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 ↓
Omelet-pan
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Beat the eggs in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Heat butter or oil in a pan over medium heat.
Cook and serve
Pour the eggs into the pan and shake gently.
After 3 to 4 minutes, fold the sides of the omelet over any filling like bacon or ham.
Turn the omelet onto a hot dish or lift it with a flat spoon.
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 + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,475 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
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Egg + hamtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,526 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Pepper + buttertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together85,593 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Ham + peppertop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked 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
- Eggs
- Set into a structure that forms the body of the omelet as they cook.
- Butter or oil
- Conducts heat into the pan and keeps the eggs from sticking while they set.
The step that matters
Pour the eggs into the pan and shake gently. Gentle shaking keeps the egg moving so uncooked liquid reaches the hot surface and sets in thin, tender layers. Overcooking or high heat makes the eggs tough and rubbery.
“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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