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Boiled Ham

A ham boiled in soft water for several hours.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
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Boiled Ham

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Place the ham in a large pot with cold soft water.

  2. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a slow boil.

  3. Cook for four hours, adjusting time for larger or smaller hams.

  4. Skim the surface of the water regularly.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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

What each ingredient does

Ham
Is the main cut being cooked, so its size sets the cooking time and its meat turns tender with slow simmering.

The step that matters

Keep the water at a slow boil. A rolling boil toughens the meat's proteins and can make the outside tough and dry before the centre heats through. A gentle simmer cooks the ham evenly and keeps it tender.

“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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