Name: Omblet, with Ham, Xto
Ingredients: 12 eggs; 3 ounces finely minced boiled ham; ¼ pound butter; salt (if using veal)

Why it works: Ham and veal are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,264 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

Omblet, with Ham, Xto

Ingredients

12 eggs
3 ounces finely minced boiled ham
¼ pound butter
salt (if using veal)

Directions

Prepare the eggs

Beat the eggs until frothy.
Mix in the minced ham and a little salt if using veal.
Melt ¼ pound of butter until just lukewarm, then mix a little with the eggs.

Cook and serve

Heat the remaining butter in a frying pan until hot.
Pour in the egg mixture and stir until it begins to set.
Cook until the underside is brown, then remove from heat.
Invert the omelet onto a flat dish to serve.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

Ham + vealtop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together3,264 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ham + buttertop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,475 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
Egg + hamtop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,526 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together118,967 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Butter + vealtop 23% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together9,381 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

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 ham and butter together.
Butter: Adds richness and flavor, and helps the underside brown in the hot pan.
Boiled ham: Adds savory flavor and a bit of texture throughout the omelet.

The step that matters

Stirring until the eggs just begin to set. Stirring while the eggs are still liquid keeps curds fine and the texture tender. Once they begin to set, stop stirring and let the underside brown; overcooking makes the omelet tough and dry.

“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.

Veal Patties50 recipes

Beef, Mutton, or Veal Broth6 recipes

Tomato Soup526 recipes

Brown Bread461 recipes

Like knowing why a recipe works?

The free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.

Omblet, with Ham, Xto