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 Boiled
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Choose a sweet ham by checking for a pleasant smell after inserting a sharp knife near the bone.
If the ham is very dry and salty, soak it in water for 24 hours, changing the water frequently.
Wash the ham thoroughly and trim away any rusty or smoked parts.
Boil
Place the ham in a pot and cover it with cold water.
Bring the water to a boil, skimming off any scum that rises.
Simmer gently until the ham is tender, ensuring it does not boil too quickly.
Finish and serve
Once cooked, remove the ham from the pot and peel off the skin.
Sprinkle bread crumbs or glaze over the ham and serve.
If serving cold, let the ham cool in the water to retain its juices.
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
- Is the main protein; its cure and salt level determine whether soaking is needed before cooking.
- Water
- Gently cooks the ham through and, when cooling, helps the ham keep its juices.
The step that matters
Simmer gently until the ham is tender. Boiling vigorously toughens the meat and can make the outside tough and dry before the centre is tender. Keeping the water at a gentle simmer cooks the ham evenly and keeps it moist.
“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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