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Ham Cakes

A fried patty made from chopped ham, breadcrumbs, eggs, and milk, seasoned with pepper and salt.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 6 ingredients
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Why it works: Ham and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,526 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

Ham Cakes

Ingredients

Directions

  1. In a bowl, combine the chopped ham, breadcrumbs, eggs, pepper, salt, and enough milk to create a moist mixture.

  2. Heat a griddle over medium heat.

  3. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto the griddle and fry until golden brown, turning as needed.

  4. Alternatively, use mashed potatoes instead of breadcrumbs and fry in the same manner.

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.

  1. Ham + eggtop 17% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,526 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  2. Egg + milktop 18% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together88,785 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

  3. Pepper + milktop 22% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together26,984 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  4. Ham + milktop 23% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,089 recipes

    Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).

  5. 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
Bind the mixture so the cakes hold their shape while frying.
Breadcrumbs
Provide the bulk and body that hold the ham together in each cake.
Milk
Adds moisture so the mixture stays soft rather than dry inside the cakes.
Boiled ham
Supplies the main savory flavour and substance of the cakes.

The step that matters

Frying the spoonfuls. The mixture is kept quite moist, so it can spread or fall apart on the griddle. Cooking over medium heat lets the outside brown and set before the cakes break, and turning them gently helps them keep their shape.

“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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