Menu
Cart 0

Omelette Pan History

In the early 1940's, as part of the World War II manufacturing effort, a mid-western U.S.A. cast aluminum factory manufactured torpedoes for the U.S. Navy. The front end of the torpedo shell was cut off to allow material to be inserted. The part cut off measured between 8 and 11 inches in diameter and was shaped like a skillet with shallow sloping sides. That surplus piece was stockpiled and set aside in the foundry yard. Years later, someone recognized the extraordinary cooking capabilities of that surplus piece and affixed a handle to it. The product was then shipped to restaurant supply companies, as there were no gourmet kitchenware stores in existence at that time.

When the foundry stopped making torpedoes, the pans ceased being manufactured. In 1962, Julia Child, visited The Pot Shop of Boston and suggested The Pot Shop develop a similar heavy cast aluminum omelette pan, since there were none available. Four months later, the first French Chef Omelette Pan was given to Julia Child at her Cambridge, Massachusetts home, where she used it to do an omelette lunch for The Pot Shop's management. The French Chef Omelette Pan has been a favorite for decades!