Why it works: Ham and carrot are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,918 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
To Boil a Ham
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Soak the ham in cold water for 12 hours, changing the water several times.
Scrape the ham clean and trim any disfiguring parts.
Place the ham in a large pot and cover it with cold water.
Simmer
Bring the water to a slow boil, skimming off any scum that forms.
Once skimmed, reduce the heat to simmer the ham gently until tender.
Add the herbs and carrots after skimming the water.
Finish and serve
When tender, remove the ham, peel off the skin, and optionally place it in the oven for a few minutes.
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 + carrottop 21% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,918 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
- Provides the main meat, which becomes tender through long, gentle simmering in water.
- Carrots
- Add sweetness and aroma to the cooking liquid as it simmers.
The step that matters
Skimming the scum as the water comes to a boil. Scum is coagulated protein and impurities that rise to the surface as the water heats. Removing it keeps the cooking liquid clear and the ham's flavour clean. Skimming must happen before the heat is turned down to a simmer.
“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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