Why it works: Egg and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 106,462 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Ham Puffs
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
Bring the water to a boil.
Stir in the flour and beat well until the batter leaves the sides of the pot.
Remove from heat and beat in the eggs one at a time.
Add the ham and seasonings, mixing well.
Fry and serve
Drop spoonfuls of the batter into hot fat and cook until brown.
Drain on soft paper and serve with white sauce or cabbage salad.
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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Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Egg + hamtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,526 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Flour + hamtop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,516 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Egg and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Forms the starchy batter that sets around the air and steam as the puffs cook.
- Eggs
- Add structure and richness, helping the batter hold its puffed shape.
- Ham
- Adds savory flavor and meaty texture throughout each puff.
- Water
- Turns to steam in the hot fat, helping the puffs lift and become light.
The step that matters
Drop spoonfuls of the batter into hot fat and cook until brown.. If the fat is not hot enough, the batter absorbs oil and turns greasy instead of puffing and browning. Cooking until deep brown ensures the centre sets fully.
“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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