are square or rectangular cooking pans used to make Japanese-style rolled omelettes (). The pans are commonly made from metals such as

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

and

tin Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn (from la, stannum) and atomic number 50. Tin is a silvery-coloured metal. Tin is soft enough to be cut with little force and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, t ...

, and can also be coated with a

non-stick surface A non-stick surface is engineered to reduce the ability of other materials to stick to it. Non-stick cookware is a common application, where the non-stick coating allows food to brown without sticking to the pan. Non-stick is often used to refer ...

. Dimensions and proportions of the pan vary among regions of Japan, but it is always rectangular. Rolled omelettes made with are commonly used as a

side dish A side dish, sometimes referred to as a side order, side item, or simply a side, is a food item that accompanies the entrée or main course at a meal.sushi is a Japanese cuisine, Japanese dish of prepared , usually with some sugar and salt, accompanied by a variety of , such as seafood, often raw, and vegetables. Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely, but the one key ingredient is " ...

and

bentō A is the Japanese cuisine, Japanese iteration of a single-portion take-out or home-packed meal, often for lunch. Outside Japan, it is common in other East and Southeast Asian culinary styles, especially within Chinese cuisine, Chinese, Korean c ...

Etymology

Several names are used to refer to the pan, such as , , and . Occasionally, the implement is simply referred to as a Japanese omelette pan. The term derives from the Japanese words , meaning "roll", , which is an umbrella term for "cooking over heat", and , which means "pan". The terms and both refer to the rolled omelettes that are typically made with the pan, with meaning "implement" in the former phrase.

Design and use

The rectangular shape of the pan facilitates a constant diameter over the length of the omelette, giving the omelette its bar-like shape once rolled. Most professional pans are made of heavy

coated or lined with

, with these materials being preferred for their heat conduction. A cheaper, nonstick variety is a common alternative to the copper pan. There are three types of : Kantō-type,

Kansai The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshu, Honshū. The region includes the Prefectures of Japan, prefectures of Nara Prefecture, Nara, Wakayama Prefecture, Wakayama, Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Osaka Prefectur ...

-type, and

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...

-type. Kantō-type pans are square, Kansai-type pans are tall-and-thin rectangles, and Nagoya-type pans are short-and-wide rectangles. In the Kantō region, is typically used with a thick wooden lid that is used to help flip the omelette. In

Japanese cuisine Japanese cuisine encompasses the regional and traditional foods of Japan, which have developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes. The traditional cuisine of Japan (Japanese: ) is based on rice with miso soup and other ...

, pans are used for making sweet or savory

tamagoyaki is a type of Japanese omelette which is made by rolling together several layers of fried beaten eggs. It is often prepared in a rectangular omelette pan called a ''makiyakinabe'' or ''tamagoyakiki''. Preparation There are several types of t ...

, sometimes called ' when is used, or ' (thin, one-layer omelette). A dish starts as a single layer of rectangular omelette, but before it fully cooks and sets, it is folded over perhaps a third of a way onto itself by picking up a flap by the edge using

Japanese kitchen chopsticks Chopsticks ( or ; Pinyin: ''kuaizi'' or ''zhu'') are shaped pairs of equal-length sticks of China, Chinese origin that have been used as Kitchen utensil, kitchen and List of eating utensils, eating utensils in most of East Asia, East and Southe ...

; the doubled layer is flipped onto the remaining sheet. More of the beaten egg mixture is added, and the flipping/ rolling process is repeated. The finished product is a rectangular block of layered omelette. The pan must be slicked with only a very thin coating of oil. To achieve this, the pan is wiped with a paper towel or piece of cloth daubed with oil. A piece of absorbent cotton ball (or

cotton pad Cotton pads are pads made of cotton which are used for medical or cosmetic purposes. For medical purposes, cotton pads are used to stop or prevent bleeding from minor punctures such as injections or venipuncture. They may be secured in place wit ...

) is also sometimes utilised for this purpose. Some recipes caution that the egg should not be allowed to brown at all, but this depends on the type of omelette, in other recipes the egg is allowed to turn golden-brown on its layers. Among the stalls formerly at the

Tsukiji Market is a major tourist attraction for both domestic and overseas visitors in Tokyo. The area contains retail markets, restaurants, and associated restaurant supply stores. Before 2018, it was the largest wholesale fish and seafood market in the wor ...

, there are offerings with slight or browning on them.

Tamagoyaki

The rolled omelette made in can be used as a topping for '. Some sushi chefs make versions of the omelette using eggs mixed with

shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...

paste and grated (a

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

of the Chinese yam ''

Dioscorea polystachya ''Dioscorea polystachya'' or Chinese yam ( zh, s=山药, t=山藥), also called cinnamon-vine, is a species of flowering plant in the yam family. It is sometimes called Chinese potato or by its Korean name ''ma''. It is a perennial climbing vin ...

''); this thick mixture is not cooked in layers but poured entirely up to the brim of the pan, cooked for perhaps 30 minutes, then flipped so the top and bottom are caramelized to a brown color and the omelette remains yellow and pliable within. Varieties of the omelette depend on its thickness. Thinner varieties are used as garnishes or as wrappers which are formed into pouches that are filled with sushi rice. Thicker omelettes are more common and are used for and '' bowls.'' When shredded and used as a garnish, the omelette is called ', or golden thread egg''.'' Tamagoyaki can be eaten as a snack, side dish, or breakfast food. The omelettes are a common inclusion in

boxes.

Explanatory notes

References

Citations Bibliography * {{Omelettes Japanese food preparation utensils Omelettes Food preparation utensils Cookware and bakeware

Etymology

Design and use

Tamagoyaki

See also

Explanatory notes

References