Why it works: Butter and ham 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 ↓
Omelet
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Beat the eggs until light and fluffy.
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat.
Cook the omelet
Pour the beaten eggs into the skillet and let them cook until the edges are set.
Add the minced meat to the center of the omelet.
Fold the omelet over the meat and cook for a minute more.
Serve
Serve immediately.
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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Butter + hamtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,475 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
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Egg + hamtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,526 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Set into the structure of the omelet as they cook, holding it together when folded.
- Butter
- Adds fat that keeps the eggs from sticking and gives a rich flavor.
- Minced ham or tongue, cold chicken or veal
- Supplies the savory filling that is folded into the omelet.
The step that matters
Fold the omelet over the meat and cook for a minute more.. Eggs keep cooking from residual heat, so folding too late or cooking too long can make them dry and rubbery. Folding while the centre is still moist keeps the filling warm and the texture tender.
“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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