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 and Eggs
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Prepare the ham as directed in recipe No. 36.
Fry the ham slices and set them aside near the fire.
Cook the eggs
Ensure the pan is not very hot, then crack the desired number of eggs into it, holding the eggs close to the pan.
Keep the pan steady until the eggs are set, then spoon a little hot grease over the eggs.
Season with pepper and coarse sea salt if needed.
Serve
Once cooked, place each egg on a slice of ham and serve.
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 + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,526 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Ham + peppertop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6,058 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Egg + peppertop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together50,580 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Egg and pepper barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 50,580 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Set to a firm, cohesive texture as they cook, forming the main body of the dish.
- Slices of ham
- Provide savoury, salty flavour and a base that the cooked eggs rest on.
The step that matters
Keep the pan not too hot while the eggs set. High heat makes egg whites toughen, brown and turn rubbery before the yolks are set. Gentle heat lets the whites set evenly and keeps the eggs tender.
“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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