Why it works: Ham and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 33% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,084 recipes. Both carry phenylacetaldehyde, which smells hawthorne, honey. The science ↓
Boiled Ham
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Cut the rind from the ham and scrape the lean part with a sharp knife.
Place the ham in a pot and cover it with cold water.
Cook
Add the sugar and bring to a boil.
Cook for three to four hours until easily pierced with a fork.
If the ham is too salty, soak it in fresh cold water for one hour.
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 + sugartop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,084 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
- Ham
- Provides the meat that is cooked until tender and easily pierced.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and a mild flavour to the cooking liquid.
The step that matters
Cook for three to four hours until easily pierced with a fork. A large cut of ham needs long, gentle simmering so heat reaches the centre and connective tissue softens. Testing with a fork shows when the meat is tender, so the cook avoids undercooked or dry, overcooked meat.
“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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