Why it works: Ham and parsley are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 24% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,249 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Boiled Ham
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Wash the ham thoroughly, scrubbing off any rusty parts.
Place the ham in a large pot and cover it with plenty of cold water.
Boil and cool
Boil the ham for 20 minutes per pound.
Once cooked, let the ham cool in the water until almost cold.
Do not skin the ham until it is perfectly cold.
Present and carve
Twist frilled paper around the shank and place the ham on a bed of curled fresh parsley.
Carve the ham into thin slices.
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 + parsleytop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,249 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
- Ham
- Is the main cut of meat, cooked gently in water until tender and ready to slice.
- Fresh parsley
- Serves as a fresh green garnish under the ham, adding aroma and a visual contrast.
The step that matters
Let the ham cool in the water before skinning. Cooling slowly in the cooking liquid keeps the meat moist and tender, and the skin peels more cleanly when the ham is fully cold, so rushing it can tear the meat and dry it out.
“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.
More boiled ham recipes
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipes
Yorkshire Pudding264 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.