Why it works: Egg and ham 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 Omelet
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Beat the eggs in a bowl until well mixed.
Heat an omelet pan over medium heat.
Cook and serve
Pour the eggs into the pan and cook until the edges begin to set.
Sprinkle the minced ham over the top before the eggs are fully set.
Fold the omelet in half 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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Egg + hamtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,526 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
- Set into a tender structure as they cook, forming the body of the omelette.
- Cold cooked ham
- Adds savoury flavour and chew, and is warmed through by the eggs as they set.
The step that matters
Sprinkle the ham before the eggs are fully set. If the eggs are fully set, the ham cannot sink into the surface and the omelette may crack when folded. Adding ham while the top is still slightly moist lets it adhere and warm gently.
“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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