Why it works: Ham and bread are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,536 recipes. Both carry 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, which smells popcorn, roasted. The science ↓
Ham Shank, to Boil
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Soak the ham shank in water for 12 hours.
Scrape and clean the shank thoroughly.
Cook
Place the shank in a large pot and cover it with water.
Bring the water to a slow boil, skimming off any foam.
Once cooked, remove the outer rind.
Serve
Grate bread crumbs from the top of the loaf.
Serve with greens or mashed turnips.
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 + breadtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,536 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn, roasted).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Ham shank
- Main meat; slow simmering softens its connective tissue for a tender result.
The step that matters
Bring the water to a slow boil, skimming off any foam. Foam rises from proteins and impurities released by the meat. Skimming it keeps the cooking liquid clear and prevents off flavours from settling back into the ham as it simmers.
“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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