in the world that I needed!


Question: What is it like to be a Guinness Book of World Record holder, especially since you've held your title since 1990?

Howard Helmer: After I got into the record book, I'll tell you, it changed my life! I've been all around the world teaching people how to make omelettes, I think because it's so quirky people are interested in it. But I do believe in omelettes because I grew up with them. For me, eggs are soul food; I'm a first generation American from a family of Russian immigrants who arrived in the country with no money. My grandmother, who was the matriarch of the family, would prepare a dinner for the family and whatever was leftover we would get the next day mixed with eggs; she would use egg to stretch the left overs.

I ate eggs all of my life especially when I was growing up, and it's quite ironic that an omelette is a great vehicle for left overs. My omelettes though, do look prettier than my grandmothers left overs with scrambled eggs.


Question: What are your tips to make the perfect omelette?

Howard Helmer: I like to use a 10 inch frying pan, I know professional chefs prefer an 8 inch pan but I prefer 10 inch. For two reasons: one, there's more cooking surface so that the omelette will get down quicker. The other reason is that when I turn the omelette onto a plate it's a more generous looking product, it's bigger and I can put more filing on it. I like to make an omelette plumper than one that's cooked in a smaller pan.

I like to get the pan pretty hot before I even introduce the butter, so that when I put the egg into the pan on top of the sizzling butter it will set up, right away.

You need one 10 inch pan that should be fairly hot, and then make sure you have everything ready to go in front of you, so that if you are making more than one omelette you don't stop in between each omelette to get stuff ready and that includes the egg!

Say we're making omelette for four people; my recipe is 2 eggs and 2 tablespoons of water per person, so I'll break 8 eggs and 8 tablespoons of water. Also I will use a soup ladle, because in Australia as in America, a standard measure of a soup ladle is half a cup! Which also happens to be exactly two eggs and two table spoons of water. If I make a mother load of egg batter, then I can ladle the egg into the pan one right after the other. So I think it's important that you get organised before you get started.


Question: What is your favourite omelette recipe?

Howard Helmer: I love cheese and my favourite cheese to go into an omelette has to be Gruyere cheese, or Swiss cheese as I love the nutty flavour it imparts. Always bacon, and especially Swiss cheese or gruyere cheese and bacon; use that as a filing, then instead of using water you can use dry white wine for the batter, that is nice because it makes it a kind of classical French Lorraine, sort of omelette. Then, keeping with the sort of theme I will serve it with a dollop of Dijon mustard, I love that omelette!


Question: How often do you eat omelettes?

Howard Helmer: Well, I had some today! I would say that I eat at least 2 eggs to 4 times a week, because they're cheap and now that I'm retired I don't have a lot of money!


Question: Do you still whip up and omelette in under 40 seconds?

Howard Helmer: I do! In fac, I try to be modest but I've gotten so proficient that 40 seconds is now too long! Yesterday, I made an omelette in 34 seconds, I am also in the Guinness Book of Records for making the world's fastest omelette from egg shell to plate and that was 37 seconds.

Anyone can do it! I think that when I demonstrate how to make an omelette the people I can see on their faces that they're thinking "I can do that". The French when they make an omelette (and I don't mean to bad mouth the French, heavens knows they know how to cook!), they make their omelette so complicated, that even to watch them make an omelette is intimidating. So my technique is designed to assure people that they can do this on their own kitchen.

When I put my eggs in the pan, and they set up, I use the spatula to draw the cooked egg around the egg of the pan towards the centre while simultaneously tilting the pan, so that the raw egg find some pan surface to cook on. I do that for around 20 seconds, and by then there is no more runny egg, but the egg is still moist on top, and that's when I'll put in my filling. It's easy enough to do!

Yesterday we tried to come up with a typical Australian omelette. We ended up with lamb sausage, caramelised onion and mango chutney! This clearly illustrates the versatility of an omelette.


Interview by Brooke Hunter and Fiona Tew