Why it works: Ham and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 33% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,516 recipes. Both carry phenylacetaldehyde, which smells hawthorne, honey. The science ↓
To Bake Ham
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a medium oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Wash and soak the ham in water overnight.
Make a paste with 1 pint of flour and ½ pint of water.
Place the ham in a baking pan and spread the paste thickly over it.
Pour 1 pint of hot water into the pan.
Bake
Bake in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 5 hours, basting frequently.
When tender, remove the paste and top skin.
Serve
Let the ham stand until completely cold before slicing.
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 + flourtop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,516 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Ham
- The main cut, which becomes tender and juicy as it bakes slowly.
- Flour
- Forms a thick paste that seals the ham and helps hold in moisture while baking.
- Hot water
- Fills the pan so the ham bakes in moist, steamy heat rather than drying out.
The step that matters
Let the ham stand until completely cold before slicing.. Cutting while the ham is still hot lets its juices run out and makes the slices crumble. Resting and cooling lets the juices settle and firm up, so the slices hold together and stay moist.
“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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