Why it works: Ham and carrot are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,918 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
To Boil a Ham
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the ham
Soak the ham in cold water for 12 hours or longer if it is highly salted and old, changing the water several times.
Scrape or brush the ham clean and trim any disfiguring blackened or rusty parts without cutting into the flesh.
Boil the ham
Place the ham in a large pot and cover it with cold water.
Bring the water to a very slow boil. Skim off the scum that rises to the surface.
Reduce the heat to simmer the ham gently until tender.
Add a bunch of herbs and 3 or 4 carrots after skimming the water.
Check for tenderness by probing with a sharp skewer. When it goes in easily, remove the ham.
Finish
Strip off the skin, which can be saved to cover the ham when cold.
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 + carrottop 21% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,918 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 that becomes tender and flavourful through long, gentle simmering.
- Carrots
- Add sweetness and aroma to the cooking liquid as it simmers.
The step that matters
Bring the water to a very slow boil and skim. Starting with a gentle heat and skimming the scum keeps the broth clear and prevents a rough boil from toughening the outer meat and clouding the liquid.
“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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