Why it works: Mustard and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,430 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Devilled Ham
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare and season
Cut the ham into small, thin slices.
Layer the slices on a platter and sprinkle with dry mustard, cayenne pepper, and 1 to 2 teaspoons of salad oil.
Add another layer of ham and season again.
Repeat until all ham is layered and seasoned.
Rest
Set aside for 3 hours or until needed.
Cook and serve
Heat a frying pan and cook the ham quickly until crisp.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Mustard + peppertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,430 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Ham + mustardtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together747 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
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Ham + peppertop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6,058 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Lean ham
- Forms the main body of the dish, providing meaty flavor and the texture that crisps when fried.
- Dry mustard
- Adds a sharp, pungent flavor that balances the richness of the ham.
- Cayenne pepper
- Adds heat that sharpens the overall flavor.
- Salad oil
- Adds fat that carries the seasonings and helps the ham brown and crisp in the pan.
The step that matters
Cook the ham quickly until crisp. The ham is thin and lean, so high heat for a short time crisps the edges and browns the seasonings before the meat dries out. Longer cooking toughens the slices and makes them dry.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (ham, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Mustardthe original
- Cabbagefits about as well
- Carrotfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against ham, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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