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 Dress Hams
Ingredients
Directions
Soak the ham in water overnight.
Place it in a hole in the ground or on damp stones for 2-3 days, covered with a heavy tub.
Wash the ham thoroughly.
Simmer the ham in a boiler with plenty of water for 4-6 hours, depending on its size.
If serving later, cover the ham with a clean cloth and keep it hot over boiling water.
Remove the skin and sprinkle raspings over the ham.
Garnish with carrot.
Preserve the skin to cover the ham when cold to prevent drying.
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
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