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Potted Ham

A spread made from boiled ham, melted butter, and cayenne pepper.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 3 ingredients
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Potted Ham

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 ↓

Potted Ham

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Cut the boiled ham into small pieces.

  2. Pound the ham in a mortar, adding melted butter to soften it.

  3. Add Cayenne pepper to taste.

Pot and store

  1. Press the mixture into small bowls, glasses, or potting jars until smooth.

  2. Pour a little more melted butter over the surface.

  3. Cover tightly and store away.

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.

Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it

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 + buttertop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,475 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).

  2. Butter + peppertop 21% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together85,593 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

  3. 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

Boiled ham
Provides the main meat flavour and the bulk of the spread.
Melted butter
Adds fat and moisture, softening the ham and giving a smooth texture.

The step that matters

Pour a little more melted butter over the surface. The butter layer seals the top from air, which slows oxidation and spoilage. Pressing the mixture smooth first leaves no gaps for air to enter, so the seal works evenly.

“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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