Why it works: Ham and egg 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 and Eggs
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Place the required number of rashers of ham into a paper bag.
Cook
Cook the bag in the hot oven for 6 minutes.
Cut a hole in the paper bag and carefully drop in the eggs.
Cook until the eggs are set, which will take a few minutes.
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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Ham + eggtop 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
- Rashers of ham
- Releases fat and savoury flavour as it cooks, seasoning the dish and the eggs.
- Eggs
- Egg proteins set with heat, giving the dish its firm, cooked texture.
The step that matters
Cook until the eggs are set. Egg proteins set as they heat. Stopping when the whites are firm and the yolks still look soft keeps the texture tender. Overcooking makes the eggs dry and rubbery.
“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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