Why it works: Ham and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,475 recipes. Both carry trans-2-decenal, which smells waxy, orange. The science ↓
Broiled Ham
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Preheat the grill to medium heat.
Cook and serve
Place the thin slices of ham on the grill.
Broil until browned, being careful not to burn.
Butter the ham in the dish.
Serve hot.
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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Ham + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,475 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Ham
- Is the main protein, browning and firming at the surface as it broils.
- Butter
- Adds richness and moisture to the ham and carries flavour across its surface.
The step that matters
Broil until browned, being careful not to burn. Sugars and proteins on the surface brown quickly under direct high heat. Browning develops flavour, but once it passes golden the sugars scorch and turn bitter, so the ham needs close watching.
“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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