Why it works: Mustard and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,066 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Deviled Ham
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Chop the lean boiled ham finely.
In a bowl, combine the chopped ham, mustard, flour, and boiling water, then mix well until smooth.
Set and serve
Pour the mixture into a mold and refrigerate until cold.
Once set, unmold and serve.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Mustard + flourtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,066 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Ham + mustardtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together747 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
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Ham + flourtop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,516 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Lean boiled ham
- Forms the main body and meaty flavor of the spread.
- Mustard
- Adds a sharp tang that balances the richness of the ham.
- Flour
- Thickens the liquid and helps the mixture hold its shape when chilled.
The step that matters
Chill until cold before unmolding. Flour thickens as the mixture cools and firms. Unmolding before it is fully set can cause the mold to slump or break apart.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (ham, flour):
- Shallotfits better
- Arrowrootfits about as well
- Okrafits about as well
- Mustardthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against ham, flour. 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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