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 ↓
Ham, Baked
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the ham
Soak the ham in cold water for 8 to 24 hours, depending on saltiness.
Soak the ham in lukewarm water for 1 hour.
Wash the ham.
Trim the ham, removing any rusty parts.
Cover the ham with a paste made of flour and water, ensuring no gaps.
Bake and finish
Bake the ham in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C).
Remove the paste and skin while the ham is hot.
Cover the ham with raspings and brown it before the fire.
Second method
Soak and prepare the ham as before (for second method).
Place the ham in a deep pie-dish with ¼ pint of stock.
Cover the ham with oiled paper.
Add a thick crust to the ham.
Bake the ham in a moderate oven for 3 to 5 hours, allowing 28 minutes per pound up to 12 pounds, and 15 minutes for each additional pound.
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
- Is the main cut that is salted, soaked, and slowly baked until tender.
- Flour
- Forms a paste that seals the surface and keeps moisture in during baking.
- Stock
- Adds moisture and flavour to the pie-dish, helping the ham stay juicy in the second method.
The step that matters
Soak the ham in cold water for 8 to 24 hours. Salt cured in the ham draws out slowly when soaked, so a thorough soak is needed to remove excess saltiness before baking. Too short a soak leaves the ham overly salty.
“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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