THE 40-SECOND OMELET GUARANTEED: The Gourmet Way to Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, and Dessert

As a National Egg Board promoter, Helmer has toured the country demonstrating his omelet technique to convention wives; and at a Disneyland Egg House opening, he made the Guinness Book of Worm Records by whipping up 217 omelets in 30 minutes. Here he shares his 40-second secret, which consists essentially of high heat (starting with a preheated pan) and fast action, with a spatula in one hand (for moving the cooked egg) and the pan handle in the other (for tipping to pour the uncooked egg off the top). To these succinct directions Helmet adds a low-comedy introductory account of his egg-speriences, a jot of egg lore, and a long list of suggested omelet fillings for brunch, dessert, or whatever. There are no haute-cuisine delights among the fillings, which lean to canned and frozen vegetables and include corned beef, sauerkraut, and Swiss cheese (for a Reuben omelet); weiners; gravy (""canned or leftover""); and, for ""one hula of an omelet,"" crushed pineapple and macadamia nuts. But Helmer's basic 40-second technique does work like a snap; and though you might question whether that alone is worth the price of a book, you can't expect him to give it away on three-by-five-cards.