Directions for Boiling Hams
Ingredients
Directions
Place the ham in boiling water for 5 to 10 minutes.
Reduce the heat and add cold water to bring it to a tepid point.
Heat the water to a simmer and maintain that temperature until the ham is cooked, about 20 minutes per pound from when it starts to simmer again.
Alternatively, wrap the ham in a cover and place it in boiling water, then reduce to a simmer until cooked.
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
What each ingredient does
- Ham
- Is the main cut being cooked, so its size sets the total simmering time.
The step that matters
Keep the water at a gentle simmer. A hard boil toughens the outer meat and can make it dry and stringy, while a steady simmer cooks the ham evenly to the centre.
“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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