If you’ve been on YouTube long enough, chances are you’ve been recommended this video by the algorithm at some point (you can skip to 3:01 for the actual cooking portion):

What the chef is making there is called tamagoyaki (or more accurately, dashimaki tomago), a type of Japanese rolled omelette that involves cooking thin sheets of eggs in a square- or rectangular-shaped pan, rolling together multiple layers until you get a spongy loaf that can be sliced into several bento-friendly rolls.

Photo credit: Laura Tomàs Avellana

While you don’t need to be a master sushi chef to make tamagoyaki, there is a certain level of skill involved that takes some practice to achieve. However, starting with the right pan helps a ton to shape and roll the omelette correctly. (Bonus points if you get good at using cooking chopsticks in place of a spatula!)

TECHEF’s medium-sized (5.5″ x 7.5″) tamagoyaki pan is normally listed at $33, but as of July 26th, 2024 you can get it on sale for $23. The large version (8.5″ x 8.5″) is also currently on sale for $27. They’re both electric- and induction-ready as well, so if you don’t have a gas burner, no problem.