Why it works: Ham and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,526 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Ham and Eggs
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the ham
Cut a slice of ham from the meaty side, shaving off the outside.
Broil the ham slice for about 4 minutes over clear coals.
Cook the eggs
In a small frying pan, heat the lard and pour in the eggs without breaking the yolks.
When the eggs are nearly done, carefully fold one half over the other.
Serve
Serve the broiled ham on a dish with the eggs placed in the middle.
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 + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,526 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
- Eggs
- Set into a firm white while the yolks stay soft, forming the main topping.
- Ham
- Provides savory, salty flavour and a chewy, meaty texture.
- Lard
- Fat that keeps the eggs from sticking and adds rich flavour to the pan.
The step that matters
Pouring the eggs without breaking the yolks. Egg whites set quickly over heat while yolks stay liquid, so a broken yolk spreads and cooks through. Gentle pouring into fat that is hot but not smoking keeps the yolks intact and the whites tender.
“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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