Name: Scrambled Eggs with Shredded Ham
Ingredients: 2 to 3 ounces cooked ham, finely shredded; 2 tablespoons butter; 6 eggs, well beaten; Coarse sea salt, to taste; Black pepper, to taste; Buttered toast, for serving

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 ↓

Scrambled Eggs with Shredded Ham

Ingredients

Directions

In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.
Add the shredded ham and fry lightly until warmed through.
Pour in the beaten eggs, season with salt and pepper, and stir gently.
Cook until the eggs begin to set, then remove from heat.
Serve the scrambled eggs on buttered toast.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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 + buttertop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,475 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
Ham + eggtop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,526 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together118,967 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together85,593 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Ham + peppertop 23% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked 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 soft, tender structure as they cook, forming the body of the dish.
Butter: Adds fat for richness and keeps the eggs from sticking to the skillet.
Ham: Adds savory, salty flavor and a bit of chew against the soft eggs.

The step that matters

Cook until the eggs begin to set, then remove from heat. Eggs keep cooking from residual heat after leaving the pan. Removing them while still slightly glossy and soft prevents a dry, rubbery texture.

“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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Scrambled Eggs with Shredded Ham