Why it works: Egg and ham 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 Omelet
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Beat the eggs in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat and add a little butter or oil.
Cook the omelet
Pour the eggs into the skillet and cook until the edges start to set.
Scatter the chopped ham over the center of the omelet.
When the omelet is mostly set, fold it in half and cook for another minute.
Serve
Slide the omelet onto a plate and 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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Egg + hamtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,526 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Ham + peppertop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6,058 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Egg + peppertop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together50,580 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Egg and pepper barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 50,580 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
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 the filling together.
- Ham
- Adds savory, salty flavor and chew to the filling.
The step that matters
Folding the omelet while it is mostly set. If the eggs are fully cooked before folding, they become dry and rubbery and may crack. Folding while the top is still slightly moist keeps the omelet tender, and the residual heat finishes the center.
“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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