Why it works: Ham and maple syrup work together. They rank in the top 26% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10 recipes. Both carry acetic acid, which smells sour, vinegar. The science ↓
Premium Ham
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Cover the ham with water and simmer gently for 30 minutes per pound.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Bake the ham for 30 minutes, basting with maple syrup during cooking.
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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Ham + maple syruptop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together10 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Ham
- The main cut of meat, kept tender and moist by gentle simmering before it is glazed.
- Maple syrup
- Adds sweetness and sugars that caramelize and brown on the ham's surface in the oven.
The step that matters
Basting with maple syrup during baking. Maple syrup is rich in sugars that can scorch if the oven is too hot or the glaze is applied too early. Basting in the oven lets the sugars caramelize into a glossy, browned coating without burning.
“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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