Why it works: Cider and ham work together. They rank in the top 27% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 83 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-one, which smells mushroom, metallic. The science ↓
Ham Cooked in Cider
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a slow oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Simmer the ham
Combine cider, brown sugar, and enough water to cover the ham in a pot.
Boil for three hours, or until the skin peels off easily.
Glaze and bake
Remove the skin and cover the ham with a crust of sugar.
Bake in a slow oven at 300°F (150°C) for three hours.
Dissolve 1 cup of sugar in 1 pint of cider and baste the ham frequently while baking.
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.
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Cider + hamtop 27% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together83 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
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Cider + sugartop 27% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,308 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Sugar + hamtop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,084 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cider
- Adds moisture and a mild acidity that keeps the ham tender and flavourful during cooking.
- Brown sugar
- Sweetens the glaze and caramelises on the surface to form a browned crust.
The step that matters
Baste frequently while baking. Sugar burns at high heat, so a slow oven and regular basting with cider syrup keep the crust glossy and brown rather than scorched, while moistening the surface so the ham does not dry out.
“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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