Why it works: Carrot and tomato match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,606 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓
Baked Ham
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a good oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the ham
Soak, wash, and parboil the ham for 12 minutes per pound.
Remove the skin and rub flour into the ham to stanch the juices.
Bake
Place the ham in a 400°F (200°C) oven with the onion, carrot, and tomato around it.
Pour in the hot water to prevent burning and cover closely.
Bake for 12 minutes per pound, basting four times with wine and four times with pan gravy.
When done, sprinkle browned cracker crumbs over the ham.
Leave in the oven until firm and evenly colored.
Finish and serve
For a hot serving, strain the gravy and thicken it with browned flour.
For a cold serving, reserve the pan liquid for another dish.
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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Carrot + tomatotop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,606 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Onion + carrottop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together21,601 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Onion + tomatotop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,633 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
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Ham + sherrytop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together377 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).
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Carrot + sherrytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together971 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
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 is parboiled, then baked until firm and evenly colored.
- Wine
- Adds acidity and aroma to the basting liquid, flavoring the ham and the pan gravy.
- Onion, carrot, and tomato
- Sit around the ham and flavor the pan liquid that becomes the gravy.
- Cracker crumbs
- Browned on top at the end, they add a crisp, golden crust.
The step that matters
Basting and leaving the ham to firm. Basting with wine and pan gravy keeps the surface moist and builds color, while the final time in the oven lets the meat set firm. Too little liquid or too much heat can scorch the surface before the inside is done.
Swap the onion
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (ham, carrot, tomato, sherry):
- Capsicumfits better
- Potatofits about as well
- Turnipfits about as well
- Onionthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against ham, carrot, tomato, sherry. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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