Why it works: Ham and bread are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,536 recipes. Both carry 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, which smells popcorn, roasted. The science ↓
Boiled Ham
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the ham
Soak the ham in cold water for 12 to 24 hours.
Rub the ham with a coarse towel.
Scrape off any discolored parts.
Boil
Place the ham in a pot and cover it with cold water.
Bring the water to a boil slowly.
Skim off any foam.
Cook the ham slowly for 25 to 28 minutes per pound.
If not consuming immediately, let the ham sit in the water for an hour after cooking.
Finish and serve
Remove the ham by the knuckle.
Skin the ham.
Sprinkle the ham with browned bread crumbs or glaze when cold.
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 + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,536 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Ham
- Is the main cooked meat, which is gently simmered until tender and heated through.
- Browned bread crumbs
- Add a toasted, crisp coating and a contrasting texture to the cooled surface.
The step that matters
Bring the water to a boil slowly. Heating the water gradually lets the ham warm evenly and keeps the meat from toughening. A hard, rapid boil tightens muscle fibres and can make the outside overcooked before the centre is done.
“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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