How To Tamago-Yaki

I recently bought a new tamago-yaki frying pan after researching a bit in a library book and reading this question here. I bought the UMIC pan (Ureshiyama Kinzoku Kouguyo) from Amazon for under 3000 yen. It's made in Niigata, Japan.

This is my first time to own this type of frying pan. My mother in law taught me how to make tamago-yaki a while ago, but I made it for the first time with this pan.

*This is a nonstick frying pan made for use on a gas stove. It's not appropriate for IH stoves. It's got some weight to it and the handle is wooden.

The company makes "Kansai" style rectangle pans like this and "Kanto" style square pans without the angle at one end. The Kanto type are more for professional use, and since I'm a beginner, I went with what I see as the classic Kansai shape.

Once you've got a pan, your stove, and some saibashi (long cooking chopsticks) it's time to start. Tamago-yaki is a Japanese style sweet omelet, like a bigger version of what you might get on egg sushi.

In a bowl combine some sugar, mirin, and salt with a couple eggs. (More eggs is okay and will make a thicker omelet.)

Use an appropriate amount of oil and heat the pan.

*Pro tip: High heat is what destroys nonstick pans. Keep the heat at medium or lower.

Also be sure to avoid touching the pan while heating, including the part of the handle close to the body, as that gets hot too.

I found that butter makes a nice color, but any heating oil works depending on what kind of flavor you'd like. As this is not a big pan, it's easy to entirely coat the bottom of the pan.

Next add the eggs and tilt the pan so they cover the bottom surface.

Let the eggs become solid enough that the outer edges change color. The egg should still be uncooked in the middle.

Use the saibashi to fold over a bit of the short side of the omelet.

Keep folding slowly, like you're making an egg burrito.

Turn off the heat and let the egg sit and continue cooking for a minute.

I use the saibashi for everything, including slicing the roll in half and holding a paper towel to wipe out any excess oil.

Some things can be added inside the omelet before folding it up if you're feeling ambitious.

On my second try, I was a bit too ambitious with cheese and kimchi. Things got a little messy because I added way too much and the kimchi had too much liquid.

A small amount of seasonal vegetables (okra and corn) another time was really nice. I also experimented by using miso instead of salt. It tasted good but there were visible pieces of miso as it didn't entirely mix in. 

If you have any tips, please leave them in the comments, as I'm still new at this. I hope you give it a try yourself if you've never made tamago-yaki.