Ham Sandwiches

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.

1. Beef + chickentop 4% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together2,148 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).

2. Butter + breadtop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together27,232 recipes

   Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).

3. Ham + breadtop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together2,536 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).

4. Mustard + peppertop 9% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together15,430 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

5. Pepper + beeftop 10% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together18,971 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Butter

Creates a creamy, spreadable base that carries the flavors and keeps the filling moist.

Cold dressed ham

Provides the main savory meat flavor and the bulk of the filling.

Mustard

Adds sharp, pungent flavor that cuts through the richness of the butter and meat.

Chopped pickle

Adds acidity and a tangy crunch that brightens the filling.

Swap the mustard

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (ham, pepper, butter, bread, beef, mutton, chicken):

1. Tomatofits better
2. Onionfits better
3. Potatofits better
4. Mustardthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against ham, pepper, butter, bread, beef, mutton, chicken. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.