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 Fried with Eggs
Ingredients
Directions
Fry the ham slices in a frying pan until cooked, then transfer to a dish and keep warm.
In the same pan, break the eggs into the hot fat and cook until the whites are set.
Place the cooked eggs on top of the ham and serve.
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.
-
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
- Thinly sliced ham
- Provides savoury, salty flavour and a chewy, meaty base for the dish.
- Eggs
- Set as they cook to form a soft, tender topping over the ham.
The step that matters
Cooking the eggs until the whites are set. Egg whites begin to set around 60°C and firm as they heat. Cooking gently until the whites are opaque but the yolks stay soft gives a tender texture without a rubbery, overcooked white.
“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.
More ham and eggs recipes
You might also like
Rice Gruel28 recipes
Peptoned Milk Gruel9 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.