Why it works: Pepper and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,451 recipes. Both carry ethyl octanoate, which smells fruity, wine. The science ↓
Boiled Ham
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the ham
Wipe the ham with a coarse cloth to remove dust and mold.
Soak the ham in cold water for 1 hour, then wash it thoroughly.
Cut away the hardened surface from the base and butt of the ham.
Boil and serve
Place the ham in a pot with cold water and bring to a moderate boil.
Cook for 20 minutes per pound; a 12-pound ham will take 4 hours.
To serve hot, remove the skin, place the ham fat side up on a platter, and dot with black pepper and whole cloves.
If serving cold, leave the ham in the pot until the water cools to retain juiciness.
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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Pepper + clovetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together17,451 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
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Ham + clovetop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,666 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-decalactone (peach, creamy).
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Ham + peppertop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6,058 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
- Ham
- Is the main cut being cooked, so its size sets the cooking time.
- Black pepper
- Adds a sharp, aromatic seasoning to the surface of the ham when served hot.
- Whole cloves
- Adds a warm, aromatic spice flavour pressed into the ham when served hot.
The step that matters
Cooking time per pound. Timing is set by weight, so a ham cooked too briefly stays underdone at the centre, while overcooking dries the meat. Keep the water at a moderate boil rather than a hard boil so the meat cooks evenly and stays tender.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (ham, pepper):
- Parsleyfits about as well
- Clovethe original
- Marjoramfits about as well
- Celeryfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against ham, pepper. 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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