Why it works: Thyme and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,057 recipes. Both carry cuminaldehyde, which smells Spicy, cumin. The science ↓
Boiled Ham
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare and boil
Soak the ham in cold water for 12 to 24 hours.
Cover the ham with boiling water, then add vinegar, bay leaves, thyme, and parsley.
Boil the ham slowly for 2.5 hours, then remove the ham from the pot.
Skim off the fat, leaving a ½ inch layer.
Trim off any blackened parts with a sharp knife.
Glaze and bake
Place the ham in a dripping pan, fat side up.
Grate bread crust over the ham.
Sprinkle powdered sugar over the bread crust.
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 30 minutes until browned.
Serve and use leftovers
Serve the ham cold.
Slice the best parts for serving.
Chop the ragged parts for sandwiches.
Mix the chopped parts with 3 eggs.
Fry the mixture for an omelet.
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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Thyme + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,057 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
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Ham + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,536 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
-
Parsley + breadtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,588 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Vinegar + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,806 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Vinegar + parsleytop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,477 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Ham
- Main protein that becomes tender during slow simmering and is then glazed and served.
- Bread crust
- Forms a crisp, browned topping over the ham as it bakes.
- Powdered sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the topping brown in the oven.
- Eggs (in the method)
- Bind the chopped leftover ham into a cohesive mixture that sets when fried.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity to the simmering liquid, sharpening the flavor of the ham.
The step that matters
Boil the ham slowly. A gentle simmer lets the connective tissue soften slowly, keeping the meat tender. A hard, rapid boil toughens the proteins and can break the ham apart.
Swap the thyme
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (ham, vinegar, parsley, bread, sugar):
- Marjoramfits about as well
- Tarragonfits about as well
- Capersfits about as well
- Thymethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against ham, vinegar, parsley, bread, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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