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Broiled Ham

Sliced ham broiled and served with butter and pepper.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
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Broiled Ham

Why it works: Ham and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,475 recipes. Both carry trans-2-decenal, which smells waxy, orange. The science ↓

Broiled Ham

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Cut the ham into slices 1 inch thick and trim the edges.

  2. Broil the slices over a clear fire for no more than 10 minutes, turning occasionally.

  3. Serve with small bits of butter on top and dust with pepper.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it

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.

  1. Ham + buttertop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,475 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).

  2. Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together85,593 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

  3. Ham + peppertop 23% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together6,058 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

Ham
Is the main protein; broiling firms its surface and concentrates its savory flavor.
Butter
Adds fat and richness, melting over the hot ham to moisten the surface and carry flavor.

The step that matters

Broil for no more than 10 minutes. Ham is already cooked and cured, so long exposure to high heat dries it out and toughens the meat. Turning the slices helps them heat evenly and brown without overcooking.

“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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