Points on Boiling Ham
Ingredients
Directions
Start the ham
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.
Simmer and cook
Heat the water to a simmer and maintain that temperature.
Cook for about 20 minutes per pound, starting from when the water simmers again.
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
- Main protein; gentle simmering in water keeps its muscle fibers tender and moist rather than tough.
The step that matters
Maintain a gentle simmer. Once the water is simmering, keeping it at a gentle simmer rather than a rolling boil matters. Vigorous boiling toughens the meat's proteins and can leave the outside overcooked before the center is done.
“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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